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Enterprise-level B2B Sales can be a pretty square space.
In fact, it’s sometimes described as emotionless.
But inside those corporate structures made of steel, concrete and glass are real people with real feelings.
And as a Consultant, a technique that should be high on your list as a strategy for earning their business is emotional selling.
In Complex Sales, your solutions definitely have the potential to impact a prospect’s ROI.
So it should come as no surprise that when selling, you need to come correct.
Part of that correctness involves fostering a structured sales approach while appealing to the emotional aspect of how your products affect buyers posi+ively.
Emotional Rescue
Buying is an emotional decision even if it comes from a rational space.
“We buy on emotion and justify with logic” – Michael Harris | CEO | Insight Demand
That CIO, CPO or CHRO you’re selling to should have an emotional connection to you, your product and/ or what it signifies even in B2B.
Dr. Peter Noel Murray (expert on the psychological, emotional and cultural motivations of consumers) writes: “MRI neuro-imagery shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, and facts) and the richer the emotional content of a brand’s mental representation, the more likely the consumer will be a loyal user”.
In B2B, this emotion comes from the trust, authenticity and confidence instilled in your prospect through what you’ve said, done or showed about your company and what you can do for them.
And although “B2B selling tactics often appeal to a buyer’s rationality” – RingDNA – by striking an emotional nerve, you soften the prospect and lead them naturally into a buying mode and away from the suspicious mind.
Despite continuous online chatter about 100% effective closing techniques, you can’t fugazi buyers into doing business.
Bells, night-lights and double-talk make for magical distractions.
But when the sun comes up, they’re not substantive and therefore don’t add real value.
Sophisticated buyers are no longer wooed by features.
Anyone can put lipstick on a pig.
What matters most is the practical application of your product’s benefits and the buyer’s Upside.
“Business should never be merely transactional – it should be transformational”
― : Putting the Heart Back into Your Business
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Ideally, you want a prospect to ease into the hot tub that is your solution without fanfare or distraction.
Not only does this solidify the relationship from the beginning, it provides a level of comfort that’s sustained over time because the union was predicated on a solid foundation and not a bed of beveled marbles.
Sweet Emotional Selling
This week, I had my second conference call with a large accounting firm.
The call went exactly as expected because of how I opened the relationship.
When we [Senior Counsel + Paralegal] spoke initially, I asked them what their experiences were with our type of service.
This simple open-ended question had the Counselor talk at length about his past experience with a less than desirable competitor.
Sure, I lucked out. He had a negative experience which I could easily paint a positive scenario upon.
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The takeaway is that I asked the right question.
I didn’t lead with how great our services were or go on about random industry factoids.
One question was enough to open the floodgates and the emotion came pouring out.
And when the time was right, I discussed our approach to business and the safeguards in place to ensure what had happened to them in the past wouldn’t happen here.
Real Talk
Let’s face it though. Prodding a prospect to divulge their company’s weaknesses and inefficiencies isn’t always easy.
Asking the tough questions can feel invasive and uncomfortable.
You have to earn their respect and right to excavate first.
But, it’s within these walls that you find the truth and uncover the Why’s.
A lot of sales gurus will tell you that succeeding in Sales is about what to say and when to say it.
I’d counter with what you ask and how you ask it.
Simply put: The right question asked a certain way at the right time will open the kimono.
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At the end of the first call, the Senior Counsel told me how much he appreciated my candor and that I didn’t slay him with sky-scraping promises to get the business.
Engaging my company wasn’t his decision to make that day.
But, I gave him the ammunition and emotional security needed to sell the other departments involved in implementing our solution, with conviction.
This week, I received positive confirmation of an inbound contract within the next four weeks.
That may sound like a long time to wait.
Such is the process with companies that do billions in annual rev.
This Time With Feeling!
You won’t find an emotional selling connection in every transaction and that’s okay.
But, by looking for it and asking thoughtful questions, you open the door of opportunity for your prospect to walk through and voice their concerns.
And by understanding where it hurts, you build trust and speak to their actual experiences as opposed to perception.
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- Don’t just tell them what you think they want to hear
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Engage them with your familiarity and your heart
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Show you understand the pain-points and can identify
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Help them visualize the other side of your solution
Emotional selling into a rational space involves painting a picture that feels right to the prospect.
And because most corporate decisions are made at 90 degrees, your responsibility is to soften those edges and deliver curve appeal.
Once you’ve made an emotional connection with a prospect, you can serve them with purpose while grooming them for a long-term partnership.
Are you building emotional connections with your prospects?