I have been surprised lately by how many people react negatively to using psychology in selling situations.  In fact, many site managers have turned up their nose and commented, “We don’t sell.  Selling is beneath us.”  Well, vacancy loss is beneath me.

A friend and I were chatting about this when she commented:  “When a kid wants to get something in the store and the parents are not convinced they need it.... here is born our first concept of sales.  ‘I will die if we do not get a box of Cap'n Crunch cereal!’”

The reality is that all of us are selling all of the time.  Common non-selling selling situations include:  asking your boss for a raise, presenting a budget to an owner, going on a job interview, proposing marriage, trying to get your partner to go to a football game instead of the latest Jennifer Anniston flick, a meeting with your parole board or negotiating the bigger slice of the pie.

Is understanding human behavior and why we do what we do sleazy?  Is understanding how to motivate your child to study sleazy?  Is understanding when the best time to bring an idea to your partner’s attention (vacation spot, home addition, mother-in-law visit) sleazy?  There is a time and a place and a way for everything.

Everyone has to find a technique that is genuine to them.  If you are real you will not come across as contrived.  It is when we try to be someone we are not or we put on a mask of who we think we are supposed to be that we come across as fake.

Solution selling

Hate selling?  Try “Solution Selling”. This is a buzz phrase in our industry today—and it has a nice warm glow to it.  We are selling solutions to our customers’ problems—and that cannot be bad, can it?  When a customer walks into your office, instead of thinking of yourself as a sales person ask, “What can I do to help this customer solve her problems today?”  Frankly, all it takes is a few easy ingredients:

1. A caring, helpful attitude (This is a basic first step; make sure you really care about your job, your product and your customers.  If you do not, ask yourself why?)
2. An understanding of your product and how it can benefit your customers.
3. A ready smile
4. An ability to listen, answer questions and ask for the sale.

However, if we knowingly sell someone something that we know they do not want or cannot afford, that is sleazy.

Manipulative?

In our firm, we have spent a lot of time training clients on understanding personality profiles and how different personality types behave, interact and prefer to communicate (in both sales and management).  This helps us gain a deeper psychological understanding of our customers (and they could be internal—your boss—or external). For example, I once had a boss who preferred e-mail. He also hated information overload—so I learned to condense and bullet point everything.  If he wanted more information, he would ask.  If I left a voice mail it would likely be deleted unheard.  Is my attempt to communicate in a way he could best receive the information manipulative?  This same approach to our customers is really just good customer service.

Emphasizing Your Genuineness

Here are a few tips on creating positive nonverbals to emphasize your genuineness:

• Smile (a real smile includes the eyes)
• Start by being genuine. (Leave ‘masks’ at home.)
• Speak your customers’ language in a respectful way; don’t talk down to them.
• Take the time to listen to your customer.
• Don’t cross your arms (indicates defensiveness)
• Lean forward slightly (indicates interest)
• Don’t sit across a desk from your customer—this creates a barrier. Try and find a position that indicates that you are on their team.
• Maintain good eye contact (unless it is offensive in their culture to do so).
• Don’t speak too quickly.
• Laughter is good:  it is a sign that you are relaxed and at ease with your customer.
• Don’t rub your nose or cover your mouth.  (Benjamin Franklin said:  “Look at someone’s mouth while they’re talking, and at their eyes while you’re talking.”)

Don’t be afraid to show the positive aspects of your personality at work.  It is when we put on masks that people get confused.  Your customers will positively respond to who you genuinely are.

I think I’ll go have that bowl of Cap’n Crunch now!

Jim Baumgartner is Senior Vice President of RentSoda, a consulting company offering apartment marketing, business & operations consulting as well as industry-specific training.

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