It's been said that people buy with their hearts, but justify with their heads. How can someone who buys with his/her head learn to sell?

It's an interesting question, people buy with both their heart (emotions) and head (logic). I think sales people who are logic and analytically driven struggle because they tend to focus on the logic or "fact" side of the selling argument.

I don't know how many reviews I've participated in where the sales person said, "I had all the data, I had all the facts that showed we were superior, the customer agreed, yet made a decision for the competition." They overlooked that the customer may not have trusted them, they may not have had a relationship, or for whatever logical or illogical reasons the customer just made another choice.

Until the "head" oriented sales person, or the "heart" oriented sales person realizes that you have to sell to both the "head" and the "heart," to maximize the impact and effectiveness. Likewise, you have to sell to both the business (or organizational) and personal reasons (like get a promotion, get a bonus, make my life simpler) to each person involved in the decisions.

Anyone can learn to sell, if they are willing to change. Learning something and being able to do it are quite different and the difference between the two underpinned my hiring decisions, which were always probationary. Because until someone is on the job, it is impossible to know their true personality, attitude, and character.

Eager to learn, coachable, flexible, with a good self image, someone comfortable in their skin are core qualities I look in a new sales rep - "Changability." In the world of sales in this fast changing culture, changability = sustainability.

Edward C. Bursk; editor of the Harvard Business Review wrote an interesting article on Low Pressure Sales. In it, he makes several solid points surrounding components that make a sales person especially suited to practice this form of sale (and I'm loosely quoting Bursk here:

1)Sincerity: “Sincerity is the very crux of low-pressure selling, since the effectiveness of the technique hinges largely on the salesman’s appearance of concern for the prospect.”

2)Rationality: “Those who make buying decisions primarily on a rational rather than an emotional basis are especially suited to low-pressure selling.”

3)Specialized Knowledge: “Whenever specialized knowledge is of value to customers…then the customer’s feeling of confidence in the salesman and his company, engendered by low-pressure techniques, will facilitate sales.”

In short, a solid salesperson should use their head when they sell. In doing so, they remain rational and logical. However, they must draw passion for the product from their heart. A salesperson that only uses one approach above the other (and not a balance of both) is certain to fail.

Cheers.

Fortunately, everybody buys with their head.
The heart is just used to pump blood to the brain!

As the 'secrets' of Decision Making are being slowly revealed using Neuroscience and Psychology, we now know that Decisions are made both with thought and emotion.

Our emotional side is the fast processor,
using bias, prejudice and beliefs (somatic markers) to decide quickly.

Our Cognitive or thoughtful side, in part 'driven' by our emotions,
tries to slow the process down to include our perceptions and impose a process.

Perhaps the person who buys with their “head” is the most able to sell (using their head)
as they have integrated both sides!

Hi Bruce,

How can someone who buys with his/her head learn to sell?

Perhaps you think you buy with your head but have you considered that you might use your brain more for fear of making a bad decision? My point is that sometimes emotion, in this case fear of making a bad choice can moderate our behaviour. I'm not saying that this is the case for you but there are a lot of emotions - call it 'heart' if you will but I would argue that emotion always plays a role in buying anything important.

Understanding why people buy, all of the different reasons is a gigantic subject and could be called a study of motivation - after all buying is just one type of behaviour motivated by something in the same way that cooking a meal is motivated by hunger and talking to an attractive girl might be motivated by well, romantic things! All behaviour is precdeded by some sort of desire even if it's only survival. Understand all the motivations of your buying public and you are 75% of the way there because that creates empathy and you will be able to see things from their viewpoint and be able to advise them in ways that show you care and understand them - very valuable currency. Good luck.