18 psychological triggers: they will help you sell yourself more

To make good money on goods and services, it is not enough to do the work efficiently. You also need to sell it beautifully. We tell you how to do it.

The article is based on the speech of Misha Timochko at the Instadium conference.

Why warm up the audience

Warming up is the publication of content that guides the audience from “who are you?” to “I want to buy from you!”

To “warm up” a person, you need to convey to him a whole list of meanings: about the benefits of the product, the speaker’s expertise, if an information product or service is being sold, about prospects.

It is not enough just to list all these characteristics. It is important that a person makes the conclusions that we have listed for himself – this is the only way he will decide to buy.

Therefore, each thesis needs to be disclosed:

• a new profession can transform life – share your story and examples of people from the environment;
• this can be learned quickly and easily even from scratch – to show a student who could;
• it’s an interesting and enjoyable job to post stories on which you create a website while sitting on the veranda and drinking coffee, or developing a new idea in the company of enthusiastic professionals.

You will be able to warm up the audience qualitatively if you make a list of meanings in advance and figure out how to show them in the content.

Psychological triggers

It is possible to increase warming up by using triggers – psychological mechanisms that make us react to what is happening in a certain way.

There are 18 universal triggers that always work in sales. It doesn’t matter if you sell chairs or expensive treatment. We will analyze each trigger using the example of selling an information product.

1. Social proof

When we don’t know what to do, we look at how others act. If others are satisfied with the product, we will also start to trust.

How to apply. Show reviews, cases, messages from people who want to get on the course. “Wow, how many of us fit in!” Reposts of people who have already fit in. “Anchors” (ed. – highlights, i.e. eternal stories on Instagram) with reviews, interviews with students.

2. Sequence

People strive to be consistent. If they have already shown interest in something, their interest will only grow over time. The first free month of training, which is offered in many courses, works just for this: a person has already started studying, invested, and most likely will not want to lose progress. Was he trying in vain?

How to apply. We need to make sure that people show interest in the first stages of warming up: put lights on, participated in the study, posted stories with a mark, got on the list of pre-recordings for the course.

3. Scarcity

What is in short supply has more value, even if it doesn’t actually have one.

Do you remember how in the movie “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession” they look at eggplant caviar? Actually, this is a very affordable and inexpensive product, but in the universe of the film it was in short supply, so it was perceived as something very desirable, it was expensive

If the product is produced in a small circulation, it is difficult to get on the course, there will not be enough consultations for everyone, owning the product will make the client cool. It sells.

How to apply. Create a list of pre-recordings, determine the limit of places, limit the time of sales and constantly remind you about it.

4. Sympathy

We buy from someone who is sympathetic to us as a person. What causes sympathy? Not achievements, but similarities with us: the same problems, the same values and goals, a consonant mood and state

How to apply. To sell, be sincere, joke more often about the world and yourself, talk about troubles, share the “inside”. The better the audience knows you or your company, the “hotter” it is.

5. Authority

When we see an authoritative opinion, the part of our brain responsible for analyzing the situation simply turns off – we unconditionally trust the specialist. This works not only with trips to the doctor: if the work of the nail studio is regularly published in the gloss, and the expert was interviewed in Forbes and RBC, most likely, both of them are worth something. Or not. But I can hardly believe it.

How to apply. Share your achievements, results, and awards. Demonstrate authority among colleagues. Show that reputable people approve of you or want to work with you. Post performances on stage, publications in the media, diplomas.

6. Gratitude (reciprocity)

The trigger of reciprocity was necessary for primitive people to organize groups and survive. Now we are subconsciously afraid of being unrecognized and being expelled. When someone has done us well, we feel an inner need to pay.

How to apply. Hold a free webinar or give a useful guide. Make a present after the webinar. Regularly post useful content in social networks (collections, checklists, life hacks). Prepare a special surprise block on the course, which you do not promise during sales (“oh, wow, thank you!”).

7. It looks like the truth

“It looks like the truth” is not the same as the truth. Maybe you are so gifted that in two years you could repeat the masterpieces of world painting, but your audience, most likely, cannot boast of a similar experience. In the end, she just won’t believe you.

It is important to assess which life events will hook the audience, and which will seem incredible, and highlight during the warm-up those that will bring the audience closer.

For example, no one believes the estimates of “10 out of 10” and the stories about “from the Voronezh janitor to billionaires in three days”. But they believe stories about “I went to this for four years“, “I made a lot of mistakes, but still succeeded“, “score 8.9 out of 10“.

How to apply. Don’t embellish your experience and don’t be afraid to show the negative. It’s natural to mess up and correct yourself.

8. Ease

“Uber” is an ordinary taxi, but it’s easy to call it, because you don’t have to go anywhere. Netflix is a regular series, but it’s easier to find and choose them.

A C++ programming course is difficult and guarantees an income of 3 thousand dollars after two years of study. But the course on creating websites on Tilde is easy, you can learn in 30 days and then sell ready–made sites for 500-900 dollars.

How to apply. People want quick and simple results, so it is important to emphasize the ease and speed of achieving success thanks to your product. It needs to be proved by examples, not abstractly.

9. Clarity

To speak the same language with the audience means to increase the effectiveness of communication tenfold and accelerate sales

10. Relevance

The information should be relevant to those to whom you are trying to sell a product or service. A student who has no income does not care how to move from a profit of 2 thousand dollars per month to a profit of 5 thousand dollars per month. But it will be interesting how to earn the first 300 dollars.

How to apply. Research the audience, make relevant promises, and publish student stories that are similar to the stories of the target audience. Tell them that you yourself were once in the client’s place, and show how you reached point B from this point A.

11. Dream Life

People don’t just learn. Training is a tool for achieving something: travel (a new profession), attractiveness (a weight loss marathon), emancipation (dance lessons).

How to apply. Show how people achieve success (different) thanks to your product.

12. Expertise

People are more willing to go to study with someone who is better versed in the topic. Here it is important to separate two concepts – expertise and authority – and broadcast both.

• Authority – recognition in the industry, success, achievements, results.
• Expertise – awareness and experience in a particular issue, your skills.

How to apply. Give a lot of expert content so that people feel your awareness. Conduct reviews, answer questions from the audience, create checklists. Demonstrate immersion in the professional community, awards and achievements.

13. Warranty

People often make purchases on emotions, but they do it to cheer themselves up, calm down, and please themselves. And the more deliberate purchases are made only out of a state of rest, a sense of security. It is important for a person to understand that he does not risk anything and cannot “lose”.

How to apply. Enter a money-back guarantee. If you make a good product, returns will be minimal, but there will be more buyers: they will be ready to take a step into the “unknown”.

14. Personality transformation

When people go to online training, they want not only to pump the visible part of life (for example, to increase income), but also to change themselves: become more confident, happy, sociable, easy-going.

How to apply. Personality transformation motivates many more than material changes. It is important to show how the product affects other areas of life, how your personality and character, the habits of your students have changed thanks to it.

15. Events

The sale of any product or service can be turned into a holiday. For example, add a greeting card to the order box, or organize a graduation ceremony at the end of the course, rather than send documents by mail.

People love high-profile events and don’t miss them.

How to apply. Add event elements to your launch: expectation, brightness, celebration.

16. Involvement

When a child helps to clean up, he keeps the house clean longer. When you tell how the product was created and are interested in the opinion of the audience, they trust your offer more at the sales stage.

How to apply. Ask people to participate in the creation of a free product by filling out a questionnaire. Request advice on the main course.

17. Community

Your product is an opportunity to get into the crowd. The product is an opportunity to declare something in the spirit of “I’m with you guys!”

How to apply. Organize social activity within the course: meetings, “tens” (editor’s note – groups for communication and support, which include ten people), graduation. Broadcast it in stories. Show live people on the course.

18. Common enemy

A common enemy forces you to unite, emphasizes your similarity with the audience, common values. It is not necessary to enter into a conflict or to hate someone in particular (although you can try). The seller of eco-bags can complain about irresponsible kebabs who left garbage in the forest. The creator of the information product – to swear at the lack of professionalism in the niche.

How to apply. Find out what you are against and publicly criticize it. As a social proof, collect responses to your content and post them too – this will cause additional resonance and attract even more supporters.