Today, the remote selling is the norm more than the exception. However, the transition to remote sales has brought a new set of challenges. One often overlooked area of improvement lies in the understanding and application of neuroscience - the scientific study of the brain and nervous system. If you are in the remote sales, here is are 5 areas to focus on to improve your results - starting today.
Sharpen Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions and those of others. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's groundbreaking work revealed that emotions are critical to decision-making [1]. Therefore, remote salespeople should prioritize developing their EI to form deeper connections with clients, understanding their needs, and persuasively addressing their pain points.
Action steps include active listening, empathizing with customers, and mirroring their language and tone. Tools like CrystalKnows [2] can provide insights into a prospect's personality type, helping you tailor your approach to their emotional needs.
Leverage Primacy and Recency Effects
Neuroscience research has demonstrated two cognitive biases that impact our memory: the primacy effect, where people remember the first items in a series more effectively, and the recency effect, where the most recent items are recalled best [3].
Remote salespeople can apply these principles by strategically structuring their presentations and meetings. Open with a compelling, memorable point to leverage the primacy effect. Then, end the conversation with a persuasive call to action or a memorable recap to exploit the recency effect.
Utilize the Zeigarnik Effect
The Zeigarnik Effect, named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, posits that people remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones [4]. This principle can be used to keep your products or services at the top of your prospects' minds.
In practice, salespeople can present a compelling problem that a prospect's business faces, then offer their product as the solution. By doing so, the prospect's mind will naturally revisit the uncompleted task - resolving the issue with the salesperson's product.
Apply the Growth Mindset
The human brain is not static; it changes and adapts continuously due to neuroplasticity, the ability of neural networks in the brain to grow and reorganize [5]. This scientific principle reinforces the importance of a growth mindset in sales.
Carol Dweck, a renowned psychologist, showed that individuals with a growth mindset - who believe their abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication - are more successful than those with a fixed mindset [6]. Therefore, nurturing a growth mindset is critical for overcoming the unique challenges of remote sales.
Create a Reward System
The brain's reward system is closely tied to motivation, learning, and pleasure. When we achieve a goal, dopamine is released, which creates feelings of pleasure and satisfaction [7].
Remote salespeople can apply this knowledge by setting attainable goals for each interaction or each day. Each accomplishment will stimulate dopamine production, increasing motivation and productivity. Sales gamification platforms, such as Spinify [8], are particularly useful in harnessing the power of the reward system.
Neuroscience offers valuable insights into human behavior, thought patterns, and decision-making. By understanding and applying these principles, remote salespeople can significantly improve their results. Emotional intelligence, the primacy and recency effects, the Zeigarnik Effect, neuroplasticity, and the reward system can all be leveraged to enhance sales performance, build deeper connections with clients, and remain competitive in the digital sales landscape.
[1] Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. Grosset/Putnam.
[2] CrystalKnows. (n.d.). www.crystalknows.com
[3] Murdock, B. B. (1962). The serial position effect of free recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64(5), 482.
[4] Zeigarnik, B. (1927). Über das Behalten von erledigten und unerledigten Handlungen [On finished and unfinished tasks]. Psychologische Forschung, 9, 1–85.
[5] Kolb, B., & Whishaw, I. Q. (1998). Brain plasticity and behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 43-64.
[6] Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
[7] Schultz, W. (2000). Multiple reward signals in the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 1(3), 199-207.
[8] Spinify. (n.d.). www.spinify.com
Topic: Sales Intelligence Ideas
