From: alexhormozi
Sales, at its core, involves a dynamic interplay between emotion and logic. While emotional appeal can initiate a purchase, a strong logical foundation is crucial for long-term customer satisfaction and retention [00:00:55]. Selling effectively means addressing both sides of a prospect’s decision-making process [00:00:58].
The Dual Nature of Buyers
In sales, buyers generally fall along a spectrum between being predominantly logical or emotional [01:32:41]. Emotionally, people often want to believe and buy from you [01:39:42]. However, their logical brains require justification for the decision they already desire to make [01:43:53].
Rational Foundation
Just like in a relationship, if there’s a rational foundation for a decision, that logic will endure even when the initial emotions fade [00:00:47]. Emotional buyers might get excited and buy, but they are also prone to regretting their purchase days later if there’s no logical basis [00:00:36]. Businesses observe that individuals higher up in the business hierarchy tend to make more logic-first decisions and fewer emotional ones [01:17:01].
Logical Sales Strategies
While emotion can drive immediate action, logic helps the decision “stick” and fosters a great, long-term customer relationship [01:06:21]. Effective logical sales relies on principles rather than memorized formulas [20:40:40].
One core principle is to help prospects make decisions that help themselves [04:30:40]. This means keeping their goals central to the decision, not necessarily making a sale to you [15:18:41]. When a salesperson uses logic in the sale, it sets both themselves and their client up for long-term success [04:24:26].
The Logic of Power
A key aspect of logical selling is empowering the prospect. Many people feel weak and powerless because they attribute their problems to external sources beyond their control (circumstances, other people) [12:50:00]. A good coach, or salesperson, helps prospects make their own decisions, rather than making decisions for them [54:58:36]. Sales is about enabling prospects to help themselves [04:30:40].
Overcoming Objections with Logic
Logical arguments are essential for addressing objections and obstacles. The core of many objections stems from distortions of reality [22:02:45], where people blame external circumstances, other people, or themselves, to avoid making a decision [23:09:47]. By understanding these distortions, a salesperson can logically dismantle them.
Common objections and logical counters include:
- Time: If a client says “it’s not a good time” or “I’m busy,” remind them that they will likely always be busy, and learning to implement a solution now (when busy) ensures long-term stickiness, unlike learning only in “perfect” circumstances [27:46:00].
- Money/Price:
- If the price elicits a “gasp,” it means the prospect will try harder, increasing their likelihood of success [32:44:00].
- Emphasize the relative value: if the solution yields significant returns (e.g., $10,000 extra income), the initial cost is minimal in comparison [33:24:00].
- Frame the cost: The question isn’t if they’ll spend the money, but how they’ll spend it—either on things that don’t help or on a solution that provides lasting value [35:21:00].
- Focus on resourcefulness, not just resources: Remind prospects that self-made successful individuals started with nothing, demonstrating that capability comes from resourcefulness [37:15:00].
- Fit (“I’m a special snowflake”): This often relates to identity. Help the prospect step into a “new identity” with new priorities that align with their desired future self [42:47:00]. Frame current behavior as a barrier to desired change: “What you have been doing has been getting what you’ve been getting” [44:34:00].
- Authority (“I need to talk to my partner”): The core issue is often a lack of personal ownership. Frame it as seeking support, not permission, for a personal decision that will impact their well-being [50:24:00].
- Avoidance (“I need to think about it”): This means the prospect has cast their power away [2:45:00]. The salesperson must help them confront the decision.
- Remind them it’s not a fast decision, but one they’ve been making for years by not acting [55:51:00].
- Challenge the premise: “Do you think you’re in this position because you’ve struggled to make decisions in the past?” [58:55:00]
- Highlight the cost of inaction: “How much has it cost you to not decide up to this point?” [59:44:00]
- Confront the underlying fear: Ask “What are you most afraid of happening if you buy?” and then “play it out” (best case, worst case scenarios) to remove emotion [56:45:00].
- Emphasize that the decision isn’t about perfection, but about taking a step closer to their goal [01:07:12].
The Role of Emotion
While logic justifies the sale, emotion drives initial action and is influenced by key elements like trust, conviction, and intention.
Seduction, Not Submission
Closing a sale is a “dance, not a fight” [05:55:00]. It’s about seduction, not forcing submission [06:01:00]. The goal is to “sell from your back foot,” demonstrating a genuine desire to help the prospect help themselves [06:09:00].
Belief and Trust
Sales is fundamentally a “transference of belief over a bridge of trust” [06:21:00]. Two elements are critical:
- Belief: The salesperson must believe in their product or service to effectively transfer that belief to the prospect [06:28:00]. A “cold streak” in sales is often due to a loss of belief, not a lack of skills [06:47:00].
- Trust: Trust is built when the salesperson genuinely wants to help [07:27:00]. Humans are highly adept at detecting genuine intention, which is a survival mechanism [07:30:00]. Caring only about the close, rather than the prospect, is often a reason for sales failure [07:37:00].
Continuum of Belief and Trust
Belief and trust are not binary; they exist on a continuum. The depth of the salesperson’s belief can be so strong that it makes the prospect question their own ingrained excuses [08:40:00].
Conviction and Tone
Conviction is a powerful tool in sales. Increasing a salesperson’s conviction is one of the easiest and best ways to improve their closing percentage, even more so than extensive training [07:11:00]. If a salesperson truly believes, they will sell in a way that genuinely helps the other person [07:21:00]. This deep belief can shift a salesperson’s tone, making it more persuasive [03:01:01].
The "Ghetto Tone"
A deliberate shift in tone, even humorously, can diffuse tension in a high-stakes conversation. By communicating the same message with a fun, light-hearted tone, a salesperson can achieve the desired result without coming across as aggressive or demanding [01:50:00].
The Power of Empathy and Curiosity
Exceptional salespeople seek to understand, not to argue [05:08:00]. Approaching objections with “childlike curiosity” – asking “That’s so weird, I wouldn’t have thought that, tell me more about that?” – allows the salesperson to maintain control of the conversation and gather more information without appearing confrontational [05:15:00].
The person who cares the most about the prospect’s well-being wins the sale [08:30:00]. This means a salesperson’s care for the prospect should exceed the prospect’s own care for their situation [08:35:00]. This deep care also empowers closers to ask hard questions, as it’s the only way to genuinely facilitate transformation for the client [08:07:00].
Ultimately, by mastering both logical and emotional sales strategies, a salesperson can create a powerful and effective approach that leads to consistent success.