The Science of Selling: Proven Strategies to Make Your Pitch, Influence Decisions, and Close the Deal by David Hoffeld
David Hoffeld is the CEO and chief sales trainer at Hoffeld Group, a research-based sales and consulting firm.
He’s pioneered a sales approach based on research in neuroscience, social psychology and behavioral economics that’s been proven to radically increase sales. He has trained and coached salespeople from small and medium businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
David is a sales and leadership contributor to Fast Company and has been featured in Fortune, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, CBS Radio, Fox News Radio.
And for a big part of his life his goal was to be a professional baseball player.
The Host’s Perspective:
Surveys show that nearly half of all salespeople fail to meet their quota every year. Why? Well, it could be related to some Harvard Business Review research indicating that 63% of the behaviors that salespeople exhibit actually drive down their performance. A big part of that is because the way most people sell is not aligned with how their customers make buying decisions.
In “The Science of Selling” David Hoffeld draws on over 400 scientific studies that show how the human brain makes buying decisions. The science affirms that there a gaping disconnect between how people sell and how humans make buying decisions. And to make matters worse, the way most salespeople are taught to sell is is grounded in selling, not buying.
To sell the way the our brains make buying decisions, Hoffeld decodes the way buyers formulate buying decisions in a framework called “The Six Whys.” These are six specific questions that represent the mental steps all potential customers go through when making a purchase decision.
When salespeople structure their sales processes to answer and gain commitment to each of the Six Whys, they can guide potential customers through the buying process and into a positive decision. But, if a buyer rejects one or more othe Sixy Whys, it will cause his or her decision-making process to breakdown, which can grind the sale to a halt, usually in the form of an objection. In fact, Hoffeld shows how the root of all objections are found in one of the Six Whys.
If you want to improve your sales, and make your customers’ buying experience more pleasurable, you’ll want to read “The Science of Selling.”
Listen to the Interview:
Show Notes:
“The Science of Selling: Proven Strategies to Make Your Pitch, Influence Decisions, and Close the Deal” by David Hoffeld
Are Salespeople Still Necessary (Hoffeld Group)
“Influence” by Robert Cladini
“Primal Leadership” by Daniel Goleman
“Nudge” by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
“The Best Place to Work” by Ron Friedman
David’s Website (HoffeldGroup.com)
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