The Psychology of Selling: Complete Summary of Brian Tracy’s Proven System for Sales Success

Introduction: What This Book Is About

“The Psychology of Selling” by Brian Tracy is a comprehensive guide designed to equip salespeople with powerful ideas, strategies, and techniques to significantly increase their sales, income, and overall career success. Tracy, a self-made success who rose from manual labor to become a top sales trainer and speaker, shares the principles that transformed his own life and have helped countless others achieve millionaire status in sales. This book is the written version of his internationally acclaimed audio program, translated into sixteen languages and used in twenty-four countries.

The core promise of the book is to help readers double, triple, or even quadruple their sales and income within a few months or weeks by applying proven psychological principles to the sales process. It emphasizes that success in selling is not accidental but predictable, based on learnable skills and a strong inner game. By delving into the motivations of buyers and the mindset of top performers, Tracy provides a blueprint for anyone to become one of the highest-paid professionals in their industry.

This summary will provide a comprehensive overview of Tracy’s key insights, from mastering the inner game of selling and setting ambitious goals to understanding buyer psychology, employing creative selling techniques, and perfecting the art of getting appointments and closing sales. It will also cover the ten essential keys to achieving consistent, extraordinary success in the sales profession.

Chapter 1: The Inner Game of Selling

This chapter lays the foundation for sales success, emphasizing that selling is primarily a mental game. It highlights the critical role of salespeople in society and introduces the concept of the 80/20 rule in sales, stressing the importance of developing a strong self-concept and overcoming common fears.

The Importance of Salespeople in Society

Salespeople are the true creators of wealth in society. Without sales, businesses cannot produce products or services, generate profits, pay salaries, or fund public services like schools and hospitals. The health of the business community directly determines the quality of life and standard of living in any geographical area. Salespeople are the “spark plug in the engine of free enterprise,” essential to economic vitality. Many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, including Carly Fiorina of Hewlett Packard and Pat Mulcahy of Xerox, have risen through the ranks from sales, demonstrating its strategic importance.

High Income and Job Security in Sales

Sales is a gainful profession with no ceiling on income. Top salespeople often earn more than doctors, lawyers, and other highly educated professionals. Approximately 5% of self-made millionaires in America are salespeople who have worked for other companies their entire lives. By becoming excellent in sales, individuals can achieve any financial goal and enjoy lifelong job security, as good salespeople are always in high demand regardless of economic changes.

Understanding the 80/20 Rule in Selling

The Pareto principle, or 80/20 rule, states that the top 20% of salespeople make 80% of the money, while the bottom 80% only make 20%. This rule also applies within the top 20%, meaning the top 4% (20% of the top 20%) earn 80% of the money within that elite group. This staggering disparity highlights the importance of striving to join the top echelon. Top performers earn, on average, sixteen times the income of those in the bottom 80%.

The Winning Edge Concept

The winning edge principle explains that small differences in ability can lead to enormous differences in results. Being just a “nose” better in key areas of selling, like a horse winning a race by a nose, can translate into a 1,000% difference in prize money or income. These small improvements, compounded over time, allow individuals to pull significantly ahead of the competition.

Characteristics of Top Salespeople

No one is born with the qualities that make a top salesperson; all these qualities are learnable through practice. Harvard University research on 16,000 salespeople found that success or failure in selling is primarily mental. Developing psychological qualities forms the foundation for personal sales success. Just as a deep foundation allows for a tall building, a deep foundation of knowledge and skill enables greater life achievement.

Leveraging Your Untapped Potential

The average salesperson uses only a small percentage of their potential, estimated at about 10%. The goal is to unlock the additional 90% of untapped potential by learning and applying effective strategies. This involves following the leaders in your field, understanding that no one is inherently better or smarter, and recognizing that success leaves tracks. If others are earning significantly more, it means they have discovered the cause-and-effect relationships of sales success, which can be replicated.

The Power of Your Self-Concept in Selling

Your self-concept is the “master program” of your subconscious computer, determining everything you say, think, feel, and do. In selling, mini self-concepts exist for specific activities like prospecting or closing. Your income level is directly tied to your self-concept of what you are entitled to earn. You cannot consistently earn 10% more or less than your self-concept level. If you earn more, you’ll engage in compensating behaviors to spend it; if you earn less, you’ll scramble to get back into your comfort zone. The only way to increase income is by expanding your financial comfort zone.

Resetting Your Financial Thermostat

You can never earn more on the outside than you can on the inside. Your “income thermostat” keeps your financial temperature stable. To increase your income, you must achieve your financial goals in your mind first, by imagining yourself as the person you want to be and earning the money you desire. Realistic goal setting is crucial; setting an unrealistic goal (e.g., $30,000 to $300,000) can be demotivating. Incremental increases are more effective for expanding your comfort zone.

Key Result Areas (KRAs) of Selling

There are seven key result areas (KRAs) in selling:

• Prospecting
• Building rapport
• Identifying needs
• Presenting
• Answering objections
• Closing the sale
• Getting resales and referrals

Your self-concept in each KRA determines your performance and overall income. If you have a poor self-concept in an area, you’ll avoid it. The solution is to master that skill through learning and practice, which in turn builds a more positive self-concept.

Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt

Fear and self-doubt are the greatest enemies of human potential. If you believe you are limited, it becomes true. The core problem is often the feeling of “I’m not good enough.” To overcome this, you must challenge self-limiting beliefs, which are often based on erroneous information or illusions.

The Reactor Core: Self-Esteem

Your self-esteem, defined as “how much you like yourself,” is the critical determinant of your personality and success. High self-esteem leads to a positive self-concept and better performance in all areas, including sales. The more you like yourself, the more you like others, and the more they like you, fostering better customer relationships.

The Power of Positive Affirmations

You become what you think about most of the time and what you say to yourself most of the time. Successful people control their inner dialogues, talking to themselves positively and confidently. The most powerful affirmation is “I like myself!” Repeating this phrase releases endorphins, boosting confidence and well-being. This positive self-talk leads to positive sales results.

The Best Time to Make a Sale

The best time to make a sale is right after making a sale. This is because your self-esteem soars, you feel like a winner, and you perform at your best. This heightened confidence has a powerful, subconscious effect on the next customer, triggering their desire to buy.

Overcoming Obstacles: Fear of Failure and Rejection

The two major obstacles to making and closing any sale are the fear of failure and the fear of rejection.

• Fear of failure: This deep subconscious fear, often from destructive criticism in childhood, causes individuals to freeze up and underperform. In customers, it manifests as a fear of making a buying mistake, which is the number one reason why customers do not buy.
• Fear of rejection: This is the fear that the potential buyer might say no, triggered by the possibility of rudeness or disapproval. 80% of sales calls will end in a “no” for various reasons, and it’s crucial to understand that rejection is not personal.

The Salesperson’s Average Day and the “Brake” of Fear

Studies show the average salesperson works only about 1.5 hours per day face-to-face with customers, often making their first call late and finishing early. This low productivity is largely due to the fear of rejection acting as a subconscious “brake.” If guaranteed sales, salespeople would work tirelessly. Top salespeople have overcome this fear, realizing rejection is not personal, and adopt the motto: “Some will; some won’t; so what? Next!”

Persistence and the Five Calls or Closes Rule

Boldness and persistence are fundamental qualities for sales success. Courage is a habit that strengthens with practice. A full 80% of sales are never closed before the fifth meeting or closing attempt. Most salespeople give up after one call, missing out on the majority of potential sales, especially when trying to switch a customer from an existing supplier. Customers often say “Let me think it over,” which is a polite way of ending the interaction, as people don’t “think it over” once you leave.

Building Self-Esteem to Increase Income

Everything you do to raise your self-esteem increases your sales effectiveness and income. High self-esteem leads to the “friendship factor,” where customers prefer to buy from people they like and trust. The primary emotion in sales success is enthusiasm, which accounts for 50% or more of sales ability. Enthusiasm is contagious, and you cannot convey it if you don’t possess it.

The Catalyst for Sales Success: Enthusiasm

“A sale is a transfer of enthusiasm.” When your belief and emotional commitment to your product transfer to the prospect, buying hesitation disappears. Top salespeople genuinely love their products and the field of selling, making their enthusiasm heartfelt and genuine.

Failure Is Not an Option: Willpower and Determination

It is critical to back sales efforts with willpower and determination, resolving in advance to never give up. This mental preparation allows you to bounce back from failure and rejection. Success breeds success; the more you sell, the better your self-concept becomes. Mental rehearsal and positive self-talk (“I can do it!”) are crucial for pre-programming yourself to succeed and increasing self-esteem.

Chapter 2: Set and Achieve All Your Sales Goals

This chapter emphasizes that top salespeople are intensely goal-oriented and provides a practical, step-by-step formula for setting and achieving sales and personal goals. It highlights the power of written goals and visualization in activating the subconscious mind for success.

The Importance of Goal Orientation

Top salespeople know in advance how much they will earn each week, month, quarter, and year. They have clear plans for achieving specific sales levels and for using their income. For your success, it is essential to decide exactly how much you intend to earn annually and write this number down as your target. Goals should be realistic but challenging, such as increasing your highest income by 25% to 50%. Low-performing salespeople often have no clear income goals.

The Power of Written Goals

Goals must be in writing to be effective. The act of writing down goals increases the likelihood of achieving them by 1,000% (ten times), often faster than expected. Even if a goal isn’t met on schedule, having it written down is still far better than having no goal at all.

Breaking Down Sales and Income Goals

Once annual income and sales goals are set, they should be broken down by month, week, and finally, daily sales goals. This provides definite, specific targets to aim for. For example, a $50,000 annual goal translates to approximately $4,200 per month and $1,000 per week.

Setting Clear Activity Goals

The final step is to determine the specific activities required to achieve desired sales levels. This includes the number of prospecting calls, appointments, presentations, and callbacks needed. By keeping accurate daily and monthly records, you can predict with considerable accuracy what activities are necessary. Sales activities are controllable, and by controlling inputs, you indirectly control sales results. Consistency in making necessary calls ensures sales are eventually made on schedule.

The Amazing Results of Goal Setting

When individuals begin setting clear, specific goals for every part of their sales life, the results can be amazing. Many students have hit one-year goals in six or seven months, some even in three months. This occurs because the act of writing a goal programs it into your subconscious mind, which then works 24/7 to guide you toward its achievement, bringing opportunities and ideas.

Activating Your Subconscious Mind

When your mind is perfectly programmed, at a subconscious level, you perform at your best, saying the right words at the right time. This happens because your subconscious mind gives you exactly the right words, feelings, and body language consistent with success. Accessing this 90% of untapped potential is achieved by programming your subconscious with clear, specific goals.

Setting Personal and Family Goals

Beyond sales goals, you need personal and family goals as these are the “reasons why you do what you do.” They provide motivation and help you bounce back from setbacks. Imagine doubling your income and list all the things you would be, have, or do. The longer this list, the greater your motivation and determination. Having 50 or 100 reasons for success makes you virtually unstoppable, activating more subconscious powers.

The 100 Goals Exercise

A powerful exercise involves writing down 100 goals you want to accomplish in the years ahead in a spiral notebook. Imagine everything on the list will come true. Regularly review and add to this list. One salesperson who started this exercise with over 350 goals became a sales superstar in a competitive market within a year, attributing his success primarily to this practice.

The Number One Reason for Success

Commitment to goal setting is the number one reason for the success of top salespeople. They write and rewrite their goals daily, continually adding to their lists, and activating their subconscious and superconscious minds. This practice attracts people and circumstances that help them achieve their goals.

Visualizing Your Goals as Realized

Visualization is perhaps the most powerful skill to develop with goal setting. Creating a clear mental picture of the person you want to be and the goals you want to accomplish programs your subconscious. See yourself as calm, confident, successful, and excellent in all aspects of selling. Imagine the prospect responding positively and signing the sales order.

The Power of “Say It and See It”

Your subconscious mind is activated by both pictures and strong affirmative statements. Repeating affirmations like “I like myself!” or “I’m the best!” with confidence and enthusiasm activates mental powers, increases energy, and boosts self-esteem. This practice transformed a young salesman into the top performer in his company and industry within six months.

Controlling Your Subconscious Mind

Your subconscious mind is neutral, like clay, and merely obeys your mental commands. By taking full control of your conscious mind and disciplining yourself to think and talk only about what you want, you send clear commands to your subconscious, leading to successful thoughts, words, and actions.

Planning Calls in Advance

Top salespeople are not “Columbus salespeople” who don’t know where they’re going. Instead, they think through their sales calls in advance, mentally rehearsing their interactions. This “warm-up” is a peak-performance technique, like athletes preparing for competition.

Two Ways to Visualize Sales Performance

You can use visualization in two ways:

• Direct visualization: See the customer and sales situation through your own eyes, with positive responses and agreement.
• Indirect visualization: Stand outside yourself and see yourself and the customer as if you were a third-party observer.
  Alternating these methods dramatically improves presentation quality and personal performance.

Seeing Yourself as the Best

Continually imagine yourself as the very best in your field, one of the highest money earners. Model yourself after successful people, walking, talking, and treating others as if you are already a sales superstar. Decide that you can achieve whatever anyone else has accomplished, as there are no limits.

Chapter 3: Why People Buy

This chapter delves into the psychological motivations behind buying decisions, emphasizing that people buy for their reasons, not yours. It highlights the critical role of needs analysis and understanding both emotional and logical drivers.

Understanding the Basic Motivation for Buying

Every human action, including buying, is aimed at improvement of some kind. People buy products or services because they believe they will be better off as a result, specifically better off than if they bought from someone else or bought nothing at all. Customers have three choices: buy from you, buy from a competitor, or buy nothing. Your role is to demonstrate that your product offers substantial improvement to justify the cost and effort of implementation.

The Greatest Value: Freedom and Satisfaction

People value freedom highly, and parting with money reduces this freedom. Therefore, a purchase must offer enough value to overcome this resistance. Customers seek “units of satisfaction,” wanting to be better off physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The more diverse the ways your product can please and satisfy, the easier the sale.

Emotional Versus Practical Reasons for Buying

Emotional or “psychic” values are intangible benefits that make a product feel more valuable. For example, a customer might prioritize a company’s reputation over a lower price. Salespeople who focus solely on price when a prospect values brand recognition may hurt their chances. The chief distinction in needs analysis is between what your product “is” (features) and what it “does” (benefits). Customers only care about what the product will do for them – their favorite radio station is WII-FM (“What’s In It For Me?”).

The Two Major Motivations: Gain and Loss

The two major motivations for buying (or not buying) are the desire for gain and the fear of loss.

• Desire for gain: The motivation to be better off, with a motivational power of 1.0.
• Fear of loss: The motivation to avoid negative consequences, with a negative motivational power of 2.5, meaning it’s two and a half times more powerful than the desire for gain.
  The best sales presentations show both how much better off the customer will be if they buy and how much worse off they will be if they don’t (e.g., scarcity or limited-time offers).

The Importance of Believability

Believability is the most crucial requirement in a sales presentation. Customers are inherently skeptical. Your job is to raise your credibility to the point where the customer has no reluctance to proceed. If a prospect is absolutely convinced of the benefits and your guarantee, little will stop them from buying.

Eleven Basic Human Needs That Drive Buying

You must identify the most important needs your product can satisfy for each customer and overwhelmingly convince them your product will fulfill that need better than anything else.

1. Money: Everyone wants more money. Link your product to making or saving money.
2. Security: A fundamental need. Show how your product provides greater financial, emotional, or physical security for the customer and their family.
3. Being Liked: People want to be accepted, respected, and admired. How does your product increase the prospect’s likability and respect from others?
4. Status and Prestige: A powerful motivator. People want to feel important and valuable. Position your product to enhance their status, respect, and prestige.
5. Health and Fitness: Everyone wants to live long, be healthy, thin, fit, and energetic. Appeal to their desire for improved physical quality of life.
6. Praise and Recognition: People need to be recognized for accomplishments. Show how your product leads to greater recognition or status, weakening price resistance.
7. Power, Influence, and Popularity: People will buy products that give them more power, influence, or make them more popular.
8. Leading the Field: People want to be seen as up-to-date, modern, leaders, and trend-setters. Appeal to “early adaptors” by highlighting novelty.
9. Love and Companionship: People crave companionship and good relationships. Present your product as making them more attractive and desirable as a companion.
10. Personal Growth: The desire for new knowledge, skills, and competence. Show how your product helps them excel and get ahead.
11. Personal Transformation: The most abstract and highest-paying need. If your product takes them to a new, higher level in life or work, making them a different person, there’s no limit to what they’ll spend.

All Buying Decisions Are Emotional

All buying decisions are 100% emotional, then justified logically. The strongest emotion at any moment determines action. Fear of loss (2.5x stronger) can override desire for gain (1.0x). To overcome fear of loss, you must increase the positive emotion of desire for gain.

Reducing Fear of Loss with Guarantees

Marketing expert Jay Abraham recommends unconditional, “better than money-back guarantees” to reduce fear of loss. This means promising not only a refund but also allowing the customer to keep special bonuses or gifts if not satisfied. This powerfully lowers buying resistance.

When Prospects Want to “Think It Over”

When a prospect says they want to “think about it,” it means either:

1. They have no real desire for your offering; you haven’t connected with their needs.
2. They are not sufficiently persuaded they will get what you promise; their fear of loss is still greater than the potential benefits.
   People don’t actually “think it over”; they forget about you once you leave.

Focusing on Value Over Price

In value selling, emphasize and explain the values and benefits the prospect will receive. Focus on building value rather than reducing price. A buying decision occurs only when the customer feels the value received greatly exceeds the cost.

Selling to Different Business Types

• Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (Entrepreneurs): Entrepreneurs are focused on sales and satisfying customers. They have little patience for details like accounting. Talk about sales and profits, not internal operations.
• Retail Businesses: Concerned only with net profits. Show how your product increases their net profits.
• Larger Businesses: Buy products that improve performance/productivity, cut costs/expenses, or boost cash flow/profits. Clearly articulate the most advantageous results in these areas.
• Personal Win vs. Business Win: People in business won’t buy until they see measurable benefits for both the company (business win) and themselves personally (personal win), such as higher income, greater convenience, or increased prestige.

Uncovering Basic Needs Through Questioning

The key to needs analysis is skillful questioning and careful listening. The best salespeople dominate the listening, letting the customer dominate the talking. This triggers the customer’s thoughts and concerns, leading to “Freudian slips” where they reveal what they’re really thinking. “Telling is not selling; only questioning is selling.”

The Person Who Asks Questions Has Control

The person who asks questions has control of the conversation. If a prospect asks a question, pause, acknowledge it (“That’s a good question”), then ask a question of your own to regain control.

Positioning Yourself as a Consultant and Teacher

See yourself as a consultant and advisor, helping the customer solve problems. Focus on identifying their most pressing problem and convincing them your product offers the solution. Approach every sales situation as a friend, advisor, and teacher to lower stress and reduce fear of failure/rejection.

The Importance of Silence in Selling

The sale takes place with words, but the buying takes place in the silence. Allow moments of silence for the customer to reflect and digest what you’re saying. Don’t rush; a calm, relaxed pace creates the best mental state for a buying decision.

Presenting Your Idea As an Improvement

When selling new products, describe them as an “improvement” rather than something completely new to overcome natural resistance to the untried. Explain new features as advancements that make the product better and more useful.

The Simple Truth and Suitability Over Quality

Customers want the simple truth and honest advice. Avoid high pressure. Focus on how you can help. Quality is never the primary reason for buying; it’s a logical argument. Utility and suitability come first. The product must be the most suitable for the customer’s needs. Only then does quality matter, and you must explain how higher quality directly benefits the customer (e.g., reliability in critical situations).

The “Halo Effect” and Your Appearance

Everything counts in selling; it either helps or hurts. There’s a “halo effect”: if one part of your presentation or work is high quality, the rest is assumed to be. Your personal appearance and grooming determine 95% of the first impression. Being well-dressed, punctual, and prepared creates a positive impression that extends to your product and company. Top companies like IBM and HP understand this, investing in well-trained, professional-looking salespeople.

Cleanliness and Orderliness Create Value

A clean, neat, and well-presented product or sales material creates a positive suggestive impact. Similarly, a clean, orderly office or desk emanates success and prosperity, conveying competence and making customers feel safe doing business with you. People who work from a clean desk are two or three times more productive.

The “Hot-Button” Close and Market Research

The “hot-button” close involves identifying the customer’s leading benefit (the “hot button”) through questioning and then concentrating all energy on convincing them they will get this key benefit. To uncover hot buttons, ask past customers: “Why did you decide to buy from us rather than from someone else?” Most will give the same reason, which you can then use in future sales calls. This is fast, cheap market research.

The Power of Testimonial Letters

Testimonial letters are powerful sales tools. Customers believe what other customers say about your product more than what you say. Collect letters from satisfied customers, highlight key sentences, and show them to every prospect. If you get common objections, ask customers to address those objections in their testimonials. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising.

Mindstorming: The 20 Idea Method

Mindstorming, or the “20 Idea Method,” is a powerful creativity stimulant. Write your biggest goal or problem as a question at the top of a page (e.g., “How can I double my income in the next twelve months?”). Then, write at least 20 answers in the personal, positive, present tense. The 20th answer is often the breakthrough idea. Implement at least one idea immediately. Doing this daily generates thousands of ideas annually, leading to significant success. Earl Nightingale called this the key to wealth.

Chapter 5: Getting More Appointments

This chapter focuses on the crucial skill of prospecting and how to effectively secure appointments, emphasizing that spending more time with better prospects is the ultimate key to sales success.

The Most Important Rule for Selling Success

The most important rule for selling success is to “spend more time with better prospects.” This six-word formula summarizes the entire strategy for high income in any market. While challenging, prospecting is a learnable skill, and if others are good at it, you can be too.

The Process of Prospecting: Breaking Preoccupation

Your first contact must break the prospect’s preoccupation. Everyone is busy, so your opening words must immediately grab their attention. Avoid immediately talking about your product or price unless the sale can be concluded without a face-to-face meeting. Instead, introduce yourself and ask, “I need about two minutes of your time. Is this a good time to talk?“

Selling the Appointment, Not the Product

The primary goal of the initial contact (especially by phone) is to sell the appointment, not the product. Blurring out product details too early will kill the sale. Your first words should be like “throwing a brick through a plate glass window,” a statement or question aimed at the result or benefit the prospect will receive, without mentioning the product itself.

The “Doesn’t Shatter” Demonstration Example

A Corning Glass salesman became a top performer by demonstrating the benefit of safety glass: he’d ask, “Would you like to see a piece of glass that doesn’t shatter?” Then he’d whack a sample with a hammer, amazing the prospect. Later, he’d give the prospect the hammer to hit it themselves. This immediately breaks preoccupation and proves the benefit.

The Importance of Your Opening Words

You have only about 30 seconds to get the prospect’s complete attention. The first 15 to 25 words set the tone. These words should be planned word-for-word, rehearsed, and memorized to trigger the response, “Really? How do you do that?” If your opening doesn’t generate this response, rework it.

Rewriting Your Opening for Sales Training

Brian Tracy’s own experience selling sales training illustrates this. His initial approach (“talk to you about training your salespeople”) led to rejection. He reworked it to focus on the prospect’s core need: “Mr. Brown, my name is Brian Tracy… I was wondering if you would be interested in a proven method that could increase your sales by 20 to 30 percent over the next twelve months?” This immediately elicited, “Of course. What is it?“

Neutralizing Initial Sales Resistance

Expect initial sales resistance as a normal self-defense mechanism against commercial messages. To neutralize it, when a prospect says, “I’m not interested,” respond with: “That’s all right. Most people in your industry felt the same way when I first called on them. But now they’ve become our best customers, and they recommend us to their friends.” This uses the power of social proof and often leads to, “Oh really? What is it then?”

Refusing to Sell on the Phone

If the prospect asks you to “tell me a little bit about it on the phone,” respond: “Mr. Prospect, I’d love to tell you about it on the phone, but I have something I have to show you. You need to see it personally.” This triggers curiosity. Immediately offer two specific time periods for a face-to-face meeting. Never send information by mail unless selling from a distance, as it often leads to no follow-up. If they ask you to call back, say, “Let’s set up a specific time right now. If something comes up… you can give me a call and we can reschedule.“

Five Things a Prospect Wants to Be Sure Of

Before a prospect will relax and listen, they want to be sure of five things:

1. You have something important to communicate (addressed by your benefit-focused opening).
2. You are talking to the right person (the one with the problem or need).
3. Your visit will be short (“I just need ten minutes”).
4. They will be under no obligation (“you can judge for yourself”).
5. You will not use high pressure (addressed by a positive, polite attitude).

The Well-Structured Question for Face-to-Face Meetings

When face-to-face, begin by asking a well-structured, interesting, or unusual question aimed at the benefit of what you’re selling. The person who asks questions has control. Follow up with, “I would just need about ten minutes of your time to show you what I’ve got, and you can judge for yourself.“

Building Credibility with Other Happy Customers

To overcome resistance, refer to other satisfied customers in their industry. This leverages social proof, making the prospect interested in what others like them are doing.

Professionalism in Setting Appointments

• Avoid manipulative two-time choices (e.g., “10:30 or 11:20?”). Offer general time periods.
• Confirm appointments by calling the prospect directly or asking the receptionist to confirm your scheduled arrival. This prevents wasted trips.
• Manage by exception: If they say they might be out of town, set a firm appointment anyway and suggest they call if something comes up.

Improving Telephone Prospecting

• Stand up when you speak: This aligns energy centers, making your voice stronger, more confident, and more believable.
• Smile into the phone: A smile can be “felt” and projects greater energy and sincerity.
• Keep the initiative: Never expect prospects to call you back. You must always maintain the initiative until the first face-to-face appointment.

Mental Rehearsal Before Sales Calls

Before every sales call, stop for a few seconds and create a clear mental picture of yourself as relaxed, confident, and in control. Breathe deeply, hold the breath, and exhale slowly while visualizing. Then, create a picture of the prospect responding positively. Remember a previous successful sales call and transfer those feelings of happiness and satisfaction to the current mental picture. This prepares you to perform at your best.

Setting the Stage and Expecting to Be Welcome

Shake hands firmly and say, “Thank you very much for your time; you are really going to enjoy what I have to show you.” This builds positive expectancy. Many prospects are happy to see a pleasant, positive person.

Refusing to Talk Standing Up

Never make a sales presentation standing up. If a busy prospect tries to have you present in the reception area, state, “What I have to show you is really important, and I need about ten minutes of your time.” If they don’t invite you to sit, offer to reschedule. No one buys a product or service standing up. Your refusal to sell standing up respects your product and your time.

Respecting Your Product and Professionalism

If your product can’t be bought over the phone or through mail, don’t try to sell it that way. Insist on being there personally for the presentation. People make buying decisions sitting down, comfortably, after listening, considering, and evaluating. This professionalism increases the perceived value of your offering.

Chapter 6: The Power of Suggestion

This chapter explores the profound impact of suggestive elements in the sales environment, emphasizing that every detail, from your appearance to your presentation, subtly influences the prospect’s decision.

The Influence of Suggestive Elements

Human beings are greatly influenced by their environments, especially the human elements. A calm, confident, relaxed salesperson exerts a powerful suggestive influence. Top salespeople are tranquil and easygoing, inspiring confidence in their product or service. Your physical environment also has a tremendous impact; even small changes in room temperature can affect comfort and attention.

Controlling Your Internal Environment: Appearance, Voice, Attitude

You can control several suggestive influences:

• Appearance: Dress professionally, groom attractively, and maintain good posture. Your goal is to look like one of the very best people in your field.
• Voice: Practice your presentation aloud to ensure your voice is strong, clear, confident, and energetic.
• Attitude: Use mental rehearsal and positive self-talk (“I’m the best!”) to ensure your attitude is upbeat and optimistic.

The Impact of Dressing for Success

95% of the first impression you make on a prospect is determined by your clothing. Prospects are intensely visual, and your appearance exerts a strong subconscious influence. When you are well-dressed and groomed, the customer unconsciously assumes you come from a good company and sell a quality product. The best-dressed salespeople are always making the most money, and they look the part of a top salesperson, leading to greater seriousness and openness from prospects. Every salesperson should read books on proper business attire and follow their advice religiously.

The Friendship Factor and Likability

A person will not buy from you until he is convinced that you are his friend and acting in his best interest. The importance of “liking” in sales success means that if a prospect likes you, details are less likely to derail the sale. Your first unspoken question from a customer is “Do you care about me?” You must answer “yes” within the first minute or two. We prefer to deal with people who are similar to us in appearance, attitudes, and opinions. Everything you do to increase the prospect’s comfort level increases the likelihood of a sale.

Hair Care and Grooming

Grooming is essential because the focus should be on your face. Nothing about your grooming or dress should distract from your message. A story is shared about a salesman whose long, shaggy hair negatively impacted his sales to businesspeople. When he cut his hair, his sales immediately increased, demonstrating the direct link between appearance and sales success.

Presenting Your Product and Materials

Your product or service should always be clean, neat, and presented in its best possible light. Colorful and attractive materials positively influence prospects, while dirty or sloppy materials create a negative impression. The quality of your presentation accounts for up to 80% of the perceived value of your product. A crisp, well-ordered, step-by-step presentation makes your product, service, and company appear equally ordered and efficient, increasing perceived value and lowering price resistance.

The Suggestive Power of Your Surroundings

Your surroundings should always be clean, orderly, and emanate success and prosperity. A couple who upgraded their cheap, secondhand office saw their closing ratio jump from 5% to 50%, tripling sales and profitability, simply by creating an attractive and well-appointed office space. This demonstrates the powerful suggestive impact of the environment.

The Importance of a Clean Desk

A clean desk makes you look like a successful person; a cluttered desk makes you look confused and incompetent. People who work from a clean desk are two or three times more productive because it allows for single focus. This creates an impression of value, leading to increased customer confidence and reduced price resistance.

Acting as a World-Class Professional

See yourself as a “doctor of selling” or a world-class professional. Like an accountant or consultant, ask logical, intelligent, well-organized questions to systematically gather information. The more you focus on understanding the prospect’s situation, the more confident they feel in doing business with you, reducing initial sales resistance.

Body Language and Physical Presence

Body language accounts for 55% of the message conveyed in a sales conversation, tone of voice 38%, and words only 7%.

• Walk with strength and confidence: Head up, shoulders back, chin up, moving fast.
• Firm, full handshake: This initial physical contact is crucial. A strong handshake conveys good character and, by extension, a good product. A weak handshake suggests a “half person.”
• Proper greeting: “How do you do?” while making eye contact and offering a firm handshake.
• Sit erect, leaning slightly forward: This conveys alertness and engagement, causing the prospect to pay closer attention.
• Unfold crossed arms/legs: These are signs of disinterest or holding back information. Hand them something or ask them to calculate a number to get them to open up.
• Mirror and match: Your positive body language can encourage the prospect to mimic it.

Minimizing Noise and Interruptions

People can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Minimize distractions. If the prospect’s office is noisy, ask to move to a quieter location: “Mr. Prospect, I only need about ten minutes of your time. Is there somewhere we could sit where we wouldn’t be interrupted?” Many prospects will agree.

Avoiding Barriers to Communication

When sitting with a prospect, avoid physical barriers like desks. Ask to sit together at a table where you can more easily show materials. Always have the prospect sit on your left for easier viewing of presentation materials. Getting the prospect to move and agree to your requests begins the process of them responding positively.

Selling in the Home

• Never make a sales presentation in the living room: People make important decisions in the kitchen or at the dining room table.
• Suggest moving to the kitchen table: “Why don’t we sit at the kitchen table, where we will be more comfortable?“
• Wait to be seated: Don’t sit in their favorite chair.
• Maintain eye contact with both people if selling to a couple.

Always Be Polite

Always be courteous and considerate to everyone you meet, from receptionists to spouses. Treat everyone as if they are a million-dollar customer. When you raise another person’s self-esteem, your own self-esteem also increases, making you more powerful, positive, and confident, leading to higher sales.

Chapter 7: Making the Sale

This chapter delves into the practical execution of the sales process, from overcoming initial resistance to effectively presenting and closing the sale, emphasizing that every action either helps or hurts.

Overcoming Generalized Sales Resistance

Every action in the sales process has an effect; nothing is neutral. Prospects have “generalized sales resistance” due to being bombarded with thousands of commercial messages daily. This is a self-defense mechanism. As a professional, expect this and deal with it effectively.

The Approach Close: Gaining Agreement for a Decision

The “approach close” helps reduce initial sales resistance and gets the prospect to agree to make a decision at the end of your presentation. Start by saying: “Mr. Prospect, thank you very much for your time. Please relax; I’m not here to sell you anything right now. That’s not the purpose of my visit.” Then, offer an exchange: “All I ask is that you look at what I have to show you with an open mind, determine whether or not it applies to your situation, and then tell me at the end of our conversation whether or not this product makes sense to you. Is that fair?” This makes them curious and open to listening. If they later say “I have to think it over,” you can remind them of their promise, forcing them to give a specific objection you can address.

The Demonstration Close: Qualifying and Committing

The “demonstration close” is a powerful technique used early in the conversation. It starts with a strong question aimed at the chief benefit and simultaneously qualifies the prospect. For example, when selling investments: “Mr. Prospect, if I could show you the best investment available on the market today, are you in a position to invest five thousand dollars right now?” This shifts the conversation from “will you listen” to “how much can you invest if I deliver.” It forces the prospect to disclose their financial capacity and gives you permission to present. The beauty is it forces an answer at the end, preventing “think it over” excuses.

Understanding Buyer Personality Types

Recognizing six basic buyer personality profiles helps you adapt your approach:

1. Apathetic Buyer (5%): Pessimistic, cynical, uninterested. Will not buy, even if it’s free. Waste no time with them; politely leave.
2. Self-Actualizing Buyer (5%): Knows exactly what they want, features, benefits, and price. If you have it, they’ll buy immediately with few questions. Sell them exactly what they want; don’t try to upsell or change specifications.
3. Analytical Buyer (25%): Self-contained, task-oriented, concerned with accuracy and detail. Found in fields like accounting, engineering. Focus on exact numbers, details, specifications. Slow down, be precise, be prepared to prove everything on paper. They need time to analyze and don’t rush decisions.
4. Relater Buyer (25%): Relationship-oriented, sensitive to how people think and feel. Concerned about how others might react to their purchase. Gravitate toward “helping” professions. Need to be liked and often consult many people before buying. Focus on other happy customers, build a relationship, and don’t rush them.
5. Driver Buyer (25%): Task-oriented, direct, impatient, wants straight to the point. Concerned with results. Found in entrepreneurial or executive roles. Get straight to the bottom line quickly, focus on specific results/benefits. They are decisive if convinced.
6. Socializer Buyer (25%): Outgoing, extroverted, likes working with and through people. Achievement-oriented. Can agree too quickly and forget details. Be positive and open, but gently bring the conversation back to business. Get agreements in writing quickly.

Developing Personality Flexibility

To succeed, you must develop personality flexibility by assessing the prospect’s type and adjusting your personality and presentation accordingly. Don’t treat everyone as you are. Be prepared to adapt your pace, level of detail, and focus (relationship vs. task).

Building Trust and Qualifying Early

Trust is the major factor in sales today. Until a person likes and trusts you, they won’t be open to your offering. The best way to build trust is to ask questions and listen carefully. For expensive products, building trust can take multiple visits. Use the approach or demonstration close early to qualify the prospect immediately (determine if they are truly in the market).

The Purpose of the Presentation: Features and Benefits

The purpose of the presentation is to explain features and demonstrate benefits. “Features arouse interest, but benefits arouse buying desire.” You are a detective, looking for clues. Present one feature or benefit at a time, watching for the prospect’s interest. If a “hot button” is found, focus on that and move toward closing.

Asking for the Order Early

Once a prospect clearly desires a particular benefit, you don’t need to continue presenting. Ask for the order immediately. Many sales are delayed because salespeople are reluctant to close. A top mutual funds salesperson would close as soon as the prospect showed interest in the primary benefit, even early in the presentation, by taking out the application form and asking for their name.

Selling Tangibles vs. Intangibles

• Tangible products: Once the prospect understands the product and its benefits, ask for the order immediately. If they say “let me think it over,” respond with, “Mr. Prospect, at this moment you already know everything you will ever know about this product… Why don’t you just take it?” Refuse callbacks for simple products; they often lead to lost sales.
• Intangible products: Often require a two-step sale. First call: qualify needs. Second call: present a customized proposal and close. This is due to greater complexity and the need for more rapport/trust.

The Power of the Planned Presentation

A planned presentation is 20 times more powerful than a spontaneous one. Top salespeople use planned presentations, moving step-by-step from learning the prospect’s situation to teaching how your product solves their needs.

Show, Tell, and Ask Questions

A simple format for presenting features and benefits:

• Show: Demonstrate the product or feature.
• Tell: Explain how it works and its product benefit.
• Ask Questions: “Would this be helpful to you in your business?” This keeps the prospect involved.
  Another method: “Because of this [feature], you can [product benefit], which means [customer benefit].“

Answering Business Questions: Make or Save Money/Time

In selling to businesses, focus on what the product “does” (benefits), not what it “is” (features). Businesses buy to make or save time or money. You must answer four questions clearly:

1. How much do I pay?
2. How much do I get back?
3. How soon do I get these results?
4. How sure can I be that I will get the results you promise?
   Build a logical case, reinforcing emotional desire with logical justification.

Guarantee Satisfaction and Delay Price Discussion

Guarantee satisfaction whenever possible. This builds confidence. Price comes last in the presentation. If the prospect asks for the price too early, refuse to give it, saying, “That is a good question; I’m going to get to that in a moment.” “Price out of place kills the sale.”

Becoming a Great Listener

Listening is the key to building trust, learning needs, and sales success. It makes the prospect feel important and valued. Five keys to effective listening:

1. Listen Attentively: Without interruptions, lean forward, nod, smile. Focus on their mouth and eyes.
2. Pause Before Replying: Wait 3-5 seconds. This shows you’re considering their words, allows deeper understanding, and prevents interrupting.
3. Question for Clarification: Never assume. Ask, “How do you mean?” to get more detail. The person who asks questions has control.
4. Paraphrase in Your Own Words: Feed back what they said to prove you were listening.
5. Use Open-Ended Questions: (Who, why, where, when, how, what, which) to encourage talking and gather information. Use closed-ended questions (Are, Is, Do) to conclude.

Engaging the Prospect and Using Visual Aids

• Get the prospect involved: Cause them to move, talk, and interact. The more they talk and move, the more likely they are to buy.
• Use visual sales aids: Pictures, graphs, illustrations. There are 22 times more nerves from the eye to the brain than from the ear. After three sentences without visuals or questions, the prospect will drift.

The Trial Close: Checking for Understanding

The “trial close” (or signpost/check close) is used early and throughout the presentation to get feedback without stopping the presentation. Questions like “Does this make sense to you so far?” or “Would this be an improvement?” allow you to gauge understanding and address concerns early.

The Power-of-Suggestion Close: Creating Word Pictures

Use the “power-of-suggestion close” to plant seeds of readiness. People think and make buying decisions based on stories and word pictures. Paint emotional word pictures of the prospect enjoying the benefits of your product. For example, “You are really going to love the way this car handles in the mountains.” These images create desire long after facts are forgotten.

Talking Past the Sale Close

With the “talking past the sale close,” you speak as if the prospect has already bought the product, without explicitly asking for a decision. For example, “You are going to love the type of service that you get from our company.” This creates a mental picture of them as a satisfied customer, enjoying the benefits. This technique is used effectively by top salespeople selling high-value items like RVs, creating an immersive experience that leads to an almost automatic buying decision.

Chapter 8: 10 Keys to Success in Selling

This final chapter summarizes the most crucial principles for achieving extraordinary success in sales, emphasizing that success is predictable and based on learnable habits.

Success Is Predictable: The Law of Cause and Effect

Success in sales is not accidental; it is predictable based on the Law of Cause and Effect. If you consistently do what other successful people do, you will eventually achieve the same results. The more you practice these proven techniques, the less effort is required for optimal results, putting you on the fast track in your sales career.

1. Do What You Love to Do

All truly successful, highly paid people love what they do. You must commit yourself to excellence and become the very best in your field. This dedication means investing necessary time, paying any price, and making any sacrifice to join the top 10%. Excellence is a decision, and it’s the foundation for genuine happiness and self-worth. Michael Jordan’s quote, “Everybody has ability; but talent takes hard work,” highlights that excellence is the result of years of dedicated effort.

2. Decide Exactly What You Want

Avoid being vague. Decide exactly what you want in life, set it as a specific, measurable goal, and determine the price you’re willing to pay. Only about 3% of adults have written goals, and these are the most successful.

The Seven-Step Goals Formula:

1. Decide exactly what you want: Be specific about income, sales, etc.
2. Write it down: A goal not in writing is just a fantasy.
3. Set a deadline: Your subconscious mind needs a “forcing system.” For large goals, set subdeadlines.
4. Make a list of everything you can do: Keep adding to it. Henry Ford said any goal can be achieved if broken into small enough steps.
5. Organize the list by sequence and priority: Create a plan. A person with a goal and a plan will “run circles around a person with only a wish and a hope.”
6. Take action on your goal: Action-oriented people succeed; procrastination leads to failure.
7. Do something every day: Work on your most important goal 365 days a year until it’s achieved.

The “10 Goals Immediately” Exercise: Write down 10 goals for the next 12 months. Select the one that would have the greatest positive impact on your life if achieved in 24 hours. This becomes your Major Definite Purpose. Transfer it, make it measurable, set a deadline, list steps, organize them into a plan, and work on it daily, visualizing its achievement. This exercise can transform your life.

3. Back Your Goal with Persistence and Determination

Once you begin, refuse to even consider the possibility of failure. Back your goal with perseverance and indomitable willpower. Make a complete commitment and resolve that nothing will stop you. Your level of persistence in the face of setbacks measures your self-belief. “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce, that counts.” Your ability to keep going despite difficulties is the ultimate determinant of success.

4. Commit to Lifelong Learning

Your mind is your most precious asset. Commit yourself to lifelong learning. Never stop learning and getting better. Your mind can appreciate in value by continually feeding it new, applicable information. The more knowledge and skill you acquire, the greater your rewards. If you stop learning, your knowledge diminishes, and you fall behind. The incompetent person of tomorrow is the person who has stopped learning today. Read daily, listen to audio programs, attend seminars, and apply new knowledge.

5. Use Your Time Well

Your time is your primary asset; how you use it determines your standard of living.

• Begin every day with a list: Make it the night before. Planning your day in advance increases productivity by 25%.
• Set clear priorities: Ask: “If I could only do one thing on this list before I was called out of town for a month, which one thing would it be?” Identify your highest priority task.
• Focus on your Most Important Task (MIT): Ask: “What one thing, if done in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my work?” or “What can I, and only I, do that, if done well, will make a real difference?”
• Concentrate fervently: Begin on your most important task and focus on it until complete. This ability to focus will double and triple your productivity.

6. Follow the Leaders

Do what successful people do. Follow the leaders, not the followers. Identify the top people in your field, pattern yourself after them, and associate with them. Ask them for advice on books, audio programs, courses, attitudes, philosophies, and work approaches. Successful people are usually willing to help others who genuinely want to succeed. A salesman who modeled himself after top performers, asking for advice and adopting their habits (including dressing well), became the top salesman in the country. Your choice of a “reference group” largely determines your accomplishments. Associate with successful people to adopt their positive attitudes and behaviors.

7. Character Is Everything

Guard your integrity as a sacred thing. Credibility and trust are paramount in business and sales. As Stephen Covey said, “If you want to be trusted, be trustworthy.” Always keep your word and tell the truth. Practice the “reality principle”: seek the truth, deal with the world as it is, not as you wish it to be. Be true to yourself and the best that is in you.

8. Unlock Your Inborn Creativity

Think of yourself as a highly intelligent person, even a genius. You have great reserves of creativity that you’ve never used. Repeat, “I’m a genius!” Every person has the ability to perform at genius levels in one or more areas. Your aim must be to identify your special talents (what you enjoy, what absorbs your attention, what you love to learn about, what’s easy for you) and develop them to a high level, especially in selling.

9. Practice the Golden Rule

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” As a customer, you’d want a salesperson to be straightforward, understand your needs, explain solutions, and follow through on promises. Apply this to every customer. Practice Emanuel Kant’s “Universal Maxim”: “Conduct your life as though your every act were to become a universal law for all people.” Imagine everyone judging your company by your individual actions.

10. Pay the Price of Success

Finally, and most importantly, resolve to work hard. The Millionaire Next Door research found that 85% of self-made millionaires attributed their success to working much harder than anyone else, for a much longer time. The key to sales success is to start a little earlier, work a little harder, and stay a little later. Do the “little things that average people always try to avoid doing.” Develop a sense of urgency and a bias for action.

Full Throttle Analogy: Like an airplane taking off, you must give 100% throttle to reach takeoff speed and break free of gravity (mediocrity). If you only give 80% or 90%, you’ll never take off. Once you reach “cruising altitude” (top 10%), you can ease back slightly and maintain high results. Your future is unlimited; by becoming excellent in selling, you can achieve all your goals and dreams.

Key Takeaways: What You Need to Remember

Core Insights from The Psychology of Selling

• Success in selling is a predictable outcome of applying specific, learnable principles and habits, rather than luck or innate talent.
• Your self-concept, especially your self-esteem, is the fundamental determinant of your sales performance and income. Improving how much you like yourself directly boosts your effectiveness.
• Goal setting is paramount: Clear, written, and specific goals, broken down into daily activities, are essential for directing your efforts and activating your subconscious mind for success.
• Understanding buyer psychology means recognizing that people buy for their own emotional reasons (desire for gain or fear of loss, with fear being 2.5 times stronger) and then justifying logically.
• Effective prospecting and appointment setting hinge on breaking preoccupation, selling the appointment (not the product) through benefit-focused questions, and persistently overcoming initial resistance.
• Every detail in the sales environment matters; your appearance, voice, attitude, and the orderliness of your materials and surroundings all exert a powerful suggestive influence on the prospect.
• Mastering communication skills, particularly active listening and strategic questioning, allows you to control the sales conversation, build trust, and uncover the prospect’s true needs and “hot buttons.”
• Creative selling involves specialization, differentiation, segmentation, and concentration to identify and target ideal customers, and to position your offering as uniquely superior.
• Persistence and continuous learning are non-negotiable. The ability to bounce back from rejection and to constantly upgrade your knowledge and skills are hallmarks of top performers.
• Pay the price of success through hard, focused work, especially early in your career, to break free from average performance and achieve extraordinary results.

Immediate Actions to Take Today

• Write down your annual income goal and break it down into monthly, weekly, and daily targets.
• Identify your Major Definite Purpose by listing 10 goals for the next year and choosing the one with the greatest impact.
• Start your “20 Idea Method” daily practice by asking a key question and generating at least 20 answers, then acting on one.
• Rehearse your opening sales statements word-for-word to immediately grab prospect attention and trigger a “Really? How do you do that?” response.
• Commit to lifelong learning by reading, listening to audio programs, and attending seminars regularly to continuously increase your value.
• Improve your personal appearance and grooming to look like a top professional in your field, knowing it significantly impacts first impressions.
• Practice positive self-talk by repeating “I like myself!” and “I’m the best!” to build self-esteem and confidence.
• Begin using the “approach close” or “demonstration close” to gain commitment from prospects early in the sales conversation.
• Focus on asking questions and listening intently to uncover customer needs, rather than just talking about your product.
• Seek out and model yourself after top salespeople in your industry, asking for their advice and implementing their strategies.

Questions for Personal Application

• What specific self-limiting belief about selling or your income am I holding that I need to challenge and replace with a positive affirmation?
• How can I better identify the “hot button” (the most important emotional benefit) for each of my prospects, and how will I tailor my presentation to focus on that?
• In what ways can I enhance my “friendship factor” with prospects and customers to build deeper trust and rapport?
• Which of the six buyer personality types do I most often encounter, and how will I adjust my communication style to better serve each one?
• What is the one most valuable use of my time right now that, if done well, would have the greatest positive impact on my sales?
• Am I truly “paying the price” of success by working with 100% commitment, or am I holding back? What specific action can I take to increase my effort?
• Who are the top 1-2 salespeople in my field whom I can actively seek out for advice and mentorship to accelerate my learning and growth?