The Psychology Of Selling Summary

1-Sentence-Summary: The Psychology Of Selling motivates you to work on your self-image and how you relate to customers so that you can close more deals.

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The Psychology Of Selling Summary

Some people are just natural at sales. They’re just born with an innate level of persuasion skills, communication abilities, and confidence. Either you’re cut out for becoming a salesperson or you aren’t, right?

Actually, none of this is true. Anybody can get good at the art of selling, it’s just a matter of learning! And who better to learn from than one of the most successful salesmen in the world? 

Brian Tracy has written a lot of great books including Eat That Frog! and No Excuses! In The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible he’ll walk you through everything you need to know to beat your competition and make a fortune selling!  

Here are the 3 greatest lessons I’ve learned from this one:

  1. Utilize the power of your subconscious to become more successful.
  2. You will get more motivation and passion if you learn from the right people.
  3. Questions are the holy grail of unearthing customers’ needs and they will help you make more sales.

Ready to boost your sales performance? Let’s get right to it!!

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Lesson 1: You will be more successful if you unlock the power of your subconscious mind.

Have you written a to-do list recently? Your latest one might have a few things to finish around the house or some errands you need to run. You might not realize it, but this simple part of almost everybody’s daily life is a powerful tool to motivate salespeople.

A to-do list can be a foolproof way to tap into your subconscious, which is an important part of selling. Just think of the way that your mind knows just what to do when a customer sends signals through body language. 

The power in using a to-do list is that it sets up a framework for your subconscious to work within. 

You want to begin by writing the reason you want to reach each of your goals. And if you’d like more motivation, make sure the list is long. Think of each item as one more piece of ammunition for your mind to use to inspire you to action. 

Let’s say one sales manager only considers two purposes for his goals. He looks at his desire to buy a sports car and to take his girlfriend on a vacation in it. 

Now contrast this with a different salesperson who has a long list of reasons why he needs to meet his quotas. He might include buying a home, getting a new car, traveling the world, and getting a new computer, among many others. 

When it comes time to deal with the difficulties of selling, the salesperson with more “why’s” behind his goals is going to have a lot more grit than the first!

Lesson 2: Learn as much as you can, especially from people who are passionate and motivated.

Most people graduate from college and think they’re done learning. But the really exceptional ones never quit. They’re always hungry to discover new and better ways of doing their work. 

The best people at what they do never stop teaching themselves and this is especially true for sales positions. Start small with the goal to learn one new thing a day and put it into practice. You’ll learn more by trying it out, and you’re going to improve quickly if you keep this habit up daily. 

Also, make sure that you’re focusing on learning skills in your areas of expertise. If you’re good at a particular type of selling or in a specific niche, double down on getting good at it.

A salesperson the author knows used this technique to nearly double his sales. He began listening to an audio program each day on his commute. The man discovered new ways to present himself, lead his career, organize, and have self-esteem from the inspiring messages. 

When he got to work, he’d test what he’d learned to see what worked and what didn’t. Before long he was making almost twice the sales than before!

Be aware of the influence of the attitudes of the people around you. If you’re always associating with negative people, you won’t be as good at selling. Find people that are motivated and successful, on the other hand, can make you successful too. 

When you do meet these individuals, pay attention to what they do. Ask them questions, make note of their advice, and try it out in your own work.

Lesson 3: You will get more sales if you ask your customers questions and adjust your pitch appropriately to their needs.

When I was a missionary we often talked about teaching people not lessons. The big key to doing that was to know how our message could benefit them. But to discover this, we had to ask them questions and get to know their needs.

This is just like selling. Think of how you feel when asking a salesperson questions and all they care to talk about is the product. They spout off facts and features but don’t really connect with you and what you want. 

It makes you feel terrible because they are showing you that they care more about making the sale than making a difference in your life. Instead, salespeople need to focus on what’s in it for the customer. 

If you’re selling a home, for example, you can easily give all the specifications. You know when it was built, how much square footage it has, the nearby schools, and much more. But all of that will fall on deaf ears if you don’t figure out the needs of your prospective clients. 

You do this best with questions. What are their goals that the product will help them achieve? What pains are they trying to alleviate? Are there things that are hard for them now that would be much easier with what you’re selling?

If you’re personable and ask the right questions in the right ways, you’ll develop a great understanding of their needs. Then it’s only a matter of adjusting your pitch to what they want and you’ll be making more sales in no time!

The Psychology Of Selling Review

The Psychology Of Selling is really motivating and Brian Tracy is awesome as always. I do feel like some of the tactics and examples in this book are outdated, however. But it’s not that difficult to find ways to apply these same principles today, especially as some of them will always be helpful to follow!

Who would I recommend The Psychology Of Selling summary to?

The 47-year-old salesman who is having a hard time with it, the 29-year-old that doesn’t have great self-esteem, and anyone that wants some motivation to get better at negotiating.

Last Updated on September 8, 2022

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Luke Rowley

With over 450 summaries that he contributed to Four Minute Books, first as a part-time writer, then as our full-time Managing Editor until late 2021, Luke is our second-most prolific writer. He's also a professional, licensed engineer, working in the solar industry. Next to his day job, he also runs Goal Engineering, a website dedicated to achieving your goals with a unique, 4-4-4 system. Luke is also a husband, father, 75 Hard finisher, and lover of the outdoors. He lives in Utah with his wife and 3 kids.