Chapter 4 discusses the psychology of selling, focusing on why people buy through concepts like the black box approach, buyer satisfaction, and the trial close technique. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing features, advantages, and benefits in sales presentations, which can enhance communication and satisfaction for both the seller and buyer. The chapter also covers adaptive selling based on buyer personality styles to improve sales effectiveness.

1. The Psychology of Selling: WhyThe Psychology of Selling: Why
People BuyPeople Buy
Chapter
4

2. Main TopicsMain Topics
 The Tree of Business Life: Benefits
 Why People Buy–The Black Box Approach
 Psychological Influences on Buying
 A FABulous Approach to Buyer Need Satisfaction
 How to Determine Important Buying Needs–a Key to
Success
 The Trial Close–a Great Way to Uncover Needs and
SELL
Chapter
4

3. Main TopicsMain Topics
 SELL Sequence
 Your Buyer’s Perception
 Perceptions, Attitudes, and Beliefs
 The Buyer’s Personality Should Be Considered
 Adaptive Selling Based on Buyer’s Style
Chapter
4

4. Main TopicsMain Topics
 You Can Classify Buying Situations
 Technology Provides Information
 Viewing Buyers as Decision Makers
 Satisfied Customers Are Easier to Sell to
 To Buy or Not To Buy–a Choice Decision
Chapter
4

5. The Tree of Business Life: Benefits
I
T C
Ethical
Service
Builds
True
Relationships
T
T T
T T T T
T T T T
Guided by The GoldenThe Golden
RuleRule, emphasize benefits
to improve your:
 Communication Skills
 Ability to unselfishly help a person
make the correct buying decision

6. Exhibit 4-1: Why People Buy–The Black Box
Approach
 ____________ process is referred to as a
black box
We cannot see into the buyer’s mind
 Stimulus-response model
Exhibit 4-1: Stimulus-response model of buyer behavior
Stimulus Black box Response
Sales Presentation
Buyer’s Hidden
Mental Process Sale/No Sale

7. enefit
dvantage
A FABulous Approach to Buyer
Need Satisfaction
 Stressing ______ is a very powerful selling
technique
 FAB selling technique helps emphasize
benefit
 F
 A
 B
eature

8. The Product’s Features: So What?
 Feature – a ________ characteristic
 Many salespeople emphasize features
 Examples:
Size
Color
Price
Shape

9. The Product’s Advantages: Prove It!
 Advantage – a ___________ characteristic
 The chances of making a sale are increased
by describing the product’s advantages
How a product can be used
How a product will help the buyer
Examples:
Fastest-selling
Stores more information
Copies on both sides of the paper

10. The Product’s Benefits: What’s in it for Me?
 Benefit – a ______ __ _________
 People are interested in what the product will
do for them
 Benefits can be both practical and
psychological
 Benefits should be specific statements, not
generalizations
 Emphasizing benefits increases sales

11. People Buy Benefit(s)
 Notice national television commercials
They stress benefits
Advertisers know this helps ____ products

12. Example: Sporting Goods Salesperson to
Customer:
 “With this ball, you’ll get an extra 10 to 20
yards on your drives (_________) helping to
reduce your score (_______) because of its
new solid core (_______).”

13. Use Your FABs
 Feature – Physical Characteristic
Buyer thinks “So What?”
 Advantage – Performance Characteristic
Buyer thinks “Prove It!”
 Benefit – Favorable result from advantage
Benefits are what people buy!
 You can also have a benefit of a benefit – a
FABB

14. Use the FAB Sequence
 The standardized ___ ________ can be used
as follows:
 The…(feature)…means you…(advantage)…with
the real benefit to you being…(benefit)….
 Note how a benefit is emphasized
 Pick a product and insert a FAB of the
product into the above sequence
 Put in your own words
 Try it – it works!

15.  Which of the following is a feature,
advantage, or benefit?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Made of pure vinyl”
“Gives 20% more miles to the gallon”
“New”
“Lasts twice as long”
“Saves, time, work, and money”
Let’s Review FABs
F
B
F
A
B

16. Let’s Review FABs
 “Blade changing is quick (_________) and
easy (_______) with this saw because it has
a push button blade release (_______)”

17. Let’s Review FABs
 “The king size (_______) will bring you
additional profits (_______) because it is the
fastest growing (_________) and a more
economical size (_______)”

18. Let’s Review FABs
 “For long wear (_________) and savings on
your clothing costs (_______), you can’t beat
these slacks. All the seams are double
stitched (_______) and the material is 100%
Dacron (_______).”

19. The Trial Close–a Great Way to Uncover
Needs and Sell
 The trial close asks for an _______, not a
decision to buy
 It gives feedback
 The trial close is one of the best
communication techniques in the sales
presentation

20. In These Examples of Trial Closes, Notice
They Do NOT Ask Someone to Buy Directly
 “How does that sound to you?”
 “Is this important to you?”
 “That’s great – isn’t it?”
 “I notice your smile. What do you think
about…?”

21. SELL Sequence
 SELL Sequence
- Show Feature
- Explain advantage
- Lead into benefit
- Let customer talk
S
E
L
L
- physical characteristic
- performance characteristic
- result of advantage
- ask opinion question

22. Exhibit 4-5: The SELL Sequence: Use It
Throughout Your Presentation
S E L L
Show
feature
Explain
advantage
Lead
into benefit
Let
customer talk

23. Industrial Salesperson to Industrial
Purchasing Agent:
 “This equipment is made of stainless steel
(_______), which means it won’t rust
(_________). The real benefit is that it
reduces your replacement costs, thus saving
you money (_______)! That’s what you’re
interested in – right (____ ____)?”

24. It Helps to Construct Four Columns in
Creating Your SELL Sequence
Feature
 Product made
of stainless
steel
Advantage
Will not rust
Benefit
 Reduces your
replacement
cost
Trial Close
 How does it
sound to
you?

25. Exhibit 4-6: Examples of Features, Advantages,
Benefits, and Trial Closes that Form the SELL Sequence
Features
(physical characteristics)
Advantages
(performance characteristics)
Benefits
(result from advantage)
Trial Closes
(feedback questions)
1. Nationally advertised
consumer product
2. Air conditioner with a high
energy-efficiency rating
3. Product made of stainless
steel
4. Supermarket computer
system with IBM 3651
Store Controller
5. Five percent interest on
money in bank checking
NOW account
6. Golf club head made of
aerodynamically designed
titanium steel
1. Will sell more product
2. Uses less electricity
3. Will not rust
4. Can store more
information and retrieve
it rapidly by supervising
up to 24 grocery check-out
scanners and terminals
and look up prices on up
to 22,000 items
5. Earns interest that would
not normally be received
6. Increased club head
speed, longer drives
1. Will make you a high
profit
2. Saves 10 percent in energy
costs
3. Reduces your replacement
costs
4. Provides greater accuracy,
register balancing, store
ordering, and inventory
management
5. Gives you one extra bag of
groceries each month
6. Lower scores
1. What do you think?
2. Is that important to you?
3. How does that sound to
you?
4. That’s great–isn’t it?
5. Do you want to earn
extra money?
6. And that’s what counts–
right?

26.  __________ typing
 Adapt your presentation to the buyer’s
style
T
I
F
S
ntuitor style
Adaptive Selling Based on Buyer’s Style
ensor style
eeler style
hinker style

27. Exhibit 4-8: Guidelines to Identify
Personality Style

28. Watch for Clues to Someone’s Personality
Type
 How would you describe this person?
 What is her time orientation – past, present,
future?
 What does her desk look
like?
 What does her room
look like?
 How does she dress?

29. Determining Style Can Be Difficult
 What is the person’s primary style?
 What is the person’s secondary style?
 Does the person’s style comprise all four
types?

30. First Know Your Style
 This helps you to adapt to the other person’s
style
 Which leads to better ____________
 Knowing your style helps you identify a
person’s style, especially if your styles are
the same (It takes one to know one)

31. Answers to Blanks
1. Internalization
2. benefits
3. physical
4. performance
5. result of advantage
6. sell
7. advantage
8. benefit
9. feature
10. FAB Sequence
11. advantage
12. benefit
13. feature
14. feature
15.benefit
16.advantage
17.feature
18.advantage

32. Answers to Blanks
19. benefit
20. feature
21. feature
22. opinion
23. feature
24. advantage
25. benefit
26. trial close
27. Personality
28. communication