Thinking Beyond Science

The physical attraction bias is a tendency to assume that people who are physically attractive also possess other socially desirable personality traits. Buyers unconsciously (old brain) use your appearance to make inferences and draw conclusions quickly. Can you sell an expensive car wearing cheap, unshined shoes? No! The buyer’s old brain screams, “Warning: Incongruity!” and starts looking for other mismatches, this time in your sales offering.

Similarity Bias
We naturally want to surround ourselves with people we feel are similar to us (safe). This similarity bias extends to all aspects of the other person–their age, gender, sports preferences, political leanings, and ethnicity. As a result, we tend to want to work with people who are like us.

Warmth Bias
In social psychology, all interpersonal impressions tend to form along two dimensions: warmth and competence. Our appraisals of the warmth of another person have a greater impact on our interpersonal and intergroup relations than our appraisals of their competence.

Physical Touch Bias
Touch is the first of our senses to develop and remains emotionally central throughout our lives. When connecting with others, there is no greater power. A good, firm handshake is a sign of both strength and mutual respect. Strangers form a better impression of those who offer their hand in greeting. It is the only time when we are socially expected to touch each other.

Compliment Bias
People are more likely to be persuaded to say “yes” to your suggestions and proposals when you make them feel good about themselves. A genuine compliment at the beginning of a meeting sets a positive tone for the discussions.

Once we have formed a first impression of another person, that impression is anchored in our old brains. If we receive new information that confirms our initial impression, we acknowledge it. If we receive information that would change our mind about the person, we tend to reject the information. This tendency is the confirmation bias at work.

Tone of voice is more important (38%). Sincerity (or lack thereof) is detected immediately. Tonality is especially critical in phone conversations where there are no visuals. It is how you look-including body language–that carries the most weight in an initial person-to-person meeting (55%). Science can help explain why the visual component has the most impact on first impressions. The processing speed of vivid images with our eyes is twenty-five times faster than the processing speed of our listening capability. The old brain makes the primary first impression on visual information in less than a second–far before the auditory information arrives.

It is difficult to sell to someone else unless you know their personality style and how it differs from your own. There are hundreds of personality assessments that have been developed over many years. Almost all of these assessments reduce us to one of four basic personality styles using two variables: ego drive and empathy. In the business-oriented Advanced Personality Questionnaire (APQ) system, developed by Dr. Larry Craft, these four types are called the Driver, the Communicator, the Supporter, and the Thinker.

The Action Bias
This bias demonstrates our tendency to think that value can only be realized through action. Simply put, we are happier doing anything, even if it is counterproductive, rather than doing nothing, even if doing nothing is the best course of action.

The Consistency Bias
We are biased to retroactively adjust our attitudes to avoid admitting to being changeable or wrong. We remember past attitudes and behaviors incorrectly in order to reflect our current views. It leads us to think we are far more consistent than we actually are.

The Rationale Bias
A rationale is a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a particular belief. We are much more likely to act when given a reason to do so.

The Anchor Bias
The anchor bias is the tendency of relying too heavily on the initial or first information offered when making decisions and subsequent judgments.

The Bandwagon Bias
The bandwagon bias is a psychological phenomenon where people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override. The bandwagon effect has wide implications and is commonly seen in politics and consumer behavior.

The Single Option Aversion Bias
Consumers who are initially offered only one option are more likely to continue searching for alternatives even when other options are later presented. If initially offered two similar options, they are much more likely to make a buying decision at that point.

The Scarcity Bias
The scarcity bias occurs when we place a higher value on an object that is scarce. Therefore, we falsely believe an item that is in short supply, high demand, or exists only within a small window of time is of higher value than it actually is.

Source – The Neuroscience of Selling: Proven Sales Secrets to Win Over the Buyer’s Heart and Mind by John Asher

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43998058-the-neuroscience-of-selling

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