Marketing and sales are psychological exercises.  Marketing harnesses a message that we put out to our target market to attract attention.  Once we shift to sales mode, we pinpoint the perfect pitch and use it to convert a lead until it’s time to close.  In both cases, our success depends on assessing our leads and striking the right cords with them.  Sometimes – and only sometimes – emotion is the right cord to strike.  Today we are going to talk about when not to appeal to emotion in marketing and sales.

If you’ve heard me speak about target markets and branding, you know that there are certain types of offerings that lend themselves to emotion.  If you are a wedding planner, you know that a lot of your clients are trying to feel special, love, or any number of other happy feelings.  If you sell insurance, you are selling a cure to someone’s fear or anxiety.  In industries like these, emotion is built into your offerings, and it is a good idea to have tools in your toolbox that can leverage that.

There are certain types of offerings that lend themselves to emotion. #marketing #smallbiz #smb Share on X

No matter what your industry though, the sales process is about speaking directly to the individual.  To become a good closer you need to know what different types of people need to hear.  It’s great to understand who your target market is and what motivates your target market as a whole.  But within your target market there are different personality types.  And different personality types need to be sold to in different ways.  (For a full breakdown, check out this series on adapting your techniques to the four social styles, starting here).

Tugging at the heart strings seems like it is a powerful option to use, but beware.  In some cases, using emotion in marketing and sales will backfire.

In some cases, using emotion in #marketing and #sales will backfire. #business #smallbiz #smb Share on X

There are certain types of customers who make it clear that they are driven by emotion.  The people who tell you they want nothing but the best, top of the line, quality – they are driven by prestige and maintaining authority.  The people who seem to be seeking approval or reassurance, they need your approval during the sales process.  The people who feel injustice and outrage may be compelled towards community or social action.  There could be any number of ways that emotion plays into the process.

Emotion is not a universal tool for closing a sale, though.  If you see someone in front of you who is seeking facts and organizing information, just give them facts!  Plain and simple.  This personality type prioritizes evaluation, not feelings.  In fact, playing the emotion card will probably turn them off.  It could come across as deceptive or make you as the seller seem uninformed if you are not able to give them the details they want.  Give them facts and let them go through the analysis they need to.

Emotion is not a universal tool for closing a sale. #salestips #sales #business #smallbiz #smb Share on X

When selling B2B, you may find that you are appealing to fact and analysis more often than not.  Even if the person you are selling to would normally be moved to decision by emotion, there is likely a more complicated system of approvals and justification.  Arming the lead with stats, details, and results is more likely to give them what they need to compare your offerings to others on the market.

It can be a great tool to use emotion in marketing and sales, but not always.  Be aware of not only the emotional value of your product or service and the general profile of your target market, but the specific personality type of the person you are selling to here and now.  Knowing when to play the emotion card and when not to play it can make a material difference in your revenue!

If you haven’t figured out who your target markets are, start there first!  Knowing exactly who your offerings are intended for is the first step to getting qualified leads so that you can use this tip to be more successful in selling to them.  If you want to identify your target markets and where they are – but aren’t sure where to begin – click here.  (Or if you think you are selling B2B, click here.)