You Might be Using these Offensive Techniques More Than You Think

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Instead, you probably responded by saying something like, “No thanks. I’m just looking”, and then peered over your shoulder for the next 10 seconds to make sure they weren’t following you through the store.

What is it about salespeople, even friendly ones, that makes us automatically resist their attempts to help us?

As it turns out, it’s a well-understood psychological principle known as reactance. And you might be triggering this negative emotion in the minds of your customers without even realizing it!

Reactance is the feeling of resistance brought about by a perceived elimination of behavioral freedom. For example, have you ever walked by a sign that read “Wet Paint” taped to a freshly glistening wall? What do you immediately want to do? Touch it of course! Or how about a sign on a perfectly manicured lawn that says “Don’t walk on the grass”? You, of course, want to feel the plush sensation of the freshly cut grass on your feet!



When we feel someone or something is limiting our japan telegram data freedom to choose, we resist, and in many cases, want to take the prohibited action in order to assert our independence. The same is true with your customers. If they get an inkling that a pushy, self-interested salesperson is pressuring them to buy something, their guard comes up, making it nearly impossible to connect with them.



Unfortunately, for years salespeople have been taught to incorporate the very tactics that trigger reactance into their sales motion. In fact, these approaches are often referred to as “closing techniques” because they are designed to catalyze decisions for customers to move forward with or purchase your product or service.

For example, have you ever been on the buying side of a purchase and had the sales rep ask you if “there was any reason why you wouldn’t be able to make a purchasing decision on this product today?”. Chances are, even if you had contemplated making a purchase, the feeling of being boxed in would have been off-putting and made you respond with something like “I’m still not sure. I might need to think about it a bit more”. And then, how would you feel if the salesperson responded to your last comment with a statement like “That’s fine…but we only have one of these left in the size/color/specification you wanted so I’m afraid if you don’t move on it now, it may not be here when you come back”? Chances are you’d politely excuse yourself and take your business elsewhere.