Wednesday, June 10, 2020

It's all about the sale: Mastering the psychology of sales




It's all about the sale: Mastering the psychology of sales Kindle Edition


by Dr Debri van Wyk (Author) Format: Kindle Edition


Sales play a significant role in the maximization of profit in business. These go hand-in-hand with the salesperson's competence and also how well they present the company as well as themselves. Things that ruin their performance include fear of rejection, lack of product knowledge, and the thinking that customers dislike salespeople. They fear that people may dislike the products, which kills their enthusiasm in marketing the product, which in return leads to degradation in sales. Lack of product knowledge may lead to a lack of trust from the customers. Thinking that people dislike salespeople may hinder you from reaching your target group. This book has answers for every salesperson who wishes to improve their sales skills. It aims to create a better mindset on how marketers and salespeople can improve their sales and make their customers engage better with the services offered as well as the products they purchase.







Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you. 

I grew up in Virginia, a small mining town in the Free State province of South Africa. After matriculating, I moved to a slightly bigger city called Bloemfontein to study further at the University of the Free State. After three years, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing and continued my studies to graduate a year later with an honors degree in Industrial Psychology. I was fascinated by the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, and decided to further my studies, and completed my master's and doctorate within three years. I had quite a busy time during my master's degree, as I was doing an internship to qualify as a psychologist and also married the love of my life and the one who inspired me never to give up and reach my potential. After I completed my internship and passed the board exam, I registered as a licensed Industrial Psychologist. 

It was also at this time that I started my first job in the consulting field in the HR field. After working for a small consulting firm, I was ignorantly brave enough to open my first practice with limited experience. This was my first taste of being an entrepreneur, although failing miserably at it due to the lack of corporate experience. This forced me back into the consulting field, working for international psychometric test publishers as a consulting psychologist. With this exposure, I was introduced to the world of psychometrics that would be one of the main specialties in my career as an Organisational Psychologist.

I also realized that although I've gained in-depth exposure in the consulting world, my experience working in the corporate world was still limited. I was offered an opportunity to join an international bank in the talent management department and was soon offered the opportunity to establish and head up the psychometric assessment department overseeing the entire bank's assessment practices. But, the entrepreneurial bug bit again, and I founded my second consulting practice called Human Capital Talent, where I spent the next eight years of my career. Although very challenging in the first couple of years, I managed to grow the company into one of the most well-known psychometric assessment consultancies in the country, as well as gaining international work experience in talent and leadership development. After eight years at Human Capital Talent, I was afforded the opportunity to sell the practice and also join the largest logistics and motor retail company in South Africa to head up their assessment practice and being involved in talent development. 

It was at this time that I worked extensively with salespeople, especially car sales executives. My role allowed me to conduct extensive research within the business to improve sales performance, and my passion for consumer psychology in sales was born. After almost three years in that role, I decided to enter private practice again and founded Strategic Talent Technologies, a company focusing on consumer psychology and talent technologies. With the help of international developers, I've developed various programs from psychometric assessment systems, to learning management systems. These systems and opportunities have allowed me to create a solid foundation to build and expand my practice, and I look forward to my future growth and expanding my international experience as an Organisational Psychologist. 


What inspired you to author this book?

Initially, I wanted to document my research and experience in sales and what predicts sales, and I found myself writing more about it in a sharing and training format than merely documenting my ideas. It was then that I got intrigued by the possibility of authoring a book, but still, the idea of publishing it was never on my radar. But, the more I shared my research and findings with other people, the more I realized that I could contribute to the world of consumer psychology if I publish my results in a book, and so my inspiration to author this book came to fruition. 

Where did you get the inspiration for your book's cover?

I am working very closely with an international designer who designs all my marketing material and test report templates. I told him about my idea of writing a sales book, but cannot think about a creative idea for a book cover and asked him to read my mind and create what he thinks will be the winning book cover. He did manage to read my mind and developed a cover that portrait how the consumer's mind is working in the sales process. 

Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?

I grew up with limited opportunities, especially financially. However, my parents provided me with everything I needed to be successful. They made a lot of sacrifices to get me through university and allowed me to graduate with no debt or loans to pay back. Their sacrifice and hard work were one of the most significant influences that got me to where I am today.

What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?

As with most authors writing their first book (I assume), having confidence in my own ability to write a book that would actually be something others would read and find value in was one of my main obstacles to overcome. 

Tell your readers about your book.

It's all about the sale is a book about consumer psychology that looks at sales from different perspectives. The primary objective of this book is to give salespeople an alternative way of looking at their products and their selling styles and techniques for them to improve their selling ability and increase the probability of making sales. The book begins with a brief introduction to the world of sales, looking at the marketing and social effect on sales, as well as the psychological makeup of a typical salesperson. It then dives into the consumer's mind and what consumers think before they buy and questions they subconsciously ask, which salespeople must answer without being asked directly. It further focuses on the subconscious selling techniques and how large corporations use these selling techniques to get consumers to buy their products. The book further explores how different personality styles influence selling as well as buying, and it allows the reader to learn more about their own selling styles and how they can flex their behavior to suit that of their customers' buying behavior. The next two chapters focus on the sales process and the sales equation, which provides the reader with actionable steps and guidelines that, if implemented correctly, will improve their sales strategies and sales potential. The last two chapters focus on technology and how technology impacts sales and customer's buying behavior. It then looks into the sales executive of the future and how technology is one of the main drivers salespeople must master for them to be relevant in the future of sales.




Who is your target audience, and why?

The main target audience is people working in the business development and sales industry. The book provides the reader with valuable insights into sales. It will allow them to improve their current sales skills as well as enabling people with less sales experience to learn critical skills that will give them an edge as they grow in their careers in sales. 

If you were going to give one reason for anyone looking at your book to read, why should they buy it?

The title of the book best highlights the reason to read this book. It's all about the sale. As a salesperson, you can come up with a myriad of reasons why you like selling or want to be in the sales industry, but it all points to one main purpose; It's all about the sale.  

What do you consider your greatest success in life?

Overcoming the odds. The journey from a small town in South Africa as an average schoolboy to living in the biggest cities in our country as a successful entrepreneur, psychologist, and innovator.

What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?

I'm exceptionally good at procrastinating and do my best when I'm pressured. I write when I have 1000 other things to do and dream when I should write.



How do you overcome writer's block?

Read something completely different that's got nothing to do with the topic you are writing about. If you write about sales, read about nature.

What one piece of advice do you have for new authors.

First impress yourself, the rest will follow.

Tell your readers anything else you want to share.

I've been asked what I found the most challenging, doing a doctorate degree or writing a book. I find it very difficult to answer because both were quite challenging, but one thing I do know, I'll do it again. If you're not challenged enough in life, maybe you don't challenge life enough.