Improve your sales by leveraging the 5 major motivators of human behavior

Have you ever wondered why people buy some things and not others? Or why some people are able to sell ice to Eskimos?

It’s not because they have better products or services — it’s because they know how to leverage human behavior. People buy with emotions first and then justify with logic afterward.

If your writing is not making people feel something, then it will not work. If your sales copy isn’t pushing one of the 5 major motivators of human behavior — Fear, Love, Greed, Guilt, Pride — then it is likely to be ineffective.

Fear

People buy things when they feel bad or scared or like something bad might happen if they don’t. Examples include:

• Fear of Losing Money
• Fear of missing out
• Fear of regret
• Fear of being different
• Fear of failure
• Fear of not being good enough
• Fear of being alone

Love

People buy things when they feel good or happy or like something great might happen if they do, such as:

• The love of feeling safe
• The love of feeling happy
• The love of feeling successful
• The love of feeling like you belong

Greed

People buy things when they feel like they will get something in return, whether it is money, status, power, or food. For example:

• The desire for more money
• The desire for more power
• The desire for more status
• The desire for more possessions

Guilt

People buy things when they feel like they have done something wrong or bad and need to make up for it:

• The guilt of not taking care of yourself
• The guilt of not taking care of your family
• The guilt of not doing enough

Pride

People buy things when they feel good about themselves or like they will look good to others:

• The desire to look successful
• The desire to look like you have it all together
• The desire to be seen as a good person
• The desire to fit in.

Drive more sales with less effort

If you can tap into how your customer’s brains work at different stages in the purchasing process or lead funnel, you may be able to drive more sales with less effort.

If you want to learn more, check out persuasion books like Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini or The Choice Factory by Richard Thaler.