How "Theory of Mind" Drives Effective Selling

Theory of mind reminds us that others can suffer from misperceptions.

Sales professionals must be aware of differing perceptions. Customers are performing more solution research independent of the sales professional.

As a result, it’s easy for the customer to develop a false understanding of the challenge and the best path forward. Therefore, sales professionals must first know what the customer knows, then help the customer align with the real nature of the business challenge.

Value is subjective. What matters to one customer will be irrelevant to another. To provide relevant value, sales professionals need a clear understanding of the customer’s goals. These goals fit into one of three categories: make money, save money, or reduce risk.

The sales professional must first acknowledge that their information is different from the customer’s information. Moreover, the sales professional must continually track the customer’s information

• Sales professionals must remember that their information and beliefs differ from those of the customer.
• They must take the next step of asking questions to help narrow this gap
• Remember that this process never ends because the customer's notion of value changes throughout the buying process and across the numerous stakeholders involved.