3 Things You Should Know About Emotional Selling

Emotion wins over logic during any and every decision in the construction industry. Says who? Our brains as well as numerous studies that have dissected the role of left brain versus right brain and how emotion and logic sway us in making decisions. Sure, you can make any argument based on facts, figures, and reason, but unless you can invoke a positive emotional response from a prospect the persuasion is likely going to fail.

1) The Biology of the Human Brain

Decision making is grounded in biology. The human brain is a sum of two parts: the neocortex (left brain or rational thought) and the limbic brain (right brain or feelings). To sum up years of research in few words: the facts and figures processed by the neocortex (left brain) do not drive behavior, rather the emotion gathered by the limbic (right) brain do. Humans are not capable of making a decision without emotion, therefore it can be said that emotion is involved in any and every decision.

That’s why it takes time to make a decision that one deems right. You can give someone all the supporting statistics and data about a situation and it’s possible that no decision will ever be made. Rather they are spending time synthesizing information and weighing their options. But, tell a story with an element of emotion and you’ll move that same someone to take action.  

2) The Answer to "Why You Do What You Do?"

There are many reasons you do what you do: you get to construct the built environment people depend on, you see the results of your work, you help build the economy, you get to work with a team, you get challenged every day, and you get paid. It’s those other things that are driving force behind what you do. Those are your purpose, your beliefs, and why you exist—those are fundamental emotions you should use to sell your business. After all people do business with people who believe what they believe. If you find a prospect who has the same vision and hopes to achieve the same results as you do, you’ll likely develop a good partnership. That’s why it’s so important to tell your story so that potential clients can identify with you and realize why your company is a viable option for them. By telling your story, you’ll trigger emotional cues for your prospects and in turn shape their preference.

3) Why it Matters to You

You sell your construction services to other companies made up of individual people, you heard it here before. The actual company doesn’t make the buying decision to partner with your company. Rather, individuals at that company are making that decision. That’s why it’s important to appeal to all aspects of these individual decision makers. It’s likely multiple people are making this decision so telling your story in a way that triggers emotions and motivations for each individual is important.

Traditionally, construction companies sell in a way that relies on the process of the left brain: facts, figures, and logic. After all you’re dealing with engineers and project managers who think in terms of deadlines (dates), costs, and scale. But while they may think they are number-driven, all of these individuals make decisions with their right brain or feelings. What can you lose by incorporating your vision, beliefs, and story (aka feelings) into your sales process and customer experience? Nothing and you’ll gain so much more in your ability to sell to new clients as well as retain existing clients.