Negative Selling can be Positive Selling

In the nuanced world of professional selling, the counter-intuitive strategy of negative selling can actually advance the sales process.

What is Negative Selling?

Also known as negative reverse selling, negative selling is a technique that asks questions or makes statements against the desired outcome. Its success is based on psychological axioms.

Psychology of Negative Selling

This counter-intuitive approach focuses on creating a climate of scarcity and urgency, making the prospect more interested in your product or service. One of the techniques is to “take the product away” from the prospects.

Act with an air of independence. Let them get a sense of not having it. This draws them to it more.

Salespeople use a tactic that promotes a behavior opposite to the desired outcome. Through reverse psychology, prospects are encouraged to choose the desired outcome by suggesting the opposite, as the next section describes.

By agreeing with the customer, you are allowing them to drop their sales resistance, which is a form of tension. Now relaxed and feeling unchallenged, they can use their logic and emotion to sell themselves on positive change.

Support an Unfavorable Outcome

As a raw rookie, I missed a potential sale by not going negative. Mrs. Jones said she wanted the product. Mr. Jones, in a macho tone, said he would see what he wanted to do. He was obviously “pulling rank” as the sole breadwinner.

I wrongly supported my preferred outcome by agreeing with Mrs. Jones, and I tried to show more value. Mr. Jones showed who was boss, and dug his heels in.

The next day, my mentor explained value was probably not the issue—status was. He said I should have supported Mr. Jones’ “think it over” objection. Mrs. Jones was already sold so I needed to play up to Mr. Jones’ ego.

I could have said, “Mrs. Jones, your husband works hard for the money. He cares about your children’ education. He just wants to make sure our offer will do A, B, and C.”

By respecting and playing up his role, this would be stroking his ego. I’m now his “friend” and he can be happy with either decision he makes. Not a guaranteed sale, but this negative approach had a better chance to close.

The Scarcity Principle in Action

When you are very interested in something you see online, what is your thought process when you see the message, “only one left in stock”? Do you feel a sense of urgency?

By leaving the impression that prospects may lose out on your offer, they often value it more. This is the scarcity principle in action.

Developed by Professor Robert Cialdini, it is based on the phenomenon that people view something as more valuable when its availability or perceived availability is limited. Part of the rationale is based on economics. With lesser supply, more demand drives up prices.

Elevate your Status

Before you meet your prospects, they likely will feel that they will be interacting with someone who will prioritize personal motives. This automatically places your status beneath theirs.

Negative selling is effective to overcome this unproductive comparison. Prospects are prepared to resist if they feel they are being pushed. So, tug them in the opposite way.

Their natural inclination to distance themselves from sales representatives will lead them in the direction you desire.

Why Is Negative Selling so Effective?

You’ll never be able to convince a prospect to buy from you if they themselves don’t want to. They’ll fight back. The common hurdle is that there is a desire to buy, yet there is a reluctance to be sold. Even good rebuttals may not move the buyer to the sale if the sales rep comes across too aggressively.

The customer should be led to believe their concerns will be remediated in the product and not in your words. The more you draw out the prospect’s understanding of its value through probing and clarifying questions, the less insistent you need to be.

By pulling back, the customer feels relieved of the pressure to engage defensively with the seller and they can use their own rationale to move toward the acquisition. Through effective questions, I like to call “thought questions,” buyers will comfortably come to the correct realization.

The Benefits of Negative Selling

There are numerous benefits to using negative selling. Consider the following:

Expedites the Sales Process

When customers try to brush you off, negative selling can portray you as someone busy and in demand.

To get the first or next meeting, you can say, “I have a busy calendar. Just so we’re not chasing each other, if you get out your appointment book, we can make efficient use of our time.”

The prospect should now view you as someone in demand because it puts you in a position of strength and confidence. You raise your status and increase the possibility of getting agreement on your request.

Improves your Position

Negative selling encourages buyers to be more reflective about your product or service. It shows the prospect that you are highly confident and independent.

You can say something like, “Many of my clients tell me how important the ABC system is. However, I wouldn’t want you to acquire it if you wouldn’t maximize its value for you. How do you plan to be committed to get the benefits you mentioned you want?”

Effective for Closing

If you sense that the prospect is not seeing enough value to purchase, you can now use negative selling.

Say something like, “Perhaps we’re not a good fit.” With the prospect’s guard down thinking you’re ready to leave, you can get the prospect talking and thinking about what they need by saying, “I’m curious though, what would make us a good fit for what you need?”

This reopens the conversation. Having seen a certain amount of value up to this point, your re-opened talk may provide enough additional value to secure the sale.

Meet Negativity with Negativity

Sales would be order-taking if there were no objections. There are many instances where prospects seem more like suspects. We hear many variations of:

I’m not interested
I’m not sure this will be the right way to proceed
I want to sleep on it
It seems too expensive

Depending on the specific roadblock thrown your way, you must assess a good approach. You can be successful by meeting negativity with negativity.

Let’s say you’re responding to the “I’m not sure this will be the right way to proceed” objection. You can go negative. Agree with them which disarms them. Then discuss more value through questions.

Say something like, “I totally agree with you. It must be something you know is in your best interests. That’s why I find my work so gratifying.

We don’t have answers for everyone but we sure do have a lot of happy clients. I’m curious, which part of the (product / service / process) do you like the most?”

By getting them talking, you have a natural opening to expand on their needs and your solutions.

If they say, “I want to sleep on it,” you don’t push back. Again, go negative by seeing their position. You are dropping their guard and allowing them to shortly further consider your offer. You can say, “I see your point completely because this is potentially of significant benefit to your long-term goals.”

Then you can refer to other satisfied clients and ask your prospect what they like about your offer. As they are further selling themselves than when they raised their negativity, sleeping on it won’t be an issue if they either reinforce their pain points or discover new ones through your additional probing.