The best salespeople make you buy without realizing you’re being sold to. It’s not about persuading or pressuring, but about creating a situation where the choice feels natural – almost like the customer came up with it themselves.
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like selling in the traditional sense. Or, more accurately – I love it, but I hate the pressure that comes with it. The sales targets that always need to be hit, the quarterly goals looming over your head, and the sleepless nights when things aren’t flowing as they should. But what I truly love is that moment when the customer realizes how good my solution really is.
The Pen Trick: When a Small Gesture Becomes a Big Yes
A friend of mine, now the CEO of a global American tech company, started out selling phone subscriptions on the street or in places like malls and airports. He told me about a simple but effective trick they used back then:
Toward the end of the sales process, he’d pretend to drop his pen. The customer, polite as most people are, would bend down to pick it up since the seller had his hands full. And the amazing part? Once the customer was holding the pen, they were much more likely to sign than if they hadn’t picked it up.
The Psychology Behind It:
This plays on the Ben Franklin Effect and the principle of commitment and consistency. When we do a small favor for someone – even just picking up a pen – it creates a sense of cooperation. And once the pen is in our hand? Well, it’s easier to continue the action than to stop and reevaluate everything.
The “Forgotten” Brochure: Selling After You’ve Left
An electrician installing downlights can easily upsell – without saying a word. All they have to do is “forget” a brochure about smart home features on the kitchen counter. The customer finds it later, maybe while having their morning coffee, and starts to wonder: “Wouldn’t automated blinds be a good idea too?”
The Psychology Behind It:
This taps into the Zeigarnik Effect, which suggests we remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. When we see a brochure we haven’t yet considered, it feels like something we need to get back to.
It also works as priming – the customer is exposed to the idea and starts to imagine how smart home solutions could make life easier. So when the electrician calls to follow up, the road to a “yes” is shorter than you think.
Planting the Idea Without Pushing It
When I sold StarLeaf, I always started meetings with a mapping – or a needs analysis – to understand what the customer’s real challenges were. Then I’d do my usual demo, but instead of emphasizing the strongest selling point directly, I’d mention it in passing. Sometimes, I’d let the customer press the panel themselves to solve the very issue they’d struggled with earlier. The goal was for them to discover the solution themselves – not for me to tell them what was the right choice.
The Psychology Behind It:
This is known as The Illusion of Self-Discovery. Nobody likes being told what to do. But if they realize something on their own, it feels like their idea – and we’re much more likely to defend our own ideas than someone else’s suggestion.
Conclusion: The Best Sales Don’t Feel Like Sales
These techniques aren’t manipulation – they’re ways of helping the customer make a decision without pressure.
- The pen trick lowers the threshold for saying yes.
- The “forgotten” brochure lets the customer convince themselves.
- The illusion of self-discovery makes the customer feel like they found the solution on their own.
So yes, I don’t really like selling. Or more accurately – I love it, but I hate the pressure of always having to deliver, always reaching new goals, always outperforming the last quarter. But I love the process, the conversations, and that moment the customer realizes this is the solution they need.
And that’s exactly where sales happen. Not when I push a product, but when the customer makes the decision – often without realizing they were being sold to at all. And if that means using a few subtle psychological tricks to help them get there, I’m all in. Because sales isn’t just about informing – it’s about creating results.
The tricks I’ve shared here aren’t shortcuts – they’re foundational techniques you can build on to become a better salesperson. It’s perfectly fine to help the customer make a good decision. But if you cross the line and use them to manipulate or mislead, you’re no longer a salesperson – you’re someone exploiting the trust the customer gives you.
The best purchases don’t feel like purchases. They feel like the right choice.
What do you think?
Have you ever used (or been on the receiving end of) a sales trick that didn’t feel like a trick at all? Maybe you only realized it after you said yes? I’d love to hear your thoughts or stories—drop a comment below!
