Psychology in sales
People close the deal. People build the forecast. People implement the change. So psychology here is a working tool, not an add-on.
How a client makes a decision
In a large B2B deal the decision is made by a group: the person who signs off the budget, those who will use the solution, technical experts, procurement, lawyers. Each has their own interests and their own concerns.
The Decision Making Grid is a working tool that I used in my own deals and now teach to clients’ teams. It is a map that records, for every participant on the client side:
- their role in the decision: decides, influences, uses, can block;
- what matters to them and what they will count as success;
- what they are wary of;
- how they see us and the competitors;
- who in our team works with them and what the next step is.
With this map the team sees specific people rather than “the client”, and understands why a deal is moving or standing still.
What happens inside a sales team
These are not the weaknesses of individuals but typical reactions. They can be worked with once they are seen.
Fear of the price conversation
The salesperson offers a discount before the client has asked for one.
Avoiding the decision-makers
It is easier to talk to a friendly contact than to the person who makes the decision.
Optimism in the forecast
A deal stays in the forecast because a lot of effort has gone into it, not because the client is ready to buy.
Resistance to new rules
“That does not work in our market” often means “I am afraid I will not manage”.
Fatigue and burnout
Long deal cycles and rejections wear people down. Results fall long before it shows in the numbers.
Dependence on stars
The team gets used to one person closing the hard deals and stops learning.
The owner and the leaders
Psychology is not only about salespeople. An owner can find it hard to hand a large deal to the team; a sales leader can find it hard to tell the owner that the forecast is inflated.
Coaching the owner and the leaders is part of the work: their behaviour decides whether the changes last in the teams.
Psychology in every phase
| Phase | What the psychologist does |
|---|---|
| Assessment | Looks not only at the process but at behaviour: how people act at the hard moments of a deal |
| Design | Involves team leaders as co-authors of the model, so that they support it later |
| Implementation | Works with the causes of resistance and helps new habits to settle |
| Run & Scale | Coaches the owner and the sales leaders |
The limits of this work
This is not psychotherapy and not motivational training. I work with behaviour in specific work situations: a deal, a meeting, a forecast, a negotiation.
The content of individual conversations stays confidential.
Credentials
Master of Psychology from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, PhD student at the Kostiuk Institute of Psychology. Training in gestalt consultancy, coaching and positive psychology.
Questions and answers
What is a Decision Making Grid?
It is a map of the client’s decision in a large B2B deal. For every participant on the client side it records their role in the decision, interests, concerns, attitude to the suppliers and the sales team’s next step.
How is a psychologist in sales different from a sales trainer?
A trainer teaches technique. A psychologist works on why a person knows the technique and still does not use it: fear, habits, beliefs and relationships in the team.
Start with a conversation about your sales
A short, free call will show whether you need an Assessment and how large it should be.