Touch, in many instances, is the only sense that truly makes things real. You can see something incredible and later question whether you saw what you think you saw. You can hear something and not see it, so maybe it didn’t exist - the same goes for scent. But when you touch and feel something, it’s real.
Using Touch to Sell
We are tactile creatures. Human beings are drawn to and love to look at beautiful skyscrapers, product designs, attractive people and symmetrical sculptures; and our brains are stimulated by touching smooth or rigid, grippy or slippery, and loose or form-fitting things. The way a phone fits in the palm of our hand, or the feel of a beautiful blazer snuggly hanging off our shoulders, or the comfort in how our hands wrapped around a steering wheel can dictate if we buy or not. Indulging this sense closes sales and creates successful product launches…
Beyond determining what is undeniably real, touch and feeling something impacts an extraordinary part of our brain, according to David Linden, a neurobiologist at Johns Hopkins.
“There was another famous study in which people evaluated others’ resumes on a clipboard, and if they were on a heavy clipboard — rather than a really light one — they were rated as having more gravitas, more authority. Once again, people didn’t think they were smarter, or better team players or things like that. The weight made them seem weighty.”
Vox interviewed Linden, and he went on to explain that, “Incidental touch can help form our impressions of people’s character…”
“In one of the classic experiments, people were holding either a cold iced drink or a hot drink when meeting someone, and those with a hot drink literally rated the people they met as warmer — as in, having a more pro-social personality. They didn’t rate them better overall — say, as smarter, or more competent — they just rated them as warmer.”
The Sense that Closes Sales
The weight or shape of a bowl, or the materials used to make a couch or the clothes we wear, how the keys on a keyboard feel when we strike them, can determine which kitchenware, furniture, jeans and computer we buy. Touch is powerful - and if utilized in your sales process, it can make all the difference in whether you’re a closer or not.
Whenever possible, sell by enabling your customer to touch or feel. Touch and sight are the most important senses to indulge for closing. If you sell online and the customer can’t touch the product before purchasing, create a promo video showing someone else touching and feeling the product and the benefit that comes from having that tactile experience. Get creative, demonstrate the touch experience in your sales process. Far too often it is overlooked by the marketer.
Stay hungry,
Aaron
PS - Yes, selling is a bit of an art. Entrepreneurship is too. Let me show you some things I come across that you will find useful, as well as some unique offerings. Subscribe to my newsletter below. Only my best content will land in your inbox.
