As a sales coach, I spend a fair amount of time in the field observing sellers. As a researcher, I interview buyers and get their perspective on what sellers do during sales calls. And, as a sales trainer, I conduct 1-to-1 role plays with sellers and sometimes set traps to see how they’ll handle common situations.
More often than not, when sellers make mistakes, it’s not a lack of selling skills. It’s a lack of critical thinking skills or lazy thinking habits that interfere with critical thinking. There are numerous logical thinking traps that can ensnare us in any conversation, and these show up in sales meetings with buyers, too.
Watch out for these 10 logical thinking traps that take sellers off course:
Hasty generalizations: This happens far too often in selling. It’s one of the main reasons that selling, as a profession, has some negative stereotypes associated with it. Speaking in generalities leads to misunderstandings and to making or implying promises you can’t keep. Listen to the words you use and avoid making generalizations that include hyperbole (always, never, all, none). Instead, speak with precision and measure your words carefully. Use accurate words (most instead of all, usually instead of always). This will also help you remain relevant to the individual buyer instead of sounding salesy and generic.
False dichotomies: Also known as black-and-white thinking or either/or fallacy. This is used, at times, as a manipulation to force someone’s hand. It may also result from lazy thinking that defaults to an assumption that there are only two choices. In most things, there are many options and variations. Expanding your thinking allows for creative combinations and accommodations. Examine choices that are presented to determine if they are truly mutually exclusive (choosing one would, without a doubt, eliminate the other choice). More often, two choices can co-exist or be blended.
Causal link fallacies: When people assign blame without getting to the root cause of a problem, they may be victims of this thinking trap. With buyers, you have to get clarity on what really causes the issues or problems they’re experiencing. Your solution won’t work if there are lingering problems that aren’t fixed. When selling, be careful not to over-promise by magnifying the effect of your solution if it’s not truly a cause-and-effect formula in play.
Bandwagon appeal: Also known as herd mentality. Just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t make it good or right. Remember your mom saying “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?” This is an attempt to cause acceptance of something just because it’s trendy, popular or common. The claim that’s implied is that you should do it, too, and doing it will make you succeed in some way.
Appeal to ignorance: Buyers sometimes feign ignorance to avoid engaging with a seller. Sometimes, buyers are genuinely ignorant because they haven’t been exposed yet to your product. Either way, ignorance should be a reason for remaining ignorant. Using ignorance to draw conclusions is also a thinking trap. Saying “we don’t know what that is, so we don’t need it” is an example of trying to prove something using ignorance. Nothing is proven by ignorance, and strong critical thinkers challenge ignorance when they encounter it (that includes challenging their own ignorance, too!).
Red herring fallacies: Red herrings are distractions. They get served up anytime someone wants to focus on something other than the real issue or problem. These side issues or distractions can take you down time-sucking rabbit holes. Keep your buyer focused on problems you can solve rather than succumbing to red herring topics (no matter how interesting they might be!).
Commitment constraint: Also known as sunk cost fallacy. We all like to see things through to the end, and we don’t like giving up when we’ve made a commitment. Even after we realize that something isn’t working, we may stick with it in a futile and stubborn attempt to make it work. What’s more, we reason, if this didn’t work, nothing else will either. If your buyers are clinging to ineffective solutions and resist making a change, this could be what they’re experiencing.
Misplaced authority: Anytime someone else’s authority is invoked, it could be a slippery tactic to avoid making a decision, owning a decision, or being confident in one’s own decision. This is lazy thinking. When you defer to your sales manager instead of taking the heat for a decision, you might be using this tactic. When your buyer says there are higher authorities who will make the buying decision, they might be using this tactic. This also shows up when buyers ask if big-name competitors are using your products. Oftentimes, no other authority is really needed. It’s just a smokescreen for delaying a decision or making someone else the fall guy.
To learn more about the last two, whataboutism and circular thinking, check out this video from the No More Lazy Thinking video series:
To protect yourself from tricks that others play with logical fallacies, take these ten steps.
If these steps seem cumbersome or time-consuming, keep this in mind. You’re going to be working smarter, not harder when you hone your critical thinking skills. You will make fewer mistakes, and you’ll save time by building trust and demonstrating competence sooner. You’ll also be learning and growing in every interaction where you exercise your mental might. This has a multiplier effect that makes you better and better over time.