The Power of Persuasion: 7 Psychological Tricks for Lead Generation

There are tons of guides detailing technical tricks for lead generation, such as automation, SEO best practices, and savvy use of ads.

However, fewer discuss the power of persuasion, a technique that existed long before computers and search engines.

With so much competition in marketing leading to bloated budgets and no results, more and more organizations are going back to square one with psychological strategies for lead generation.

Rather than a scatter-gun approach, honing in on emotional triggers in advertising can give you a better return on investment and more effective techniques for probing into a market.

In this article, we will explore some of these psychological sales tactics that you can implement in your strategy going forward. From social proof to loss aversion, these techniques will open up exciting, fresh alternatives to throwing money at your marketing campaigns.

1. Leverage social proof to back up your claims

With adverts coming at us from all angles, it's easy for customers to become cynical of company advertising. Testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers offer a more believable viewpoint that builds trust and credibility in your brand.

There is also plenty of user-generated content that can make all the difference. Social media is the perfect place to share pictures and videos of your customers succeeding because of your product or service. Be bold and reach out to them to record a video interview if they haven't published anything of their own accord.

Social media is full of tricks for lead generation, with an ever-increasing number of companies channeling marketing through influencers. Using psychology in sales leads like this leverages the familiarity that followers have in an online persona and can accelerate the trust-building stage of the customer journey. These endorsements can be expensive, but they are a rich source of leads and sales.

To make the most of social proof, you don't have to spend every waking hour on your platforms. Integrate all your socials with your CRM and set alerts for every mention to bolster your influence and persuasion in marketing. Let's say an industry leader gives you a shout-out, or you win an award. All you need to do is share the post with a little thank you, and you've nailed one of the easiest strategies for lead generation.

If you're a relatively informal team, you can even leverage negative comments. Advertising your restaurant as having “The world's worst pasta sauce” due to a catastrophic review has a seriously strong appeal to demographics who don't take themselves too seriously.

A final advantage of social media platforms is that they come with their own analytics to track the performance of your posts, shares, likes, and comments. Analyzing this data allows you to pinpoint what works and what doesn't.

2. Create a sense of scarcity to push for a deal

It's among the oldest behavioral marketing techniques in the book. Announcing a limited time or a limited supply flicks a switch in people's brains and significantly increases their desire to have something they may not have been interested in 20 minutes ago.

It's all about the sense of exclusivity. Ferraris wouldn't have the same appeal if everyone on the school run had one, and Fabergé eggs would lose all value if they were sold in boxes of 12 at the local grocery store.

With today’s technology, these tricks for lead generation are even easier to implement. Countdown timers that you can build into your website or embed into an email create a feeling of urgency. Turn any excess stock into a limited-time-only deal and make sure everyone knows about it with multichannel communication.

Websites have now reached a point where they are able track user behavior and recommend the most popular products for people like them. So instead of displaying generic ads, you can show exactly what an individual wants to see and create customized, timed offers to add some urgency into the mix. Advanced targeting like this shows you how to generate leads with psychology and complex analytics together.

3. Offer something free to draw people in

Some of the best lead generation psychological tricks share one thing in common—offering something for free to open the conversation. Whether it’s samples of coffee sent to your home, a complimentary consultation at the dentist, or a freemium SaaS platform, these are great psychological strategies for attracting potential clients.

As a consumer, you must have noticed the wave of websites promising you a free trial with no credit card required. Keeping your card in your pocket immediately disarms you and makes you more receptive to giving a product a go.

However, we’re talking about tricks for lead generation here, so users will always have to activate their trial with an email address or phone number. This turns them into a lead and adds them to your CRM, from which you can play the long game, sending out personalized email marketing sequences to gradually nudge your lead toward a deal.

4. Establish authority to exercise influence and persuasion in marketing

Having a recognized expertise in your industry uses cognitive biases in sales strategies to build authority that customers are more likely to trust and follow. Myriad tricks for lead generation work on this basic premise of establishing authority.

Credentials and awards. Perhaps they’re difficult to win, but they’re incredibly easy to leverage. Celebrate receiving awards on social media and pin them to your homepage and landing pages to raise your status in the eyes of your audience.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about becoming a trusted source so search engines will direct readers and viewers to your site. Algorithms are pretty accurate these days, so the more authoritative you are according to search engines, the better you are in the eyes of humans. Make sure to create a wealth of content that answers specific questions in your industry to stand out from your competitors.

Webinars use a more personal connection to convey your authority. Invite your audience to your event, put a time and attendee limit on announcements, and run a live or pre-recorded webinar that sets out your stall.

5. Appeal to emotions to inspire action

It’s common knowledge that emotions often play a more powerful role in driving actions than logic or reason. Implementing emotional triggers in advertising makes a strong connection that motivates your audience to take certain actions.

Here are five tricks for lead generation that rely on emotional appeals:

• Do storytelling to craft a narrative. Share stories that reflect your customers’ experiences, covering their challenges and aspirations, before detailing the solutions your product provides. Don’t neglect the characters. The more they reflect your leads, the better the emotional pull you’ll exert.

• Address hopes and fears. Talk about the difficulties your customers may face. Insurance companies might focus on accidents, while financial advisories could discuss pensions potentially disappearing.

• Use persuasive techniques in marketing copy, starting with emotionally charged words like “exclusive” and “urgent”. Framing your message in positive and negative terms — good things happen when you take action, bad things happen when you don’t — to play on your audience’s pain points.

• Create relatable scenarios so your customers can see themselves in your story and understand how your product can solve their issues. For example, common examples of poor team organization can promote the use of a project management tool.

• Implement visual elements such as images, videos, and infographics to supplement your words. Visuals are easier to digest, strengthen your message, and make your content more memorable.

6. Apply price anchoring to put the spotlight on your preferred product

Price anchoring is one of the best-known and most effective psychological sales tactics — the art of pushing leads to a specific sale through distraction. The “anchor” is essentially the first thing someone reads or hears, and it has a big impact on what information comes after. Here are a few tricks for lead generation that rely on price anchoring:

Present a higher-priced alternative. The initial high price sets the anchor, so the lower-priced offer (the one you actually want to sell) seems like a better offer. For example, if a premium business tool costs $500, the standard $300 tier appears more reasonable, even if it’s not lower than industry rates.

Bundle deals. Perfect for shifting excess stock while still making a profit, bundling products or services and selling them for less than the sum of their parts leads to overall savings for your customer and more business for you. If three products separately are $150 each, but you bundle them together for $350, you can draw attention to a $100 saving rather than a $350 expense.

Highlight original prices. During a sale, make sure to display the original price as well as the discount. Implemented on your website as part of a limited-time offer, it combines behavioral marketing techniques and puts pressure on visitors to your site.

7. Emphasize loss aversion or missed opportunities to encourage action

Loss aversion plays on the simple premise that people don’t want to lose out on the deals, savings, or efficiencies that their competitors are taking advantage of. One common technique is to use free trial periods and emphasize the value that would be lost if they don’t continue with the service. Free trials can be designed in a way that offers a lot of value but still leaves valuable tools like automations, mass emails, and more with the paid tiers.

Another online trick is to inject FOMO (fear of missing out) into the equation with a return on investment calculator in place of a pricing page. With a relatively simple form widget, you show how much money a company is wasting by not using your service and play on cognitive biases in sales to create urgency. Combine that with a few testimonials showing off all your happy customers, and you’ve instilled a serious level of envy in your leads.

When you’re in a face-to-face situation, you don’t have to just focus on the positive. Discussing lost opportunity costs is one of the best tricks for lead generation, and there are plenty of ways to do it, combining other points in this list:

• Create scarcity with a premium boutique service that only top-paying clients can afford.

• Offer a free trial for the first 50 signups, sidestepping rationality and appealing to emotions.

• Use social proof to show how their direct competitor is outperforming them with your product.

Bitrix24: An all-in-one system to implement persuasive techniques in marketing

Knowing how to generate leads with psychology can be a game-changer for small businesses with limited budgets. With these tricks for lead generation, you can lean more heavily into the power of persuasion to save money on ineffective marketing campaigns.

Of course, you still need to get your message out there, and Bitrix24 is the ideal launchpad to do it from.

• Robust CRM to understand your audience’s behaviors, hopes, and fears

• Sales journeys and analytics to nurture each lead

• Marketing automation and personalization to reach out and change minds

• No-code drop website builder to create landing pages that convert

• Multi-channel communications, including web forms, emails, and social media

So, to start using psychology in sales leads, sign up for Bitrix24 today.

FAQs

How can psychological principles improve lead generation effectiveness?

Psychological principles improve lead generation effectiveness by exploiting deep-seated behaviors and cognitive biases that drive human decision-making. These principles allow marketers to bypass rational thought and gain leads through emotions like fear, jealousy, and desire.

What role does social proof play in influencing customer decisions?

Social proof provides a sense of validation and trust from third parties. When potential customers see testimonials, reviews, or endorsements from others, especially those who are similar to them, they are more likely to trust the brand and follow suit.

How do scarcity and loss aversion impact consumer behavior in marketing?

Scarcity and loss aversion both drive faster, less considered action through a sense of urgency. Scarcity increases the perceived value of a product or service by highlighting its limited availability or the time-sensitive offer. Meanwhile, loss aversion taps into the fear of losing something valuable.