Sales tactics are structured strategies used to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service. These techniques vary across different platforms and industries, with specific approaches proving more effective in certain sales environments.
Below, we explore common sales tactics and the platforms where they are most frequently used.
1. Relationship-Based Tactics
These strategies focus on building trust and long-term customer relationships. They are most effective in high-touch sales environments, such as B2B sales, consulting, and service-based businesses.
- Consultative Selling: Acting as an advisor, understanding customer needs, and offering tailored solutions (Common on LinkedIn, CRM platforms, and B2B sales meetings).
- Storytelling: Using narratives to make products/services relatable and memorable (Effective on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube).
- Social Proof: Showcasing testimonials, case studies, or user reviews to build trust (Used extensively in e-commerce, personal branding websites, and Amazon product pages).
- Personalization: Customizing offers based on the customer’s behavior, preferences, or past purchases (Implemented through email marketing, Shopify recommendations, and personalized ads on Google and Facebook).
2. Psychological Tactics
These strategies play on human emotions and behavioral triggers to influence purchasing decisions. They are commonly used in online marketing, e-commerce, and digital advertising.
- Scarcity & Urgency: Creating FOMO (fear of missing out) with limited-time offers or low-stock alerts (Common in flash sales on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon).
- Reciprocity: Offering free samples, trials, or valuable content in exchange for loyalty or purchases (Used in content marketing, SaaS platforms like HubSpot, and email drip campaigns).
- Anchoring: Showing a higher-priced option first to make the next option seem like a better deal (Common in pricing pages for software and e-commerce stores).
- Decoy Pricing: Adding a third, less-attractive pricing option to make the preferred choice stand out (Used in SaaS, subscription services, and restaurant menu pricing).
3. Persuasion & Closing Tactics
These methods are designed to overcome objections and encourage customers to finalize a purchase. They are used in direct sales calls, high-ticket sales, and retail negotiations.
- Assumptive Close: Acting as if the customer has already decided and moving straight to closing (Effective in retail sales and real estate negotiations).
- The “Yes” Ladder: Getting small “yes” responses before asking for the final sale (Used in door-to-door sales, webinars, and trial-based selling).
- Feel-Felt-Found: Acknowledging objections and responding with how others have overcome them (Common in B2B sales and SaaS customer onboarding).
- The Takeaway Close: Subtly suggesting the product may not be available anymore, triggering a desire to buy (Used in car sales, luxury goods, and high-end memberships).
4. Digital & Modern Sales Tactics
With the rise of digital marketing, new tactics have emerged to adapt to online consumer behavior. These are best used in e-commerce, digital advertising, and content-driven sales.
- Inbound Selling: Attracting leads through valuable content, SEO, and social media rather than aggressive selling (Used in content marketing, blog-driven SEO, and YouTube tutorials).
- Conversational Selling: Using chatbots, DMs, or messaging apps to engage and convert customers (Common on WhatsApp Business, Messenger, and Instagram DMs).
- Gamification: Adding challenges, rewards, or loyalty points to make the buying process fun (Used in e-commerce apps, referral programs, and brand loyalty apps like Starbucks Rewards).
- Influencer & Community Selling: Leveraging influencers or niche online communities for trust-based sales (Popular on TikTok, Instagram, and Discord groups).
5. Negotiation & Upselling Tactics
Once a customer is interested, these tactics help increase order value and secure long-term business relationships. They are most common in online stores, SaaS companies, and retail.
- Bundling: Offering complementary products together for a better deal (Seen on Amazon, Shopify, and electronics stores).
- Cross-Selling: Suggesting additional products that enhance the original purchase (Used on e-commerce sites, McDonald’s “Would you like fries with that?” approach).
- Trade-Up (Upselling): Encouraging customers to buy a premium version of what they originally intended (Used in Apple product configurations, SaaS pricing plans, and hotel room upgrades).
- Price Bracketing: Presenting three price options so the middle one seems the best choice (Common in gym memberships, coaching programs, and SaaS pricing pages).
Sales Techniques in Online Platforms Examples
The effectiveness of sales tactics depends on the platform being used. Below are examples of where different tactics work best:
- E-Commerce (Amazon, Shopee, Shopify): Scarcity, urgency, social proof, upselling, and abandoned cart recovery.
- Social Media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook): Influencer selling, storytelling, gamification, and conversational selling.
- B2B & SaaS Sales (LinkedIn, Email Marketing, Webinars): Consultative selling, solution selling, SPIN selling, and inbound selling.
- Retail & In-Person Sales: Relationship-based selling, assumptive closes, the “Yes” ladder, and feel-felt-found objections handling.
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