Sell More with Science: The Mindsets, Traits, and Behaviors That Create Sales Success

by David Hoffeld Narrated by Mike Lenz

Overview

The groundbreaking system scientifically proven to increase your performance and launch you to unprecedented levels of success.

Today, in sales, business, and life, you need every advantage you can get. In Sell More with Science, David Hoffeld, the world's leading expert on applying science to selling, shares his revolutionary three-part system to experience surefire success at home, at work, and out in the world.

Here, Hoffeld utilizes research studies from social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to reveal actionable insights you can use to grow your sales, achieve more, and stay ahead of the competition. You'll discover:

   ¿ two evidence-based mindsets that will help you earn more sales
   ¿ seven strategies that will boost your chances of reaching any goal
   ¿ powerful principles that will enhance your ability to guide potential clients into positive buying decisions
   ¿ ways to win day-to-day interactions-in business and beyond
   ¿ how to reframe any idea or situation
   ¿ what it means to sell with integrity
   ¿ a science-backed formula you can follow to create positive career change
   ¿ and much more 
Filled with practical insights and exercises, Sell More with Science is a game-changing guide for anyone who wants to take their influence, sales, or career to new heights.


* This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF with images from the book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Most sales advice has little support beyond someone’s assumption. By contrast, David Hoffeld’s work and practice are grounded in solid behavioral research and focused on core aspects of selling applicable in many markets. His book can help you sell more and, equally valuable, make you feel better about your career."—Frank Cespedes, Harvard Business School; author of Sales Management That Works

“Nobody on God's green earth understands the behavioral science of selling better than David Hoffeld. If you want to know the facts about what is actually proven to be effective in sales, look no further. Sell More with Science is the evidence-based guidebook for personal achievement in sales.  It's absolutely brilliant and loaded with practical (and often surprising) guidance on the best practices in selling. Two thumbs way up!”—James Muir, CEO of Best Practice International; bestselling author of The Perfect Close

“Hoffeld is one of the most original voices since Sandler because he's making science actionable and cool for sales leaders everywhere. In Sell More With Science, the mindsets, skillsets, and angles that will help you become a top performer are all revealed. Heavily researched, backed and documented with humanized stories, this a compelling read.”—Justin Michael, co-author of Tech-Powered Sales; cofounder of HYPCCCYCL

"This book cements David Hoffeld's reputation as the leading advocate for science-based selling. He demystifies the keys to improving your sales by providing specific, actionable insights, based on solid, peer-reviewed data. You won’t be successful in sales without understanding how the brain of the buyer is responding to your efforts. Read this book. You really will sell more with science."—Dan Solin, author of Ask: How to Relate to Anyone

“In Sell More With Science, David Hoffeld reveals science-backed insights that will help you thrive in today’s hyper-competitive environment. If you’re serious about improving your career, this book is a must read.”—Dave Kerpen, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of People 

“David Hoffeld gives his readers incredible insights into why we buy and how to leverage that knowledge to sell more. Like his last book, The Science of Selling, David uses proven science to support his strategies and techniques. Unlike most sales trainers and speakers who rely on unique anecdotes and personal experiences, David makes his scientific approach much more applicable and relatable to a wide range of situations. He empowers salespeople by turning science into practice. If you want to harness the power of science to sell more, this book is a must.”—Terry Wu, Ph.D, neuroscientist, neuromarketing consultant, and speaker

"After reading Sell More with Science, I got rid of over 75 books and courses on selling because it had rendered them all obsolete. The book is packed with actionable, evidence-based strategies, formulas, exercises, and assessments that demystify sales success. In a hyper-competitive market, you need to adjust your sales strategies with science. Add this book to your library. Read it! And apply the ideas.  You will have an unfair (yet ethical) competitive advantage in your marketplace."—Ed Tate, principal, Ed Tate & Associates; World Champion of Public Speaking

"Sell More with Science is a book every person in sales should read, no matter their experience level. The truth and insights found inside will help all sales professionals from complex B2B to transactional consumer-facing roles and everything in between. I love this entire book. I appreciate the way difficult ideas are explained and then broken down into simple and actionable messages. If you want to sell more and sell better, then read Sell More With Science and watch your sales growth accelerate."—Mareo McCracken, CRO at Movemedical; author of Really Care For Them

"This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to drive improved sales results. It harnesses the power of behavioral science and neuroscience, blended with the art of selling for greater influence and improved sales results. Sell More with Science explains the 'why' and 'how' for elevating sales engagement and leadership. David's evidenced-based perspective enables leaders to intelligently and confidently blend art and science together for successful sales transformation."—Tony Hughes, bestselling author of The Joshua Principle; co-founder of Sales IQ Global

"In Sell More with Science, David Hoffeld once again demonstrates how taking a deliberate, planned approach to sales is the best predictor of success. As you would expect from David, this book is full of researched-based wisdom rather than simply anecdotal extrapolations. I highly recommend this book, as the successful salesperson of the future will need to have more dimensions and skills than ever before and this book outlines many of them."—John Golden, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Pipeliner Sales; bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales

“David has done it again with an important, relevant, and usable book that helps us understand not only the how to be a better sales professional but also the why. There are so many practical examples of real life conversation examples and suggestions that all sales professionals can use. What is especially important is David gives you the scientific research as to why these methods work. A must read.”—Mark Welch, author of The Street Savvy Sales Leader

"Yes, sales is an art, but it is also a science! In this book, David looks at the other side of the sales coin. He will help you understand the rules of influence and how you can deploy them with intent to be more persuasive."—Victor Antonio, host of the Sales Influence podcast

“David Hoffeld continues to make it simple for any seller to succeed more by aligning the way we sell with the way buyers buy. This book will be an unfair advantage for anyone who sells. Just follow the science.”—Stu Heinecke, bestselling author of How to Get a Meeting with Anyone and How to Grow Your Business Like a Weed

"In Sell More with Science, David Hoffeld reveals more of the scientifically validated behaviors that create predictable sales success. That’s what makes this books so powerful—it’s packed with the research that explains why some tactics are absolutely necessary and why others simply will not work. No theory. No complex models. Just loads of studies presented in a very easy-to-read style and, most importantly, applied to everyday sales situations. So grab a pen and a notepad—this is a book flush with concepts you will want to review time and time again. And if you have the discipline to learn and use them consistently, I guarantee you’ll be amazed at the impact on your sales performance."—Kelly Riggs, founder of Business LockerRoom, Inc.®; author of Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales

"Most sales books are full of techniques, tactics and hacks from the perspective and experience of one person, but fall short of helping the reader execute consistently. Sell More with Science bridges the gap between knowing and doing through research so that sellers can change their mindsets and behaviors to better align with their buyers. To be the best of the best at your craft, this book is a fundamental must read for elite sellers who seek to take the guesswork out of sales performance improvement."—Carole Mahoney, founder of Unbound Growth

"David has put it all together, distilling the complexities of the science of sales from mindset to execution, in an easily digestible, actionable book for the good of the salesperson, the client and the profession."—Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale

“Read this book and take your sales to the next level! David Hoffeld masterfully tackles the inner game (mindsets, traits, and behaviors) that drives sales success. This book is essential reading for anyone involved in sales who wants practical advice and valuable tools to increase performance."—Brian Carroll, CEO of Markempa; author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale

“David Hoffeld is the expert in applying science to the act of selling. In this extremely practical, well-researched book, he provides a roadmap that you can follow to take your sales and career to the next level.”—Ron Friedman, Ph.D.; bestselling author of The Best Place to Work

Library Journal

03/11/2022

Sales trainer and consultant Hoffeld relies on experiments and surveys conducted primarily by social scientists of various stripes as the basis for his sales training as well as for this title. The book presents findings in social science research about selling and how these discoveries should and can guide sales representatives and sales managers in their work. Hoffeld writes that changing one's approach to selling from a conventional method to one based on science requires a lot of hard work and practice. The book provides exercises to help apply some of the recommendations. It also includes anecdotal and fictional stories that illustrate how certain science-based changes might work in real life. While this book aims to be practical, it is not a collection of shortcuts and simplifications. For example, one chapter presents seven science-based strategies for meeting one's sales goals. The discussion of each strategy is substantive, and it may take some time for readers to fully absorb each point. VERDICT A good book for those with a serious interest in the selling process.—Shmuel Ben-Gad

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176225471
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

In the past, the factors that enabled some people to sell more than others were a mystery. Some salespeople just seemed to have what it takes, while others didn't. Thankfully, we've since learned that's not the case. Over the past fifty years, scientists have conducted groundbreaking research identifying how our brains process information, perceive value, and decide whether to purchase one product or service over another. Even more exciting, these discoveries have revealed the specific mindsets, traits, and behaviors that salespeople can embrace to achieve success. In fact, of all the innovations to the sales profession in recent years, none has the potential to make a more positive and lasting impact than basing the way we sell on science.

Though this research-backed methodology has repeatedly been proven to boost anyone's performance, many sales and businesspeople are unaware of it. Even worse, many of the most common selling practices today contradict the science. That's why I wrote this book: to provide real-world, actionable, evidence-backed insights that you can use to supercharge your selling-both on the job and out in the world.

Here's a quick overview of how I created this proven way of selling and the benefits you'll receive by adopting it.

 

How Science Will Transform Your Sales

If you read my previous book, The Science of Selling, you'll know that I am fascinated by the science of influence. When I was ten years old, my mother gave me Dale Carnegie's bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. I was amazed at how simple words and phrases could inspire people to respond in predictable ways.

It wasn't until many years later that I experienced that in my own career. After graduating with my master's degree, I needed to get a job for what I thought would be just a few months. I naively assumed I would be good at selling and looked in the local classifieds. (Remember when the newspaper was where you went to find a job?) As I browsed the open positions, one caught my eye. The headline read "Make $100,000 a Year." Right below it were three words that made me even more excited: "No Experience Necessary." This was perfect, I reasoned, because I had no experience, and who wouldn't want to make six figures right out of school? I called the number listed and scheduled an interview. The next day I went to the company's office and was interviewed by a sales manager who asked me just two questions. The first was "Do you have reliable transportation?" My confidence grew as I answered that yes, I'd driven there in my own car. He nodded and then asked, "Do you like people?" "Yes!" I exclaimed. The sales manager smiled and said, "Great, you can start tomorrow." And with that, I was ushered into the profession of sales.

What happened next surprised me. As I began selling, I became captivated by it. What I had thought would be a short-term job turned into my life's work. What I had gotten a glimpse of as a ten-year-old when I read How to Win Friends and Influence People, I now saw out in the field every day. Salespeople are professional influencers: They inspire someone to take what they say seriously and be willing to act on it.

As I became more and more fascinated by the process of selling, I sought out training on how to do it better. But nearly all the books I read and courses I took were anecdotal-or downright contradictory-in the advice they gave and offered no objective proof that their methods were more effective than others. Dismayed at the lack of evidence, I decided to investigate. I began by looking at the research I had analyzed when writing my master's thesis on how to communicate effectively. And the more I dug into the science, the more I saw how it addressed every part of the sales process.

Now, when I say "science"-a term that is haphazardly thrown around in the profession of selling-I mean objective, verifiable research. Specifically, I examined peer-reviewed studies, some by Nobel Prize-winning scientists, in cognitive psychology, social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics. These fields explain how our brains make choices and the factors that influence what we decide to do or buy.

Best of all, as I began applying what I was learning, my sales increased. Armed with the science, I no longer needed to guess the best approach or rely on the opinions of others. I discovered that success was not due to having some indescribable quality or the gift of gab. To the contrary, science revealed the specific factors that produce heightened performance and what each of us can do to achieve it. The key is to guide potential clients through their buying process and into the decision to purchase. In fact, this is the premise of science-based selling: The closer your way of selling is aligned with how the brain creates preferences and forms choices, the more successful you will be. The opposite is also true: The further your way of selling is from how the brain creates a buying decision, the less effective you will be. The good news is that the science provides a straightforward road map that anyone can follow.

As I continued studying and applying this science in my career, my performance continued to grow, and as a result, the organizations I sold for asked me to explain my techniques to their salespeople. When I trained them how to base their sales behaviors on science, they too experienced significant results. It was just as the behavioral scientists Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin, and Robert Cialdini explain: "Everyone's ability to persuade others can be improved by learning persuasion strategies that have been scientifically proven to be successful."

The reason science predictably improves outcomes is that it provides transparency regarding what occurs in a given interaction and accurately predicts what behaviors will positively or negatively influence the decision-making process. Some even described the clarity that science brings as being similar to what people with poor eyesight experience when they put on glasses for the first time. Suddenly everything becomes clear.

At this point, I realized that science could empower sellers to truly serve buyers by helping them feel confident about making decisions in their best interests. So I launched my own sales training firm, Hoffeld Group, which become the leader in science-based selling. Over the years, I've trained some of the most successful companies in the world and helped them sell more by aligning how they sell with how the brain buys. When salespeople embrace a science-backed approach, the outcomes are always the same-client satisfaction goes up and sales skyrocket. They also gain a serious advantage over any competitors who use traditional, anecdotal-based selling methods.

 

The Number One Benefit of Selling with Science

When I first began reading scientific journals and applying what I learned, I was merely looking for insights that would help me deliver a more compelling sales presentation. However, over time I realized that my point of view was shortsighted. The biggest benefit I experienced was that science gave me a new way of looking at the process of selling that was accurate and predictable and that made a profound, lasting difference in my results. This perspective is best summed up by the words of the late Carl Sagan: "Science is more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking." That is the power of a scientific approach. It provides evidence-backed frameworks to guide you in becoming professionally nimble and productively adapting to each unique buyer and situation. In other words, it reveals how to think about the act of selling in the right way, which is the key to long-term effectiveness and results.

For instance, imagine a friend who is the CEO of a small company comes to you and asks for help deciding between two potential candidates for an open position on her growing sales team. The right person will be highly resourceful, have strong problem-solving abilities, and be able to navigate difficult selling situations. She wants you to interview each candidate for these skills and recommend which one to hire.

During your interview with the first candidate, you ask some prepared questions and then present him with the following dilemma to test his adaptability and capacity to think on his feet: Next door, there is a church with a steeple, which he can clearly see through the office window, and you'd like him to determine the approximate height of the steeple. Without a word, he stands up, walks over to the window, and looks out at the church. After a moment he states, "It's around forty feet." You respond, "That's very close. It's forty-two feet. I'm curious-how did you figure that out?" He smiles and says, "I just looked at the steeple and thought it looks about forty feet tall."

The interview with the second candidate begins much like the first. You pose your questions and then ask her to figure out how tall the steeple is. However, unlike the first candidate, she asks to go outside. As she walks out the front door, she notices that the sun is casting a shadow on both her and the steeple. She crudely measures her shadow, compares it with her height, and develops a simple ratio. After measuring the shadow of the steeple, she uses the same ratio to identify its height. She walks back into the office and states, "The steeple is around forty feet tall," and explains her process.

Assuming everything else is equal between the two candidates, which would you recommend for the open sales position? If you are like most people, you know the second candidate is the better choice. Why?

The answer, of course, is because of her approach.

Even though both arrived at the same answer, the second candidate's science-backed perspective gives her a considerable advantage in the long term. By taking a thoughtful, systematic approach to problem solving, versus going on a hunch, she's more likely to consistently reach accurate conclusions. The way she responded to the steeple challenge also gives you insight into how she'll handle complex and challenging sales situations, leaving you with the confidence that her mindset will empower her to adapt effectively, which, in turn, will increase her probability of earning the sale. This is the opportunity we each have today. We can choose to embrace the science that discloses the specific things each of us can do to improve our sales results. In other words, we can set ourselves up for success by "measuring steeples," while our competitors try to guess their way to more sales.

What you'll discover throughout this book may transform more than just your sales. Over the years, I've witnessed how those who've learned these science-backed insights naturally apply them to other parts of their lives and experience greater enjoyment, effectiveness, and fulfillment as a result.

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