25 Psychological Sales Principles

Greenix Internship

Anchoring

The first number or scenario you present becomes the reference point for everything that follows.

Example: "The initial cleaning, inspection and flush out is normally 399 dollars. Going forward, it’ just 89 bucks a month"
The $400 is the anchor — it makes $89 feel cheap by juxtaposing the two numbers.

Framing

The same fact, presented two ways, changes how it's perceived (e.g., "90% success rate" vs "10% failure rate"). The frame you choose shapes the decision, even if the facts are identical.

Example: Instead of “We don’t do one-times. We only do subscriptions." say "Obviously it’s pest control, not pest magic. The bugs always come back, but don’t worry. So will we. We’ll come throughout the year that way we can guarantee our work and keep your home pest free year-round." 
Same idea, framed as a win for the customer instead of mandatory contract.

Priming

Exposing someone to one stimulus (word, image, idea) unconsciously influences how they react to what comes next — used to set the buyer's mindset before the pitch.

Example: Before mentioning your service, casually point out a spiderweb in their eaves or mud tubes near the foundation: "Oh, I noticed you've got some activity right here by your porch light."
Now when you bring up treatment, they're already primed to see a problem — not just hear a sales pitch.

Loss Aversion

People feel the pain of losing something twice as strongly as the pleasure of gaining it. Selling what they'll lose is more powerful than selling what they'll gain.

Example: "Carpenter bee damage can't really be undone and they can quickly damage the expensive wood around your new deck. I’d love to get it treated now so that it stays nice and intact.
Focuses on what they stand to LOSE (money, home value) rather than what they'll gain.

Reciprocity

Give value first, and the homeowner unconsciously feels obligated to give something back.

Example: "If I take another 50 dollars off the initial, I just ask you do two things for me: don’t tell the neighbors and promise to leave me an honest review on Google reviews. Does that sound fair?"
The discount creates a sense of debt before you even offer the close.

Social Proof

When uncertain, people look to what others (especially similar people) have done.

Example: "We just finished treating the Johnsons' and Millers' houses two doors down — they were dealing with the same black ants you mentioned."
Real neighbors, real names, real proof — makes the decision feel validated, not risky.

Scarcity

Limited availability increases urgency and perceived value.

Example: "Since we're already on this street with the truck today, I can get you done with for the neighborhood group rate your neighbors negotiated, but if you call me in a couple days or next week and I have to open a new route and send another tech back just to do your house, I’ll have to charge the standard rate. "
Creates urgency tied to the truck being physically present TODAY, not "limited time" hype.

Commitment & Consistency

Small commitments create pressure to stay consistent with bigger ones later.

Example: Early in the pitch: "No one has any infestations, just the normal stuff everyone gets like the ants, wasps, spiders and mosquitoes" (You head nod and they nod back in implicit agreement.) You get a bug confession and later when they say they don’t have bugs: "Yeah, like I said, no one has any infestations. They were mostly just seeing the [bug confession] like you had mentioned earlier. Not a big deal but definitely something everyone wanted us to treat for."
Get small "yeses" early that build toward the final yes.

The Endowment Effect

People value things more once they feel ownership over them even if they haven’t made the purchase yet.

Example: You start to tailor the service to their house and ask them if they want the garage included or excluded and if they were to try you if they would want you to treat around the shed too or not. They normally say yes and feel like they are customizing the program and making it their own.

Status Quo Bias

People naturally resist change, even when a new option is clearly better.

Example: "I get it—you've been handling it with store-bought spray for years and it's 'good enough.' A lot of our customers felt the same way until they realized they were just treating the surface every few weeks instead of fixing it once."
Acknowledge the comfort of "the way it's always been" before showing why it's costing them more than they realize.

Reactance

When people feel pressured or cornered, they push back, sometimes just to prove they can say no.

Example: Instead of "You have a massive wasp nest. I NEED to get that treated immediately or it’s going to create big problems" say: "I did notice a wasp nest over there. It’s decent in size...maybe it’s old, I didn’t get a great look, but usually they just get bigger, not smaller as the summer goes on. And I know you can pretty easily knock it down before it gets to be a ‘problem’ or anything, but what I do is leave a powder that prevents them from coming back and just rebuilding what we knock down."
Removing the pressure lowers their guard and makes them more open, not less.

Labeling

Assigning someone an identity makes them act in ways that match it.

Example: "You seem like the type of homeowner who stays ahead of stuff instead of waiting until it's a bigger problem — that's exactly why I wanted to treat this for you before it got worse."
Labels them as "proactive," which makes saying yes feel consistent with that identity.

Mirroring

Subtly matching the homeowner's tone, pace, and language builds unconscious trust.

Example: If the homeowner speaks slowly and calmly, slow your own pace down and lower your energy to match. If they're direct and no-nonsense, drop the small talk and get straight to the point: "I'll keep this quick — noticed some ant activity out front, wanted to give you a heads up."
Matching their communication style makes them feel like you "get" them.

Tactical Empathy

Genuinely voicing the other person's perspective to build trust and lower their guard.

Example: "Sounds like you've probably had a pest company oversell you before and it didn't really pan out — I get why you'd be skeptical of another guy knocking on your door."
Naming their likely frustration before they have to defend it disarms resistance instantly.

Decoy Pricing

Adding a third, less attractive option makes another option look like the obvious best choice.

Example: Present three tiers: GreenGuard (includes pest), GreenGuard Essential (includes pest + rodent + 4 mosquito treatments), GreenGuard Premier (includes pest + rodent + 7 mosquito treatments). Essential becomes the obvious "smart middle" choice next to the basic option and the pricier premium tier.
The Basic tier exists mainly to make Essential look like the clear win.

Loss Frame

Presenting the choice around what they'll lose by NOT acting.

Example: "If you skip treatment this quarter, that's exactly when rodents start looking for shelter as it gets colder — and once they're in the attic or walls, it's a much bigger (and pricier) job to get them out."
Frames inaction as the risky choice, not action.

Gain Frame

Presenting the choice around what they'll gain by acting.

Example: "With the quarterly plan, you get year-round protection, free re-treats if anything comes back, and you never have to think about pests again — it's just handled."
Frames the sale as unlocking peace of mind, not just avoiding a problem.

Maximizing

Making something sound bigger and more exaggerated or hyperbolising in order to set a narrative. 

Example: "The initial is normally 400 DOLLARS"
Emphasizing the cost and making the initial sound more expensive so that the discounted rate sounds like a better deal.

Minimizing

Making something sound smaller and less significant or using diminutive words like “just” and “only”.

Example: "So after the discount, it’ll just be 199 bucks"
Use the word bucks and make the amount they are paying sound trivial.

Storytelling / Narrative Transportation

People remember and are persuaded more by stories than by facts or statistics.

Example: "Had a customer two streets over who thought it was 'just a few ants' — three months later they had a full colony in their kitchen wall and it cost them way more to remediate than if they'd just started quarterly service."
A story creates emotional stakes that a stat like "40% of homes have pest issues" never will.

The Pratfall Effect

Admitting a small flaw or limitation actually increases trust and likability (as long as competence is already established).

Example: "Honestly, we're not the cheapest option out there — but we don't cut corners on the product we use, which is why we guarantee free re-treats."
A small, honest admission makes everything else you say more believable.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

Once someone has invested time, money, or effort, they're more likely to continue rather than "waste" what they already put in.

Example: After spending a lot of time on the customer’s property and pointing out lots of bugs and giving them lots of free add-ons and after signing up they try to back out: "We've been talking about this for a good half hour now and I have all the notes set up for my tech to take care of these extra parts around the property for you. I already have the card on file and you on the route. Just give me a shot. I know I’m going to knock it out of the park."

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Getting a small yes first makes a bigger yes far more likely later.

Example: "Do you mind leaving the garage door open for when my tech comes?" (small ask) → they agree → “Awesome. We take debit or credit. Do you mind grabbing that for me?” (bigger ask)
Related to Commitment & Consistency but it's specifically about escalating request size, not just consistency with identity.

Likability Bias

People say yes to people they like — similarity, compliments, and genuine warmth increase compliance.

Example: Noticing a homeowner's garden, kid's bike, or sports team flag and genuinely commenting on it before pitching anything: "Nice landscaping — you do that yourself?"
Rapport isn't just nice-to-have, it's a documented Cialdini principle (Liking) that predicts yes-rate independent of the offer itself.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Asking for something big first (expecting a no), then the real (smaller) ask feels like a reasonable concession.

Example: "Unlike some companies that try to lock you in for 3 plus years..." (They balk.) "...we just ask that you try us out for 24 months is all."
The contrast makes the term length seem much more reasonable and therefore more agreeable.