How to Sell More: Tools and Techniques from Harvard Business Review

Stimulate Your Customer’s Lizard Brain to Make a Sale

By Tim Riesterer

Tim Riesterer is chief strategy and marketing officer for Corporate Visions, Inc. He is also the coauthor of Customer Message Management and Conversations That Win the Complex Sale.

Many marketers and salespeople believe they are in a selling war against their direct competition. However, a less anticipated and more dangerous enemy exists, called “no decision”—otherwise known as “the status quo.” According to sales consulting firm The Sales Benchmark Index, nearly 60% of qualified leads fall victim to the status quo.

Here’s the root cause of the problem: Most marketing and sales efforts focus on the wrong messaging and therefore do not stimulate the ...