The Invisible Game The Secrets and the Science of Winning Minds and Winning Deals

Cutting-edge science can make all the difference for salespeople in a time when they are facing a business world in transformation.

In The Invisible Game: The Secrets and the Science of Winning Minds and Winning Deals, neuroscientist Kai-Markus Mueller and sales professional Gabriele Rehbock deliver a hands-on guide to the hidden dynamics that influence the outcomes of most business deals.  In plain English, the book unpacks recently discovered insights from psychology, behavioural economics, and neuroscience and explains how to apply them to your advantage in real-life business situations.

The authors show you how to influence buying decisions and how to successfully respond to challenging business situations in order to put you in control of the levers that drive sales success. You’ll also find

• Advanced strategies and tactics that offer a lasting edge in negotiations, sales and other business transactions
• Smart techniques to build rewarding customer relationships
• The psychology behind gains and losses revealing new keys to profitable pricing
• Real-life advice on how to counter a buyer’s intimidation tactics: time, uncertainty, fear, and silence

An essential, step-by-step playbook for sales professionals, The Invisible Game will also earn a place on the bookshelves of entrepreneurs, business owners, and other independent professionals—like lawyers, accountants, freelancers, consultants, and programmers—who regularly sell their services to other businesses.

KAI-MARKUS MUELLER is a professor of consumer behavior with a research focus on behavioral pricing. He is a neuroscientist by training and is the inventor of the NeuroPricing™ concept.

GABRIELE REHBOCK is a multiple award-winning sales expert. As a top executive in the fragrance industry, she carried P&L responsibility for global customer relationships including Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel and Procter & Gamble.

Table of contents

Dedication 6

Introduction: It’s never been harder to be a salesperson 7

Part 1: Building Your Situational Awareness 24

Chapter 1: The forces behind the Invisible Game 28

Chapter 2: All sales are won and lost on illusions 40

Chapter 3: Controlling Illusions = Controlling the Deal 46

Chapter 4: Relativity and Anchoring: The illusion of numbers 63

Part 2: Playing Defense and the Power of “No” 74

Chapter 5: Price = Math + Story 79

Chapter 6: Psyched up or psyched out? 84

Chapter 7: Paying the price of “yes” 89

Chapter 8: Overcoming the fear of “no” 100

Chapter 9: Expand your comfort zone 115

Chapter 10: From the Buyer’s Playbook: Time, uncertainty, fear, and silence 128

Part 3: Playing Offense and the Powers of Influence 144

Chapter 11: Personal versus paper power: Where’s your leverage? 145

Chapter 12: What buyers think and how they make decisions 153

Chapter 13: What is your re-pricing strategy? 168

Chapter 14: Who will you anchor today? 178

Chapter 15: Why equal things aren’t always equal 183

Chapter 16: The Power of Free and the Power of Now 190

Chapter 17: To Bundle or Not to Bundle: Is that really the question? 195

Chapter 18: Decoys and the Power of 3205

Chapter 19: The Power of the Next Small Thing 213

Conclusion: Has it really never been harder to be a salesperson? 220

Epilogue: Some final takeaways from Gaby and Kai 223

Acknowledgments 228

About the authors 229

Appendix 230

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.