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Sales psychology for marketing

Fourteen principles from psychology and behavioural economics, and exactly how to use each one in your hooks, ads, emails and landing pages. Every page has templates you can copy.

14 principles · templates to copy · 5 pairings · 3 calculators

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Pick a goal to see the principles that help most. Every card opens a full breakdown with examples and templates you can copy.

01The Zeigarnik effectOpen loopsRaise a question early, answer it late, and people stay to the end.Keep attention · Stop the scroll02Charm pricingLeft-digit pricingPrice value offers just under the round number, and keep premium work round.Price and package · Win the sale03Loss aversionLoss framingShow people the true cost of doing nothing, and waiting stops feeling free.Stop the scroll · Get the click or enquiry · Win the sale04Choice overloadAnalysis paralysisCut the options to what people need, and make the next step obvious.Get the click or enquiry · Price and package05The mere exposure effectBrand familiarityBe seen often and look the same each time, and you start to feel like the safe choice.Bring them back · Get the click or enquiry06Buyer's remorsePost-purchase dissonanceReassure people right after they buy, and the sale stays made.Win the sale · Bring them back07The peak-end rulePeople remember the best moment and the ending, so design both on purpose.Keep attention · Win the sale · Bring them back08The Von Restorff effectIsolation effectMake the one thing you want noticed look different from everything around it.Stop the scroll · Get the click or enquiry · Price and package09The sunk cost effectMicro-commitmentsAsk for a small, easy first step, and people who start tend to keep going.Get the click or enquiry · Win the sale10The bandwagon effectSocial proofPut real proof that others chose you right where people are deciding.Get the click or enquiry · Win the sale11The Diderot effectCross-sellingOffer the thing that completes what they just bought, while it still feels new.Bring them back · Price and package12ReciprocityGive firstGive something genuinely useful first, and people become more open to your offer.Get the click or enquiry · Bring them back13The pratfall effectHonest flawsOnce you've shown you're good, an honest flaw makes the rest easier to believe.Stop the scroll · Win the sale14The compromise effectGood, better, bestOffer three honest options, and the middle one starts to feel like the sensible pick.Price and package · Win the sale

Five pairings that compound

Each principle works on its own. These combinations work better together in the same ad, page or sequence.

The Zeigarnik effect + Loss aversion

Name the cost, hold the fix

Open with what doing nothing is really costing, then promise the fix later in the video or page. People stay to close the loop and to stop the loss.

The compromise effect + The Von Restorff effect

Three packages, one that stands out

Show three options and make the one you recommend look different from the other two. The middle feels safe, and the contrast tells people where to look.

Reciprocity + The sunk cost effect

Give first, then invite a small step

A genuinely useful free resource earns goodwill. A short quiz or form straight after it turns that goodwill into a first commitment, as long as it stays easy to leave.

The mere exposure effect + The bandwagon effect

Be seen often, show you are chosen

Retargeting keeps you familiar while people decide. Real reviews in those ads show them other people already picked you.

The peak-end rule + Buyer's remorse

A strong ending, then instant reassurance

Finish the call or the checkout on a high point, then send a confirmation that settles the doubt: what happens next, when, and one quick win.

Three numbers that tell you what you can afford

Psychology gets people to say yes. These three numbers tell you how much you can spend to get there. Put in your own figures. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Contribution margin

Revenue minus the variable costs of each sale. It is what is actually left to cover your overheads and the cost of winning the customer, so it sets the most you can afford to pay for one.

Enter your numbers to see the result.

Blended cost to win a customer

All your marketing spend divided by all your new customers, including the ones who found you for free. Honest at a business level, but it flatters paid advertising, so compare it with your paid-only figure.

Enter your numbers to see the result.

Marginal return on ad spend

The extra revenue from the next dollar you spend, not the average across all of it. Extra spend usually performs worse than the first dollars, so this is the number that tells you whether to spend more.

Enter your numbers to see the result.

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