SONCAS is a sales technique that dates back many years, but is still relevant today, updated with the addition of the E to make SONCASE. It combines perfectly with a persuasion method such as the CAB or the SOS sales method.
- Safety
- Pride
- New
- Comfort and convenience
- Silver
- Sympathy
- Ecology
Method principles
The salesperson tries to determine the customer’s main motivation in one of three ways:
- Evaluate the profile of the person you’re talking to: Example: luxurious office, late-model car = Pride
- Listen to what the other person wants. Example: “I want a safe car” = safety.
- Ask the customer open-ended questions. Example: “What’s the most important benefit you’re looking for in the solution? Answer: “A clean solution” = Ecology.
How to apply the method
Once you have determined the customer’s main motivation, you need to adapt your sales approach and sales pitch to convince your customer.
Safety
- Give proof that your product is good and safe
- Use customer testimonials
- Let the customer try your product
- Give demonstrations. Example: to show that bullet-proof glass is solid, set up a stand with a pane of glass and a sledgehammer, so that customers can hit it with all their might.
- Present studies and tests
- Highlight follow-up, customer service, warranty
Pride
- Show him that he’s a unique customer, that you serve him in a way that you don’t do with any other customer.
- Welcome your customers with a red carpet and offer them a unique shopping experience
- Emphasize the uniqueness of the product on offer, and the high price that deters ordinary people from buying it.
- Show, if you can, the list of high-end customers who bought the product
- Offer a VIP service unlike any other
New
- Highlight the characteristics of the new materials used
- Inform the customer that he is one of the first to discover this product
- Show how your product stands out from the competition
- Show your technological edge
Convenience – comfort
- Demonstrate the simplicity of the solution
- Explain product ergonomics
- Give the product a try, show the customer that it’s easy to use
- Have the product tested to show that it is comfortable, for a chair or a car, for example.
- Suggest a trial, for example of a cream, to show how pleasant it is for the skin.
Silver
- Show how the product is less expensive
- Offer discounts
- Arrange for payment by instalments
- Calculate the savings
- Highlight the benefits
Sympathy
The customer’s sympathy can be with the product, the service or the salesperson, so you have different ways of responding to the customer’s desire.
- Be friendly with the customer, discuss topics of interest
- Receive your customers in a pleasant environment
- Set up a chat solution – it’s often what young people prefer.
- Offer personalized advice
- Give the product a try so that the customer learns to enjoy using it
Ecology
- Highlight the green side of the product
- Recyclable or biodegradable product
- No carbon signature
- Local production
- Short distribution cycle
- Show a recognized eco-label: Ecologo, Energystar, Energuide, Fairtrade, Bio Québec, Bio Canada, FSC.
In conclusion
Identifying the customer’s main motivation using the SONCAS method is the common denominator of all good salespeople. Your sales pitch must be aligned with the customer’s psychological need, otherwise you run the risk of presenting advantages that will instead be seen as disadvantages by the customer.
Adapt to his motivation and your sale will be easy. Ideally, you should record the customer’s motivation in your CRM to provide better service later on.
Jean-Pierre Mercier
