The Psychology of Sales: How to Close More Deals (Without Feeling Sales-y) with David Priemer

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Mar 9, 2026

David Priemer, research scientist–turned-entrepreneur and founder of Cerebral Selling, applies psychology and data to sales strategy. He explains why curiosity beats charisma. Short takes cover selling the problem first, the PITCH storytelling formula, and running high-impact executive dinners that spark real results.

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ANECDOTE

From Scientist To Accidental Sales Engineer

David Priemer accidentally entered sales after being hired as a technical sales engineer and joining a startup in 1999–2000.
His chemical engineering background and modeling experience made him a Swiss Army knife for product demos and technical selling at small startups.

INSIGHT

Curiosity Turns Selling Into An Engineering Problem

David reframed sales as an engineering problem driven by curiosity about what phrasing triggers understanding.
He applied scientific curiosity to format messages so some phrasings resonate while others don't.

ANECDOTE

One Thing Dinners Became High-ROI Masterminds

At Salesforce David ran intimate executive dinners where he gave attendees The One Thing and used the focusing question to create peer coaching.
These dinners produced the highest 90-day revenue ROI versus larger events because attendees shared real problems.

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Jay sits down with research scientist-turned-entrepreneur David Priemer to do a deep dive into the proven science and psychology of sales.

In this conversation, David shares how curiosity - not charisma - became his competitive advantage, and the foundation of his newest business, Cerebral Selling. He breaks down the psychology behind buying decisions and explains why the best sales conversations don’t start with your product. They start with the problem.

You’ll hear how David used The ONE Thing to host high-impact executive dinners at Salesforce, turning simple focus questions into powerful masterminds that drove real results. He also unpacks his “PITCH” framework - the storytelling structure behind infomercials - and shows how it applies to premium products, leadership, and everyday conversations.

Whether you carry a sales title or not, you are in the business of influence. This episode will help you approach it with more empathy, clarity, and intention.

Challenge of the Week:

Before your next important conversation, pause and ask yourself: What does this person truly value? Shape your message around that—and see what changes.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:

[00:00] From Research Scientist to Sales Authority
[08:14] Turning Curiosity Into Cerebral Selling
[09:30] Why The ONE Thing Became Required Reading for Sales Teams
[12:40] How Executive Dinners Became High-ROI Masterminds
[13:57] Using the Focusing Question to Unlock Peer Coaching
[21:13] The Psychology of Selling the Problem First
[23:19] Breaking Down the PITCH Infomercial Formula
[31:52] Applying the PITCH Formula to Premium Enterprise Sales
[37:56] The Power of Selling What People Truly Value

Links & Tools from This Episode:

To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink
Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
Check out David’s Business Cerebral Selling
Sell the Way You Buy by David Priemer
David Priemer’s TED Talk: “Why You’re Bad at Buying Stuff”
Free Resources
Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email podcast@the1thing.com

Produced by NOVA