Especially useful for
- Sales argumentation
- B2C or straightforward B2B consultative selling
- Preparing demos and handling objections
Motivations and persuasion11 min min read
SONCAS
Tailor the pitch without pigeonholing the prospect
SONCAS helps you listen for six types of motivation: Security, Pride, Novelty, Comfort, Money, and Sympathy.
What statements reveal what reassures this prospect, makes them feel valued, appeals to them, simplifies things, or justifies the decision financially in this specific context?
What the methodology is really designed to establish
Choose evidence, benefits, and a tone that address the motivations expressed in this call, without reducing a person to a fixed profile.
SONCAS is a mnemonic widely used in French-speaking sales training to explore different purchase motivations.
To complete when
- Qualifying enterprise sales processes
- Decisions based solely on a formal set of requirements
What to listen for during the call
A letter isn’t a box to check. It becomes useful when something the prospect says helps distinguish evidence, hypothesis, and what’s missing.
S
Reduce perceived risk
Security
Security relates to reliability, evidence, compliance, continuity, and managing change.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect asks for guarantees, references, controls, support, or a fallback plan.
« What would you need to verify to consider this change safe enough? »
Strong signal
The specific risk and the evidence that would reduce it are identified.
Point to watch
The seller offers general reassurances without knowing the prospect's actual concern.
O
Understand concerns about image or recognition
Pride
Pride relates to appreciation, status, expertise, or the desire to lead a visible success.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect talks about being an internal reference, setting an example, leadership, or recognition for their team.
« What would you like this project to be associated with when you present it internally? »
Strong signal
The expected success includes a visible achievement or a sense of pride.
Point to watch
The salesperson flatters the person instead of understanding their need for recognition.
N
Gauge interest in innovation
Novelty
Novelty includes curiosity, being ahead of the curve, experimentation, and the desire to discover a different approach.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect asks what is changing, what is new, or how they can quickly test an innovation.
« What appeals to you about an approach that differs from your current tools? »
Strong signal
Novelty is tied to a practical use or a concrete learning opportunity.
Point to watch
The novelty factor masks the absence of a problem or the ability to roll it out.
C
Reduce effort and complexity
Comfort
Comfort includes simplicity, time savings, ease of use, support, and a smoother day-to-day experience.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect describes tasks they want to avoid, simplify, or make more intuitive.
« Which part of your current process would you like to stop handling manually? »
Strong signal
A current effort and a desired experience are clearly defined.
Point to watch
The promise of simplicity ignores the actual work involved in change or adoption.
A
Establish the business case
Money
Money includes price, budget, savings, return, and protecting a scarce resource.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect asks how value is calculated or compares the cost with another use of the funds.
« What business outcome would justify the investment? »
Strong signal
The economic comparison and the expected metric are explicit.
Point to watch
Price is treated as the only motivation, even though risk or comfort is the bigger concern.
SY
Understand the role of the relationship
Likeability
Liking includes interpersonal trust, rapport, shared values, and the quality of support.
Evidence sought in the call
The prospect values availability, understanding, ways of working, or continuity in the relationship.
« What kind of relationship do you expect from the partner after the decision? »
Strong signal
The behaviors that build trust are clearly identified.
Point to watch
A good relationship is mistaken for a commitment to buy.
SONCAS example: tailoring a demo to multiple motivations
A sales director is evaluating a call copilot for her team. She has already seen two solutions and wants to understand the difference.
Call objective
Listen for the primary motivations before choosing the evidence and level of detail for the demo.
Prospect
C« I don’t want to add a tool that sales reps have to update after every call. »
Comfort and the effort required to adopt it are top priorities.
Sales rep
C« What additional task would be a dealbreaker for them? »
The question pinpoints the friction instead of making an abstract promise of simplicity.
Prospect
S« Re-entering data. And I want to be sure that conversation data stays under control. »
A security motivation complements comfort.
Sales rep
S« What evidence would help you verify that it’s under control? »
Security is turned into a verifiable criterion.
Prospect
« The GDPR documentation, retention periods, and a test where I can see exactly what is recorded. »
The expected evidence is explicit.
Sales rep
O« Beyond these prerequisites, what would you like to be able to demonstrate to your leadership team? »
Exploring recognition and visible success.
Prospect
« That my team can adopt AI without losing its way of selling. If we succeed, it could become a model for the other regions. »
Pride, autonomy, and useful innovation combine.
What the example demonstrates
The best argument should not focus on just one letter. Here, it should first address data security and the effort required to adopt the tool, then show how the project could become a visible success.
The diagnosis at the end of this call
A good call summary doesn’t fill in the blanks. It separates what’s established, what’s still uncertain, and what’s missing.
Confirmed
- Comfort: no re-entering data after the call.
- Security: data control and retention.
- Pride: becoming a model for the other regions.
- Novelty: adopting AI without losing the existing sales approach.
Uncertain
- Money has not yet been expressed as a motivation.
- The role of the relationship and support still needs to be explored.
Missing
- The budget and decision-making process have not been qualified.
- No measurable adoption criteria have been defined.
The most useful next question
« What sales rep behaviors would show you that the tool fits into their workflow without making their way of selling more cumbersome? »
Prepare questions without reciting a script
These questions are a resource to draw on. The salesperson chooses the one that responds to what the prospect has actually just said.
Listen
Identify motivations without labeling people.
- 1What does the prospect want to avoid?
- 2What do they want to achieve or demonstrate?
- 3What evidence do they ask for spontaneously?
Argue
Link a benefit to an expressed motivation.
- 1Which quote supports this angle?
- 2What evidence addresses the risk?
- 3Which benefit is truly the priority?
Validate
Check relevance without manipulating.
- 1Does this address your priority?
- 2What else would you need to feel reassured?
- 3Which trade-off is still difficult?
Mistakes that make the method feel artificial
Labeling the prospect
A person does not have a fixed SONCAS profile. Their motivations vary depending on the purchase, the moment, and the people involved.
Link each motivation to a quote from the call and allow for combinations.
Using SONCAS to manipulate
Flattering, creating concern, or manufacturing scarcity erodes trust and obscures the real criteria.
Tailor the evidence and language to a motivation the prospect has actually expressed.
Trying to find all six letters at any cost
Not every motivation is relevant to every decision.
Prioritize the two or three drivers supported by the context, and validate them.
Forgetting qualification
A highly personalized argument does not prove budget, authority, or timing.
Combine SONCAS with BANT, SPICED, or MEDDIC when the sales cycle calls for it.
How the method works in Objeqo
The product connection isn’t a magic score. It’s about keeping the context, the quote, and the next question together.
Before the call
The brief can prepare several value angles without deciding in advance which one will motivate the prospect.
During the call
The prospect's words about risk, effort, innovation, recognition, or savings can be linked to a likely motivation and relevant evidence.
After the call
The report can retain motivations supported by quotes and distinguish them from those that were never expressed.
Limitation to keep in mind
A detected motivation remains contextual and probabilistic. Objeqo does not create a permanent psychological profile from a call.
Frequently asked questions
The distinctions to keep in mind before using SONCAS on a real opportunity.
What does SONCAS mean?
Security, Pride, Newness, Comfort, Money, and Sympathy.
Does a prospect have just one SONCAS profile?
No. Several motivations can coexist and change depending on the product, the risk, the decision stage, and the people involved.
How do you identify a SONCAS motivation?
By listening to questions, criteria, concerns, and stated benefits. You should be able to tie your interpretation to a specific statement or observable behavior.
Does SONCAS work in B2B?
Yes, for tailoring your argument, but it should be complemented by a qualification framework when the decision involves budget, a committee, a process, or contracting.
Reference sources
Principles verified on August 9, 2026. The call examples are educational scenarios from Objeqo.
A method becomes useful in the conversation
Test your instincts on a real call.
Prepare the context, listen for evidence, and keep missing information visible.