How to Supercharge Your Persuasion Skills
Have you ever wondered what makes people say yes?
You may have even found yourself saying yes to something without really knowing why.
We like to think of ourselves as rational but are led more by emotion than we care to admit. The American psychologist Robert Cialdini dedicated many years to studying why people say yes and came up with six principles.
Whatever field you’re in it matters to know what makes people tick, and as importantly, how you tick. These principles have lessons for you whether you’re building products, leading teams, or just wanting to learn a bit more about people.
Let’s take a look at the principles in action;
1. Reciprocity
The first and crucial step of persuasion is that it has to be win-win. Any business deal where one party gains unduly over the other is not a deal worth pursuing. And you can apply this to anything, a situation where one party gains much more than the other only fosters resentment and leads to long-term mistrust.
The old adage of treating others as you want to be treated still rings true today.
If you want something from someone, offer something in return. The important thing here is to get the order right, don’t ask for something without offering something first.
If you’re a manager, treat people right first before asking them to follow you. If you’re selling a product, offer the customer an incentive to buy it.
This first step ensures a good scenario for everyone involved.
2. Authority
You trust experts because they are seen as the authority in a particular field. When it comes to your health, a doctor’s word carries more weight than a grocer. When it comes to your hairstyle, you would trust a hairdresser over an airline pilot.
In whatever area you deal in, there will be something that establishes you as an expert. As a coach, the number of hours I have practiced and the certifications I have achieved lends me some sort of authority.
By no means do I see myself as an expert, but perhaps a coach without qualifications or experience might find it a little harder establishing authority.
As you look to improve your influence, figure out what the mark of authority is in your chosen pursuit.
3. Consistency
Show up today, show up tomorrow, and show up the next day.
You trust people that are consistent, if people know that you’ll show up it immediately gives you credibility.
Consistency also applies to the message, a tactic used by political parties to get the message across. A simple message repeated over and over again is more effective than many clever messages.
Be consistent in your actions, be consistent in your words.
4. Consensus
Social proof is important to people. We tend to do what others do because there is safety in numbers.
You are more likely to watch that video on social media if lots of other people have watched it.
A great way to attach social proof to your product is to show that other people are using it or find it useful. There are many marketing examples of this including customer testimonials and star ratings.
A manager trying to persuade their CEO or team to do something in a certain way has to show them that it has worked effectively elsewhere.
5. Scarcity
People value things that are rare and valuable. That’s why rare works of art are sold for millions of dollars.
The art of persuasion must contain an element of scarcity, what will the person miss out on if they don’t buy what you’re offering? Is what you’re offering going to elevate the person into another bracket or social circle?
We all like to feel special and we don’t like the feeling of missing out, that is why sales have time limits, it gets you to act.
You can also use scarcity to build products that are rare and valuable and attract a high price point. People will willingly pay for something that they believe is hard to get.
6. Liking
We do business with people we like.
The things that make you likable are universal and you respond to those that spur you on to a common goal.
It pays to be someone that others will like, this doesn’t mean faking it but actually taking a genuine interest in others. This helps you understand their needs and the ways in which you can serve them better.
The sixth principle also ties the others together, I believe strongly in doing things for the common good, so these steps are not to be used to get one over another person.
Rather they are tools to help you build great products, services, and understand others better. Used in the right way, they should always be win-win.
Happy persuading.
Originally published at https://betterthinking.co on August 11, 2020.
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