Tag Archive for: Influence Science and Practice

The Will to Prepare to Win

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Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said, “Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” Think about that for a moment. Everyone wants to win, whether it’s sports, business or life in general. When we compete on the athletic field we want to win the game. In business perhaps it’s winning a new client. In life “winning” can be defined in many different ways but each of us has our own thoughts about what will bring us some measure of happiness and security. Each of these could be defined as “winning” in their own ways.

For any of you who follow sports I’m sure this makes complete sense. We know nobody becomes an Olympic champion without countless hours of hard work and practice. That’s the will to prepare to win. We know nobody becomes a professional athlete without a tremendous amount of dedicated work and preparation. Again, the will to prepare to win. However, when it comes to business quite often people start to view things differently. Based nearly 25 years in the business world, most of that time as a sales trainer and sales coach, I can confidently tell you business people don’t appreciate preparation in the same way athletes do. For salespeople preparation might be role playing to sharpen current skills and learn new ones in a safe environment. It’s necessary work in order to be successful and is just as essential for salespeople as practice is for athletes.Too often people think they’re good salespeople because they have “the gift of gab” or because they know how to think on their feet. Those traits are certainly helpful because being a good conversationalist and being able to think on your feet make you appear confident in your sales presentation. However, there are other things I believe separate good salespeople from great salespeople. I think great salespeople have the will to prepare, so they do things beyond just the moment of the meeting. In the Principles of Persuasion workshops I stress that it’s not what you do in the moment that ends up being persuasive as much as what you do before that moment. It’s the ground work you lay that helps you become a person of influence, a person who’s able to persuade others to your way of thinking. It’s the will to prepare to win.
So what does the will to prepare to win look like in sales? I usually tell people you can’t just determine how successful a salesperson is simply by observing what they do on a sales call. For example, two people could go on a sales call and essentially say and do the same things and yet one person might be consistently more successful. How could that be if their sales calls are virtually identical?What really needs to be analyzed isn’t so much what happened during the sales calls as much as what happened before the sales call. Again, it’s not unlike sports. How someone prepares for the game is what really makes the difference. Being able to hit the winning shot or taking the momentum late in the game is usually due to proper preparation. And so it is in sales. If I’m successful during a sales call maybe it’s because I didn’t just drop by, say hello and then throw out some sales pitch to a prospective client. I think the successful salesperson calls the customer to set up a meeting beforehand. They discuss the agenda then follow up that phone conversation with an email confirming the date, time and agenda. The really smart salesperson will resend that email, or a similar one, the day of the meeting to make sure the meeting is still on and to reinforce the previously agreed upon agenda. When they arrive, after getting past the small talk and rapport building, they get down to business and remind the client of the agenda. Did you catch what happened? In what I just laid out the customer has seen or heard the agenda four times! This results in the customer being mentally ready to engage with the salesperson on the agenda items. The client is thinking about their current state, products, needs, the salesperson, etc.
I contend that the salesperson who consistently follows a process like I’ve outlined stands a much better chance of making the sale. As I noted earlier, the same things could be observed during the sales call where the salesperson walked in – greets the customer, states the agenda and gets down to business – but the big difference is with the customer because they’ve just heard the agenda for the first time and aren’t nearly as ready to engage on the agenda topics as what I laid out in the previous scenario.

Taking time to do what I outlined is an example of the will to prepare to win. Taking the extra time to make sure that those “little” things are happening will help the salesperson consistently follow through and make more sales.
It’s no different than athletics, but as I said earlier, sometimes there is a real disconnect when it comes to business. Whatever your profession or passion, do you have the will to prepare to win? Without it you’ll never attain all that’s possible.
Brian
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Influencers from Around the World: Are the Six Principles of Persuasion Really Universal?

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Did you know there are only two Cialdini Method Certified Trainers (CMCT) in Asia today? That’s right, only two, and my guest blogger this week is one of them! I had the good fortune to meet Hoh Kim in January 2008 when we trained together in Arizona under Dr. Robert Cialdini. Hoh has the distinction of being the first person to present Dr. Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion (POP) workshop in Korea. Hoh is a very bright guy, having written his master thesis on intercultural communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, in mid 1990s. You can find Hoh on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in case you’d like to establish contact with him. His website is The Lab h and he also writes a blog called Cool Communications. As part of my Influencers from Around the World series Hoh graciously offered to share some of his insights on the differences between East Asians and North Americans when it comes to influence and persuasion.Are the Six Principles of Persuasion Really Universal? What about in Asia?The world has become smaller due to the globalization of business and social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. People now have more interaction than ever with people from other parts of the world. Case in point; my relationship with Brian and his other guest bloggers from around the world.As a Korean POP trainer, and a person who is interested in intercultural communication, I’ve been intrigued as I’ve observed how the six principles of influence can differ based on culture, especially between North America and East Asia. Let me share my thoughts on this.First of all, based on my experience and many case discussions with Korean POP workshop participants, I believe the six principles of persuasion really are universal. The only difference would be the “weight” of some principles in different cultures. When I trained under Dr. Cialdini and his Influence at Work (IAW) staff I remember him sharing with us his belief that the principle of social proof (a.k.a. consensus) should have more “weight” in East Asia than North America, while the principle of consistency should have more “weight” in North America than East Asia. I’ve see this to be true with both principles.Social Proof in East AsiaGenerally speaking, Koreans are more sensitive to how others think or act when they decide something than Americans are. One of the old wisdom sayings in East Asia is “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” To East Asians harmony often means being the same with others. Contrast that with North Americans who seem to be more comfortable being different and independent from others.This is related to individual vs. collectivistic cultures, and it’s reflected in many ways. For example: 1) In the US the family name is the last name, but in Korea it’s the first name. So, in Korea, I am called “Kim Hoh” but in the US I am known as “Hoh Kim.” 2) In the US when referring to an address people start from the things nearest to them – building-street-city-state-country. In Korea it is exactly the opposite because we talk about country-state-city-building.
3) When I first came to the US one of my difficulties was ordering sandwiches. In Korea when I order a tuna sandwich that’s it because everyone literally gets the same sandwich. However, in the US, to properly order a tuna sandwich I have to answer several “personalized” questions. What bread, what cheese, what vegetables, what sauce, etc. There are many choices to make a unique sandwich for a unique person.Neither way is better, they’re just different. East Asians feel more comfortable, relatively speaking, being the same as each other than North Americans do. Understanding this you begin to realize the principle of social proof will be more persuasive in East Asia than in North America.Consistency in North AmericaThis month my American thesis advisor, who has studied intercultural communication most of his life, visited Seoul with his wife. When I met with him it was the first time I’d seen him since I left graduate school at Marquette in Milwaukee 13 years ago. We had a dinner together and talked about relationship difference between Americans and Koreans.He told me, “In America, almost all relationships are contractual.” Then, he asked me, “What would be the opposite words ‘contractual relationship’ in Korea? In the US, I think we don’t have one.” I thought about that question and even discussed with my Korean friends. Guess what – to Koreans the opposite the idea of “contractual relationship” would be “humanistic relationship” because a “contractual relationship” is often interpreted “not human” in my culture.Why is that? There’s also historical difference. For example, Americans historically had to move, meet and work with all people they often consider strangers.Korea, however, is different. First, the country is small (Korea is smaller than California) and Koreans didn’t have to move or be “pioneers” like Christopher Columbus was. One fifth of Koreans have their family name as Kim. That doesn’t mean we’re all the same because there are different versions of Kim, such as Kim from the region A, Kim from the region B, etc.A contract is something you need with strangers to clarify things and ensure you’re on the same page. There’s less need for contracts with your friends and family. Historically, Koreans have lived in the same town for a long time (that’s not necessarily the case today) so didn’t need to be contractual. One more difference is that American contracts are normally more comprehensive in length and detail. This difference is actually reflected in communication styles. It is called “high vs. low-context.” North America is a low-context culture while East Asia is high context culture. That means North Americans put more focus on language codes rather than context, whereas East Asians have more emphasis on context than North Americans.Here’s a simple example; when Americans say “yes” that means “yes.” But, East Asians, when they say “yes” often don’t mean “yes” in the literal sense. You have to read East Asian’s facial expressions, gestures, and not just listen to the language. In other words, you have to read the “context” of the overall communication. Here’s another scenario; when an American thinks the room temperature is hot, he or she might ask, “Would you mind if I open the window?” In Korea you would often hear, “Oh, it’s a bit hot,” while in fact the person thinks it’s too hot. If the other person catches the context they will open the window for the other person.
In low-context cultures where most of the meanings are in the language codes, it is often “contractual,” rather than leaving it up to understanding context.

Now, you might see why consistency has more “weight” in North America. Contracts are a standard to set the consistent expectation between parties. People who are more familiar and feel more natural about contracts think consistency is more important than cultures that are not. Of course, this doesn’t mean East Asians simply ignore consistency. However, it is clear to me that Americans put more emphasis on consistency, what they’ve said or done in the past, than Koreans do. In turn, Koreans put more weight on social proof, what everyone else is doing, than Americans. The differences come from cultural differences. Culture is a value system, and values are the things that people believe are important. And different societies put different weight on different things. Because of this the principles of persuasion are influenced based on value systems of different cultures. The conclusion is this – while there could be some different “cultural weights” of some principles, I can tell you as a Korean, six principles of persuasion do work in my part of the world too. HohIf you have comments or questions I’m sure Hoh would be happy to address them for you.

 

Brian
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

 

“Consistency, thou art a jewel,” Shakespeare

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“Consistency, thou art a jewel,” is a well known quote sometimes ascribed to William Shakespeare. Whether or not it originated with him isn’t nearly as important as the reality that consistency can be a jewel when it comes to your ability to persuade people.

As a principal of influence consistency tells us people want to be seen as consistent in what they say and what they do because generally people feel better about themselves when their words and deeds match. That simple understanding gives you a great opportunity to persuade people because if you can align what you are asking for with something someone has previously said or done then the odds of hearing “Yes!” increase dramatically.

When I teach the 2-day Principles of Persuasion workshop it’s not uncommon for people to misapply the use of consistency during the learning process. This happens when they think about their own consistent behavior and try to use that as a lever to get someone to say “Yes!” You consistently doing good work, good deeds, being on time, etc., are great attributes, but that’s really not the application of consistency as a principle of influence. Going back to our definition, the principle tells us that other people want to be seen as consistent in what they say and what they do. Therefore we need to align our requests to match their prior words or deeds to increase our odds for success.

When you’re consistent in the things you say and do that builds credibility for you in the eye of others. It enhances your personal authority and becomes a reason someone might ask for your assistance. For example, if you’re a consistently high performer at work people come to depend on you. Or, if you’re always meeting deadlines people see you as a go to person when they need something done right away. Those can help your career immensely but that’s not applying the principle of consistency because in neither situation are you trying to persuade the other person.

However, when you need to make a request of someone else, tapping into their prior actions can be a powerful way to get them to do what you want. As an example, if a customer talks about how much they like your company, or a particular product, those would be perfect to incorporate into your request to get them to try a new product. Consider the following: “Sally, I really appreciate you sharing all the things you liked about our Bass-O-Matic. It makes me feel great to hear how happy you are with it. Since you’ve enjoyed it so much I naturally thought you’d want to be one of the first to try the Bass-O-Matic 2.” While Sally might try the new product without you referring to her prior words you’d have a much better chance of making the sale by reminding her of how satisfied she was with the prior purchase.

So maybe you’re thinking, “This sounds good but I don’t know if it will really work.” Influence People relies on science rather than good advice so here’s a study that was done that shows how potentially powerful consistency can be.

On a beach in the New York City area some social psychologists arranged to have a person lay down a blanket near a stranger then set a radio on the blanket. Next the person got up to take a walk on the beach and soon after they left, someone associated with experiment came along and “stole” the radio. The experimenters wanted to see how often the unsuspecting person would say or do anything about the robbery they were witnessing. On day one only four out of 20 people said or did anything about the theft in progress.

The experiment was repeated on day two, doing everything exactly the same except for one thing. On the second day, just before the person was to head off for a walk, the person turned to the stranger near them and asked if they would, “watch my things.” Naturally everyone agree to this simple request. Now, when the thief came along 19 out of 20 people intervened and a few people even tried to physically restrain the would-be thief!

Think about this for a moment; the only difference between day one and day two was a simple question. How would you feel if the person came back, saw their radio gone and asked, “What happened to my radio?” and you had to tell them someone stole it. “But you told me you keep an eye on it?” If you’re like most people you’d feel pretty bad and that’s the motivator because no one wants to feel bad when they can avoid it.

This is one simple application of this principle of influence. If you keep reading Influence People you’ll learn how to tap into this principle. Do so and consistency will truly become a jewel for you because it will help you hear “Yes!” far more often when you make requests other people.

Brian
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Helping Teens Balance Peer Pressure and Authority Figures

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A week ago, Abigail graduated from the 8th grade. To most people, that’s not a big deal—unless you happen to be a parent. Like most things kids do—sports, school plays, and moving on to the next grade—they’re not terribly significant events in and of themselves, but they help shape who we are and who we become.

What’s significant about Abigail’s situation is that entering high school next year will be a HUGE change—much more than for the typical kid. You see, she’s gone to the same school her whole life, Polaris Christian Academy, with basically the same group of friends. There were only a dozen kids in her class and just four girls, including Abigail.

In the fall, she’ll attend Westerville South High School, which means she goes from the small, private Christian school environment to a huge public school—from a tiny class to one that will have more than 400 students! And did I mention that none of the kids she knows will go to her new school? It could make for a lonely, difficult time.

In early May, she posted on Facebook, “Another awards chapel were im the only one left in my row, 9 yrs of that, hmm getting kinda tired of it :/” As a parent, seeing something like that breaks my heart.

Consensus—that desire to be part of the crowd—is an incredibly strong psychological force, especially for kids. Not being part of the group is tough because they’re fighting physical pain when they’re excluded. That’s right: being excluded from a group registers in the brain as physical pain! Watch this short video of Dr. Robert Cialdini as he explains this interesting scientific finding.

So how’s a parent to deal with this?

I believe there’s potentially good and bad in everything. Some “good” things become bad when we abuse them, and some “bad” things turn out to be good for us if we deal with them the right way. As a parent, one of my responsibilities is to help Abigail learn this truth so she can overcome obstacles and enjoy life to the fullest.

All of this started me thinking, and I noticed something about her personality. While all her friends were doing things together when they were younger, Abigail worked for four years to earn her black belt in taekwondo. When her girlfriends all went out for cheerleading, she didn’t—because it wasn’t for her. When they all played basketball over the winter, she passed to play club volleyball, where she didn’t know anyone. While her friends were all on stage for the plays the last few years, Abigail decided she’d rather be backstage working the lights.

After thinking about this, I told Abigail I was proud of her. She didn’t quite get it, but I explained that she showed strength of character to be okay with not being a part of everything everyone else did. If she can deal with not partaking in the fun activities her friends were doing, and if she can deal with the feelings of being singled out because she didn’t get awards when most other kids were recognized, then I have confidence she’ll be her own person as she takes this big step in life and moves into a totally foreign environment in high school.

On a similar note: several years ago, while at camp, Abigail didn’t finish all her food, so the camp counselor said she’d have to sing in front of the other campers. She doesn’t like to sing, so she dug her heels in and said she wouldn’t. And despite the fact that her mom was sitting there watching—embarrassed, I might add—Abigail didn’t give in.

Again, I saw this as a learning opportunity. After that incident, I told Abigail that her mom had shared the story with me, and that I was proud of her. She had a hard time understanding that one, too. I explained that she shouldn’t just do what everyone asks her to—or tells her to—and that the camp incident was good training. I followed that up by telling her she’d have to accept the consequences that come with saying “no” to people, and that there would certainly be consequences for saying no to an authority figure like a teacher.

I hope you see where I’m going with this.

As I wrote earlier, consensus can be a powerful psychological force, and sometimes it can lead us to do things we ought not to. By the same token, authority is a powerful influence as well. Sometimes we do things simply because someone we perceive to be an authority tells us to. Part of learning to navigate life as an independent adult is knowing whom to say “yes” to—and whom to say “no” to.

So here’s my encouragement to those of you who are parents:
Understanding how the principles of influence can be used against you or your kids is just as important as learning how to ethically use them. Talk to your kids about this, because it will give them the tools necessary to make better, more informed choices.

You’ll be glad you did.

Brian
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Influencers from Around the World – Essentials for Political Personalities

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This month’s Influencers from Around the World post is from my friend Yago De Marta. Yago resides in Spain and Latin America where he makes a living as a public speaking coach and media trainer. Like my other guest bloggers, we met because of his interest in influence and persuasion. Much of Yago’s work is with politicians (and businessmen) so his article explores two essential influence ingredients for politicians – authority and liking. Shoot a friend request to Yago on Facebook or LinkedIn, let him know you read his article and I’m sure he’ll accept.

Brian
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Essentials for Political Personalities


When I train politicians I always repeat the same idea: the politician must be close enough to their voters that they trust him, and yet different enough so as to be considered able to do things the voter never could.

This means the politician must tap into similarities so they can identify with voters. Doing so allows the politician to “tune in” with them so the people sense their reflection, or “their way,” in the image they see projected on television. But the truth is that’s not enough. Clearly, we have great confidence in our best friend, yet we don’t let him take charge of our family finances or give a medical diagnosis for cancer for a loved one. That is, liking is not enough without the authority.

In the case of the politician this duality is even bigger. Everyone is looking for a candidate who is “special,” and it’s this special status that seems to be closely tied to political roles. Unfortunately it seems to be a scarce quality these days. Politicians are viewed differently because if the politician is going to govern the destiny of a country we must believe he’s able to do things we cannot.

Now if these two elements, liking and authority, must be linked to the personality of the politician, and both have different aspects, how are we to relate to them from a practical perspective on the personality of the politician? There are several ways but in this article we will focus on two: stylistic and internal.

Stylistic: A common mistake most novice speakers make is that they change completely when they speak from behind a lectern. All of a sudden they create a pose. They lose their original personality because they begin to talk in an artificial way. This error is very serious because the most important quality of liking in communication is “being real.”

There are two main styles: the systematic and casual. The systematic is normally observed in parliaments. It is characterized by very marked time, a major impact on certain syllables of words and a repetitive rhythm whereas the casual style is more conversational.

Casual is simply “telling” what we mean. My advice to politicians is simply this; go back to basics and be real. When behind the podium one must remember to talk as we talk in a cafe. The first style gives us strength, control, presence. It gives us authority. The second gives us fluency, closeness, credibility. All of a sudden we tap into liking and are likable.

Communicating well from the bench means being able to move on the continuum between the systematic and casual, between authority and liking. If we only rely on one, we can come across as robotic or worse yet, uneducated.

The second aspect we want to explore is the internal. Another common mistake of politicians is ego. I believe a big ego is the opposite of high self-esteem. Big egos can make the candidate come across as brittle and seem distant from the audience.

Remembering Gallway and “The Inner Game,” the player must be “in the zone” and focused. To be in the zone in politics, or in public speaking in general, means being strong and very secure. This implies feeling special, to feel that no one can say things the way we say them. This routine occurs in the mind; a state of force that allows for a very strong speech.

This attitude gives the necessary distance from political environment to create the authority. I often say that if that does not mean being proud. If we are focused, no. What is the focus? People. The politician, and really every speaker, should focus on people. You must look at people and think about the people. This attitude spiritually and emotionally binds you with the public. It’s the reason and motivation for the speech. It allows you to feel safe and absolutely connected with the public. This connection causes liking. It dilutes the ego in the mass communication to make something superior. And communicating well from the bench is being able to move on the continuum between “the zone” and “focused” tapping into both authority and liking. If we only rely on one, or the other, we may be seen as a tyrant or a weakling.

Yago

Note to readers: We may not be politicians but in certain areas of life, such as our careers, we need to effectively tap into both authority and liking if we’re to enjoy success to the fullest, because being liked, trusted and viewed as a expert is what will give you the best chance of hearing “Yes” when you make a request of another person.

Swept Along on the Highway of Life

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I was driving into work not long ago and came across what I thought was a metaphor for life. I hit the road early, shortly before 7 a.m. on a beautiful spring morning to get a head start on my day. There was not a cloud in the sky, but there was a little chill in the air, and as I made my way east on the outer-belt I was struck by the fact that there were very few cars on the road. Seeing that made me glad I’d decided to head to the office early. Unlike some major cities, Columbus traffic isn’t bad at all if you leave a little earlier than normal. When I do that, I can make it from my driveway to the State Auto parking lot, nearly a 15-mile journey; in 20 minutes or less if there are no accidents or road construction.

As I enjoyed my coffee, alone with my thoughts, I noticed there were cars well behind me and some a good distance in front. Like most people I don’t quite adhere to the speed limit, so I was going about 70 mph in a 65 mph zone. The further I drove the more I noticed the cars behind me continuing to gain on me until all of a sudden, I was surrounded by cars.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to keep pace with traffic almost unconsciously. In this case, before I realized it, I was actually going 80 mph! As I shared, like most people I flirt with speeds just above the speed limit but usually not 15 mph so once I recognized what I was doing I slowed down and boy was I glad I did because a few moments later I saw a highway patrol car join us on the drive.

After giving quick thanks for slowing down and avoiding a possible ticket I began to analyze the situation. Only after the fact did I realize how I was being swept along on the highway of life. The principle of influence that was at work on me is known as consensus, sometimes called social proof. This psychological principle describes the human tendency to look towards many other people, or people we see as similar to ourselves, for clues about how to act in certain situations.

Despite knowing the speed limit many of us don’t adhere to it and a big reason we don’t is because we observe so many others not obeying the law. And, sometimes in doing so we find ourselves doing things we might not do in the absence of other people. Case in point, I was perfectly content with my 70 mph speed until other cars surrounded me traveling much faster. It wasn’t even a conscious choice to speed up but before I knew it, I had.

This applies to much more than just the highway. You might be reading this feeling a bit of pride because you don’t change your driving habits based on the habits of other drivers but there are many ways consensus might be at work on you:

  • Do you stand during standing ovations…even when you didn’t like the performance? Most people do.
  • Does your dress conform to those around you? If you doubt it just loo
    k at some old photos and you might be hit with this thought, “What was I thinking when I wore that outfit?”
  • Have you ever tried a restaurant dish because, “It’s our most popular menu item”? Part of reason the dish remains so popular is that little phrase used by the server.
  • If you’ve had a question, have you ever held it until a few others asked questions first? It’s amazing how group dynamics change after one person breaks the ice.

These are all simple ways we’re influenced by the actions of others, the power of the crowd. Some people call it good etiquette; others call it being polite or good manners. However, you label it it’s still the same because we’re unconsciously driven to do things and act in ways because of how we observe others.

This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, most of the time following the actions of others has very good consequences for us. We feel a sense of belonging, we are more readily accepted into groups, and we avoid conflict. However, there are times when it can lead us astray and have very bad consequences.

  • Excessive speeding can be dangerous to us and others.
  • For teens, wanting to fit in can lead to bad choices when it comes to drinking, drugs and sex.
  • Following the crowd at work because “everybody does it” can cost you your job.

Most of the time I’m trying to get you to see ways to ethically use influence and persuasion to hear “Yes!” This week I encourage you to take time and reflect on why you’re doing some of the things you’re doing. Do you really want to do them or are you feeling internal pressure to conform? Are the choices you’re making in your best interests or are they to please some group? There are people out there who understand influence and persuasion, but their intent isn’t ethical, it’s one sided for their benefit. If you’ll pay attention as you’re swept along on the highway of life, you’ll retain control of where you go, when you want to go and the path you’ll take to get there.

Brian
Helping You Hear “Yes!”

Copyblogger Uses Social Proof to Build Readership

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Last month my friend Mike Figliuolo of thoughtLEADERS sent me a blog post he thought I’d enjoy. It was on the heels of my first anniversary writing Influence PEOPLE. The blog post was called, “The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers.” If you’re into blogging you might want to check it out.

As I read the post I felt good about how I’d approached writing this blog. But the real take way for me had to do with something other than Copyblogger’s content; it was their effective use of a principle of influence that caught my eye. Take a look at the picture below and see if you pick up on what I saw.

Depending on how good your eyesight is you might have been able to pick out three things that effectively tapped into the principle of consensus. This psychological principle tells us people are often swayed by the crowd. When we see many others doing something we take that as a clue that it might be the right thing to do. So how did Copyblogger effectively use the psychology of persuasion to their advantage?

First, near the upper left of the website there’s a section where you can sign up for email updates. No big deal, that’s pretty standard. Where they leveraged consensus was by letting you know there are 109,922 subscribers. My frame of reference; more people read Copyblogger each week than attend an Ohio State football game!
Second, just below the email area there’s the little blue Twitter bird. There you’ll see 51,917 people follow Copyblogger on Twitter. More praise for Copyblogger because that large number will motivate more people to become followers on Twitter.

Third was something that might not have stood out quite as much. On the right hand side of the page is a section with popular articles. Knowing those are some of the more popular posts will get people to read them just like more people order the most popular dishes at restaurants. In addition, immediately after the two articles you can see the numbers 174 and 120. If more than 100 people are commenting on these articles doesn’t that make you just a little curious why they’re commenting and what they’re saying? I’d say that’s subtle, yet strategic use of consensus to keep people looking at the site.

In each case Copyblogger could have omitted the numbers but they’d lose out on opportunities because those numbers will cause more people to take action in way that will increase readership. Now, having shared that, there are times when you want to leave the numbers out because they can work against you. For example, what do you think a first time visitor to Copyblogger would have concluded if they only had 100 subscribers or 50 Twitter followers? That might actually work against people deciding to become subscribers or followers. Also, if the numbers are low on comments people might not bother to look at those older posts.

What does this mean for you? As a general rule; if your numbers are not high then don’t show them because you could be shooting yourself in the foot. I’ve seen this with a feature on many websites that lets you know how many people are attending a particular event. I outlined this last year in an article I called “Make Your Next Event the One Everybody Attends.” What constitutes a large number will vary depending on many things. For example, 15 people attending an event is not many but if there are only 20 seats available it’s a large number by comparison. Showing that number will also invoke the principle of scarcity because only a few seats are left so sharing 15 in that context could be very persuasive.

So remember, consensus can work for you or against you depending on the situation. Make sure you’re thinking how your audience will perceive the numbers you share and you’ll probably do just fine. Of course, referring back to this article would be a smart move too.

Brian
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes!”

When Setting Sales Goals Always…

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I’m a big Jeffrey Gitomer fan. If you’ve read my blog for long then you’ve probably seen his picture and read some of his quotes. I find his writing style unique, entertaining and most importantly, educational. I’ve used his material in my sales training and frequently recommend his books. I also put my money where my mouth is because I own all of his books. Yup, I have the Little Red Book, Little Black Book, Little Gold Book…I have all those Little Books. And I own a copy of The Sales Bible. It’s not the leather bound, King James edition with my name engraved in gold, but it’s worth its weight in gold…if you do the things Gitomer suggests.

I think I’ve painted a clear picture; I’m a Gitomer disciple. But, even though he wrote The Sales Bible and I’m a disciple, I recognize Gitomer is human and makes mistakes just like all of us. Some of you who are his followers might be shouting at me through your PC, “Blasphemy! Away with him!” Please read on before you excommunicate me.

Several weeks ago, in his weekly Sales Ezine he posed the following question about goal setting, “When setting goals in sales, you should always:”

A. Write them down and tell others.

B. Reward yourself when you reach them.

C. Make them reasonable.

D. Never set them too

While there is some validity to each answer, I chose answer A, “write them down and tell others,” because that’s a proven method for success and therefore holds the most potential. In fact, out of more than 4,000 responses, 60% of people made the same choice that I did. However, to my surprise Jeffrey’s “correct” answer was B, reward yourself.
I won’t dispute that for some people a reward might help them stay the course and achieve their sales goals. It might be personally more motivating for Jeffrey because he’s a highly self-motivated individual. Unfortunately I don’t think the same can be said for the majority of salespeople let alone people in general. The research in social science is very clear; the principle of consistency is a HUGE motivator for people to follow through on prior commitments. Because people feel an internal pressure to do what they say, making goals public will help many more people reach those goals as compared to others who set goals but keep them private. In Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book Influence Science and Practice, in the chapter on Commitment and Consistency, a study by Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard is cited on this very subject. Results from their study were clear, “students who had publicly recorded their initial positions most resolutely refused to shift from those positions later.”

Organizations that try to get people to change bad habits (over-eating, smoking, etc.) have taken advantage of the principle of consistency by having people make public commitments then sharing those commitments, with friends and family. Here’s a simple rule to remember; people live up to what they write down.One more way to increase the odds of reaching your goal would be to incorporate the principle of scarcity as opposed to rewarding yourself. A reward is a nice thing but too often we can forgo rewards and not feel bad. However, when we think we’ll lose something, research has found our motivation changes rather dramatically. How can you incorporate scarcity? Try putting $100 of your own money on the line. Go to the bank, get a nice crisp $100 bill and give it to a trusted friend. Tell your friend, “Look, I have a goal I really want to meet. If I don’t meet the goal you have my permission to give the money to [name a charity]. But, if I meet my goal you have to give me my $100 back.” That’s a win-win because if you succeed that’s great. If you don’t, a worthy cause benefits.

So here’s the deal; whatever you choose to do, if you truly want to succeed, start by setting a goal. But don’t stop there, write out your goal then make it known to others. By doing this you’ll take advantage of the principle of consistency because it’s in your nature to begin with. Then ramp it up a bit by putting something of value on the line. Oh yes, and when you reach your goal, take Jeffrey’s advice and reward yourself with the cash you got back because you’ll have earned it.

Influencers from Around the World – Scarcity at Italian Weddings

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This month’s Influencers from Around the World post is from my friend Marco Germani. Marco is from Rome, Italy, and will be sharing an interesting story about persuasion and Italian weddings. The wedding photos are from Marco and Monika’s wedding last summer. They’re expecting their first child this summer. I’m sure Marco would love to hear from you so reach out to him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Brian
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes!”

Scarcity at Italian Weddings
I recently tried an interesting application of the principle of scarcity at the wedding of a couple of friends here in Rome, where I live. It is common practice in Italy that, when a wedding takes place, beside the “official” photographer of the event, a “clandestine” photographer magically shows up outside from the church. This guy, with no authorization at all, takes pictures of all the guests as they are entering the place, asking them to pose for him and playing on the fact that they don’t really know whether he is the official photographer or not. He then takes a quick picture of the bride and groom at the very beginning of the ceremony and then rushes to a mobile photo studio parked in the back of the church, to very quickly create nice cardboard-framed pictures of each guest, close to the picture of their newly-married friends.
When the celebration ends, the fellow waits for the guests to exit the church and, one by one, propose them to buy his newly-made artwork, usually for a price of about 8 Euro. As strange as it might appear, this technique works wonders and these guys usually sell almost every picture they’ve taken. The reasons being that people see in front of them a picture of themselves, nicely carved in a paperboard frame and close to the picture of the bride and groom and, for the principle of reciprocation, enhanced by the surprise (most people don’t go to weddings every day and are not aware of this technique) feel a certain compulsion to buy and to pay the overpriced amount. I have to add these pictures are after all a nice souvenir of the event, so I am not against this service, even though I think it is presented in a questionable way.
Being aware of how the principle of scarcity works, during the specific event I recently attended, I decided to try and use it at my own advantage. When the photographer proposed selling the picture to me, I kindly declined and moved away from him. I then waited for him to complete all the sales and, when he was done, I approached him again. At this point, he had in his hands only a few pictures of people who didn’t buy and those pictures were absolutely worthless for him, probably ready for the dustbin. I told him I was still thinking about buying the picture but that I thought the price was too high. He immediately proposed me a price of five Euro. At this point, I casually pulled out from my pocket four one Euro coins (which I had previously prepared) and told him I only happened to have four Euro in coins, would that do for him? He grabbed the coins in a split second, gave me the framed picture and we were both happy campers!
Now, I have to specify that, having a friend who works in photography, he previously explained to me that the cost to print the picture, for the photographer, should have been around two Euro, so, considering myself an ethical persuader, it was my duty to offer a price which also included a reasonable profit margin for the “smart” photographer, granting me the best buying price at the same time.
Marco

A Different Perspective Can Make All the Difference

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Most of us are creatures of habit. That’s one big reason the principles of influence are so effective at helping you hear “Yes!” when making requests of others. We cruise along on autopilot most of the time painstakingly doing whatever we can to avoid thinking.

One automatic thing most adults do every day is drive to work. I’ve heard people say sometimes they get in the car and before they know it they’re at work. The scary thing is they don’t remember anything about the drive! As fate would have it, I don’t have that luxury till the end of May or beginning of June, depending on how efficient the Ohio Department of Transportation is at completing some highway repairs in downtown Columbus. During the repairs I have to find a new way into work.Is this a pain? Somewhat, because I have to leave earlier than normal, take a different route and contend with many other drivers doing the same thing. But it’s not all bad. I was convicted by my own words because each morning I tell myself, “This is the day the Lord has made so I will be happy and rejoice in it. Today will be a good day because I will approach everything with a positive attitude and I will learn from every situation.”
So I made the choice to be positive and to learn something. As I drove one day I decided not to just follow the same alternate route so I got off at an exit I’d never used in 20 years of working downtown. What struck me as I got off the highway was how completely different the city looked from this new vantage point. I was faced with some old, very cool looking buildings when I came to the stop sign. As I turned left I saw what looked like an old warehouse building and found myself wondering what went on in that building over the years. Then I turned left and drove below an overpass and saw Columbus State Community College from an angle I’d never seen it from before. As all of this was occurring I thought, “This is really cool scenery. I’d enjoy it if I saw these sites every day.” I was also struck by how different everything was so I decided I’d write about it. What does this mean for you when it comes to influence? Sometimes trying to gain someone else’s perspective can go a long way when it comes to influence. As I pondered this I thought about the election of Barack Obama. Please don’t comment on politics because what I’m about to share has nothing to do with politics. For whatever reason, the drive in and thinking about perspective brought me back to the day after the election. That day I emailed my best friend Russell Barrow, an African-American, and simply asked, “Did you ever think you’d see this in your lifetime?” I got an incredibly heartfelt reply back telling me how much pride he felt. I tried to put myself in his shoes and as I did I saw things differently. I really believe if more people would do that rather than simply retain their perspective and defend their position more dialog would happen and more things could get accomplished.

Imagine I’m holding up my right hand with my palm towards me and finger nails towards you. If someone asked us to describe what we see our descriptions would be very different. I’d say my thumb is on my right but you’d say it’s on your left. I’d describe finger prints while you talked about finger nails. I’d comment on the lines in my palm and you’d be talking about the veins and hair you see on the back of my hand. These are two very different descriptions that could lead to some disputes. However, if we changed our perspectives we get a more complete picture and can find things to agree on. The more you and I find to agree on the easier it becomes to find mutually beneficial solutions to more pressing issues.Some of you may say this is this a bit simplistic and I’d agree. But I’d contend that life’s not always as complicated as we might think it is. Spouses could use some simplicity – just love each other, do what’s in the best interest of the other person and trust they’ll do the same. Parents would do well do just tell their kids how much they love them and to set aside their priorities to spend time with kids. At work, just do your best, quit grumbling but also give honest feedback when necessary. Yea, it’s all simple stuff but simple stuff that could make life a whole lot easier and nicer for so many of us.So here’s the take away – try to change your perspective on something or someone after you read this. Make yourself see things in a new, fresh way and see how that impacts your thoughts, attitude and conversations. If you do this I think others will sense it, appreciate it and open up to you.Brian
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes!”