The power of persuasion

There is an interesting, if scary piece in this morning's London Times.

In it Daniel Finkelstein reviews a new book called Yes!: Fifty Secrets from the Science of Persuasion by Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Professor Robert Cialdini. Their research shows that as humans we are far more open to manipulation than we might have believed.

They discuss the principle of reciprocity and show that when you give something, people are more likely to give something back (Business Network International - BNI - call this principle "Givers Gain"). Similarly Cialdini and his colleagues show that if people believe that they are doing what others do, they are more likely to follow suit. They give an excellent example of reusing towels in a hotel or throwing coins in a fountain. Apparently if I tell you that most people who read this blog click on the link above and buy the book, you are more likely to do so too.

In the same vein they talk about people choosing professions linked to their own names, hence there are many more dentists called Dennis than there are called, say Jim.

Salespeople have known this for years of course. If you articulate a benefit by answering the question "What’s in it for me?" you are far more likely to win the sale. Therefore focus on personalizing benefits and make sure that when you explain why someone should buy your product, you make it as relevant to them and as personal as you can.

Perry Burns
www.sales101.co.uk