Influencing your customers, peers and bosses

By Steven Feinberg on October 31, 2008 4:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Decision Triggers: My 2 Cents Worth

You brain makes lightning fast connections. And equally fast decision triggers. A single reliable piece of information that instantly makes judgments. For example, buy low sell high. Instant trigger. Knowing the triggers can influence people to say yes to your request.

Here is how it works.
I call it ‘My 2 cents worth’ influence strategy. But it can be worth immediate cash to you as it has been worth millions when applied. A $15,000 luxury hot tub spa was producing slow sales. In determining what to do to move sales Dr. Cialdini, an influence strategist, asked the salesman, “What would an addition to a home cost in this neighborhood?”
“About $70,000.”
Next time a prospect asks begin your answer with, “What would an addition to your home run you?”
and immediately after they say $65 - $75,000, you add in this information, “Well this luxury spa is like an addition to your home, and its $15,000.” Sales skyrocketed.

That simple, easy, quick contrast, established a psychological trigger inside the prospects brain that grabbed their attention. A comparison that made enormous sense to the move
them from prospects to buyers.

When you put in your ‘2 cents worth’ make it worthwhile for the customer or your colleague. This is replicable. The masters of influence use it every day.

What they know is that whatever comes first establishes the context for the conversation. Let me repeat, whatever comes first establishes the anchor for the conversation. When you first walk outside from a movie theater your squint because your eyes need to adjust from dark to light. You’ll say it is so bright out. But it’s just where you’ve just come from.

By establishing the context - an addition to their home - so they could and would think of this purchase as a deal. Remember these were people who were looking for a spa. The contrast effect worked as a decision trigger.

Imagine 3 buckets. One with hot water, one with ice and one room temperature.
Place your hand in the hot water and then into the room temperature bucket, it will seem cold.
Place your hand in the ice water and then into the room temperature bucket, it will seem hot.

Bucket of Ice Bucket of Perception Bucket of Hot Water

Hot? Cold?
Depends on what came first

Whatever came first affected the ‘bucket of perception’. It was the contrast that determined the ‘bucket of perception’.

Ask yourself compared to what?

You always have to find what matters to your audience and create a contrast.

It’s not about positive thinking or negative thinking, but influence thinking.

The contrast principle is also the foundational thought process used when creating winning brands. Listerine compared to Scope. Bayer compared to Tylenol.

If you are not using the contrast principle I can assure you are bungling opportunity.
And this strategy only costs your “2 cents’ whether you use it with your customers, your peers or your boss.

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