People will listen and agree if they believe in you

Awhile ago, I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, The Unmistakable Creative, and I came across an eccentric and brilliant Pakistani woman, Bushra Azhar. She had some really good tips on being persuasive aka neuromarketing.

Here are her tips of how to land a “yes”: Prestige: Everyone, regardless of what they tell you, is interested in how what you’re offering will make them look better and stand out from everyone else. Frame what you are asking for as something that elevates status.

Believability: We all focus on making those we are trying to convince believe in our credibility, but do we ever spend time on ensuring that the person we’re trying to convince believes in their own ability to bring about the desired result with our product or service. Just think about the many times you’ve heard from someone, “this is great, but we do not have the people or culture to use this in an effective way”. A great trick here is to convince the person using “Even if…. you can!”

Parity: Always remember that whatever it is you’re trying to convince the other person to use or purchase, you have a competitor out there and you must address why you’re so different from them. Do not leave this to chance. Be bold and make the comparison with the competitor.

Desirability: Make sure you discuss how life is going to change after doing whatever it is they say “yes” to doing. You want them to feel and see the difference saying “yes” can bring to their lives.

Reliability: The Pratfall Effect says people who appear a little bit awkward are more likable. By now, a lot of people know that typos are my thing! In fact, recently, a young lady who reads my blogs offered to spell check anything I send out. I immediately signed up for Grammarly and believe it or not, I’m in the bottom 5 per cent with my spelling. In short—wear your scars proudly. It helps people see themselves in you, and that’s very persuasive.

Another way to get a yes is by using the Xerox copy method. The “Xerox copy” study by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer shows how just giving an explanation can work. The study had a student attempting to cut in line for the copier.

In set up one, she asked “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Sixty per cent allowed her to cut in line. In the second scenario, she asked,

“Excuse me, I have five pages.

May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?” Compliance shot up to

94 per cent with the addition of a reason.

The third scenario was the most surprising: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?” The rate was almost the same at 93 per cent, even with a redundant and ridiculous explanation.

The explanation for the ‘yes’ is simply that our brains want an answer.

You can also get a yes, considering the paradox of choice.

We are flooded with too many options for everything. While at first glance it is appealing, if you want a yes in particular for a sale, you’re better off giving fewer choices.

Did you know only three per cent of shoppers made purchases when presented with 24 different varieties of jam? That number went up 30 per cent when six varieties were offered. Similar results occur when an employer offered 50 different mutual funds versus five.

More options produce paralysis. The mental processing required to assess and make a decision goes into overload. Avoid decision paralysis by narrowing your options down to three. In sales, increase your conversion rate by offering fewer options.

And finally, if all else fails, do what I do…. I dare people to take me up on my offers and challenges. Most of the times they do.

Wear your scars proudly. It helps people see themselves in you, and that’s very persuasive

More options produce paralysis. The mental processing required to assess and make a decision goes into overload