Mental shortcuts help us process information quickly and can be applied to impact decisions. It’s useful to keep these concepts in mind across your marketing and sales.
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If you do someone a favor, they are inclined to help you. Offering a free sample or report can generate interest.*
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 – If you get someone to commit in the slightest, they're compelled to keep committing. You may follow an event registration with an email campaign.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲: By showing an extreme case, subsequent examples seem more reasonable. With pricing, if the first offer is outrageously high, the next price will seem much lower.
𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳: If someone seems familiar, you are more inclined to help them.** Feature recognizable clients in your case studies.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: If you like someone, you want them to succeed. Liking starts with finding things in common such as shared experiences.
𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: We fear losing more than we appreciate gaining (e.g. exploding offers make the potential buyer fear losing the deal).
Sadly, these insights can also be manipulated in a negative way. Be mindful of others influencing you negatively.
Apply these techniques on top of adding value to your clients, not to replace value, for mutual and beneficial long-term growth.
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This post is a homage to 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, Revised Edition by Dr. Robert Cialdini. He actually has a newer version of the book called Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion worth checking.
* With Reciprocation, if you ask someone for a favor, you’ll have more success if you provide a reason since most people will be able to relate with your reason.
** According to Dr. Cialdini, “We use the actions of others to decide on proper behavior for ourselves, 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠.”
My post showing a number of other cognitive biases impacting startup leaders: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/f19935f0