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6 Most Effective Types of Persuasive Techniques

The Science of Persuasion

How To Master The Art Of Persuasion

Everyone is being sold to on a daily basis – in magazines, on television, through ads on the radio, and at the grocery store checkout line. What a lot of people do not recognize is that the process of selling – whether it is a concept or product – is deeply rooted in an understanding of human psychology. A lot of research done in the past century points to one truth: there is a science to persuasion, and there are six main motivators that are crucial in the art of persuading people.

1. Reciprocation

When candy is included with the check, women give a 21 percent higher tip, and men give an 18 percent higher tip.

Basically, people repay a kindness with a kindness. If someone gives you something, you feel responsible to return the gesture. This is why free samples are able to be very successful. The rule of reciprocity extends past gifts and favors and applies to concessions that are made.

2. Social Validation

A 1960’s Stanley Milgram experiment: 1 man on a busy street in NYC stares up into the sky for 60 seconds.

When one man looks up, four percent of passerby look up.

When five men look up, 18 percent of passerby look up.

When 15 men look up, 40 percent of passerby look up.

The laugh track revolutionized sitcom television due to the fact that it did something of which was desperately needed – it told us when to laugh. We are social creatures, and we like to look at what other people are doing to help validate and inform our decisions.

3. Consistency

Joseph Schwarzwald put together a fund raiser for the handicapped. 2 weeks before this event, he had people sign a petition stating their support. This increased the monetary contributions 100 percent due to prior commitment.

People do not like to look bad, however other people perceive them in that way if their behavior is not consistent. Finding ways for people to publicly commit to something is a great tactic as people are more likely to align with their previous commitments in order to avoid embarrassment.

4. Authority

In a University of Texas Austin study, simply by wearing a suit and tie, a man increased the number of people that follow him across the street at a red light by 350 percent.

People trust others that have credentials that merit trust. This is the reason sales people always mention different awards that their company has received, as people are more likely to trust an expert in their field.

5. Liking

Compliments: find something nice to say! A study at UNC, Chapel Hill found that both untrue and true compliments produce the same amount of liking.

Cooperation: it is a good feeling when a sales person is meeting you halfway. It makes you feel as if you have some control in this situation.

Similarity: you love golf? I love golf! Just as similarity is a factor when choosing a friend or companion, it is equally a factor when you are choosing whom to do business with.

This rule is as extremely simple as it sounds: people would rather say yes to those they like.

6. Scarcity

Showing quantity left is a time sensitive technique that pressures people to buy the product before it is too late.

By placing a time stamp on a special deal, customers are more likely to buy before they lose the offer.

Creating competition will rise up price and profit.

Opportunities and items always become more desirable as they become less available. This is the reason limited edition products sell faster, despite being at a higher price. People are enamored with the notion of having something a lot of people are not able to have.

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