Here is the best summary of persuasion I have ever come across. It’s just 27 words. Please use it for good only.
“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies.” – Blair Warren
Let’s break it down a bit and see how incredibly useful this is for almost anyone in business (because we all need to be persuasive to succeed).
“encourage their dreams”
What are your clients dreams? If you don’t know you should. If your business doesn’t help them achieve those dreams you have work to do.
One classic example that has worked forever and will continue to do so is the magic bullet/pill. No one wants to do that hard work of exercising and diet to lose weight. They want the magic bullet even though they know it probably won’t work. That’s why new diets come and go as do supplements. People have a dream of losing weight without working hard.
“justify their failures”
If you ever read a sales piece you may have come across the expression ‘it’s not your fault’. Continuing the weight loss example you might see something like it’s not your fault for years the big multinationals have been hiding the sugar content in their food. You are absolving the client of responsibility for failing to lose weight. If they think it’s their fault they won’t be open to buying.
“allay their fears”
Phrases like Doctor approve or tested by XYZ Institute add credibility to a marketing message. As do real client testimonials (especially video ones). Your offer needs to have worked for others so they can believe it will work for them too.
“confirm their suspicions”
People are as sceptical as they have ever been about claims made by a business. There are too many media horror stories of people getting deceived and ripped off. You can use this to your advantage. For example ‘have you ever felt nervous about having all your retirement savings locked up in superannuation knowing the Government can change the rules any time”.
“throw rocks at their enemies”
I know many people don’t like Trump but he was brilliant at doing this. His enemies included Mexico, Washington Insiders, His own party and pretty much every country except America. Now whether you like him or not is not relevant enough people shared those enemies and it helped him get elected.
So you can see this method is incredibly powerful and should only be used for good by ethical businesses. Think about how you can apply it to your marketing.
As always questions welcomed in the post or via private message if your question is confidential.