You may not agree with all of them but they are interesting to consider, test and debate.
Law of Progress and Persuasion
Every life enhancing improvement created by mankind started with the impulse of thought. However, since most people are made uncomfortable by and tend to resist change and the unfamiliar, no great idea has ever improved the human condition for any extended duration until someone has been persuaded, through non-threatening means, to take action on it. Once persuaded to act, people have regularly improved their situation in great and small ways. Writers, philosophers, lawyers, inventors, engineers, scientists, doctors, salespeople, marketers, recruiters, parents, leaders and other idea professionals have, by their selection of vocation, implicitly accept the social responsibility to convince others. Without the ability to persuade they are professionally impotent. It is the duty of all such professionals to understand and use the laws of influence and communication if they seek to make significant contribution to society.
Law of confrontation
Most people are made uncomfortable by and tend to resist change, deviation, and the unfamiliar, to the point of altercation. Consequently, it can become almost contest-like when presenting something new to a prospect. This resistance manifests itself in the feeling: If you sell or convince me, I lose. If you do not, I win. Even when the prospect is desirous of the relationship, product, or service, etc., for some ridiculous reason she will object. The persuasion professional will expect this and thereby contemplate each objection in this context and consider that each “no” really means “maybe” or “tell me more but go slower”
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Law of Mavericks
Typically, the degree of difficulty in introducing a new idea, solution, policy, product, or service increases in proportion to the magnitude of the organization to which it is presented. Resistant and bureaucratic chains of command can be penetrated upon locating the maverick link , usually found at the top of the organizational chart. The maverick can be recognized by his visionary style, independence, high self esteem, and openness to new ideas. If your logic is sound and your facts well researched the maverick can become a powerful ally, steering you and your concept through the appropriate channels.
Law of the Gatekeeper
The world is full of Gatekeepers …receptionists, clerks, secretaries, assistants, security guards, spouses, and others with very specific and narrowly defined areas of control within given situations. While they have little jurisdiction to create change (excepting spouses), they do have the authority to stop progress within their territory. They like to have their power recognized and are delighted to demonstrate it usually by clobbering the individual trespassing on their turf. Conversely, the Gatekeeper will eagerly help one pass provided she humbles herself, acts patiently, recognizes the keeper’s clout and asks for assistance. Scripts which get Gatekeepers talking: “Are you the wrong person to call about this?” “Do you have the authority to……” “Do they permit you to……” “Are you capable of…..”
Law of Name Power
One’s own name is the behavioral stimulus yielded to earliest in life and used most repeatedly by those who share their affection and/or exercise their authority over us. It is our first unique possession and our oldest memory. Consequently, each of us has been thoroughly conditioned to subconsciously link certain responses including feelings to the tonality and format in which our name is spoken. Typically, the frequent use of one’s given (first) name in a genial manner elicits an amiable response while the resolute use of his full name will prompt immediate attention. The persuasion professional can use a prospect’s given name repeatedly during a conversation and as a result build rapport at the subliminal level. For the preoccupied prospect, a dose of her full name in a stern tone will regain full attention. Conversely, the persuasion professional realizes the inappropriate pronunciation or use of a prospect’s name will solicit a considerably unfavorable and often exaggerated rebuke.
Law of Unique Commonality
People are more easily persuaded by a person that they “like”. People like others who share common features or attributes that are unusual or distinct for the specific situation or group they find themselves in. By establishing common ground with another individual, you place yourself in a position to be more persuasive with them.
Law of Reflex Objection
A reflex objection is a socially acceptable deception that a person, through conditioned response, has learned to use involuntarily in order to reject incoming communication that their subconscious or conscious mind interprets as interference to its present state of mind or conduct. Simply put, they are little white lies people use to get rid of us.
Law of Deletion, Distortion, and Generalization
We receive millions of bits of information every minute through our eyes, ears, and other sensory organs. It is impossible to deal with every piece of information consciously; so our brain filters information then stores some of it in deleted, distorted, and generalized forms so that we can access it later. As a result, if we were all to look at the same picture, experience the same event, or watch the same presentation, each of us would have our own distinct interpretation. Interpretations can vary tremendously. Upon understanding this principle, we realize that it is very important to regularly review our communication with prospects in order to verify that they are interpreting our message as we intended it to be delivered.
Law of Behavior Prediction
An individual’s future behavior is predicted by his past behavior. While one might say sincerely that he will act in a specific manner, this will only be so if his habit in the past has been to respond in that way for the same or similar situations. Investigate a prospect’s previous behavior patterns and you will have the information necessary to anticipate his future conduct and gambits. Exceptions to this rule include those who have recently endured a significant emotional crisis and those who have actively pursued a rigid system of self reprogramming and developmental therapy.
Law of Emotional Triggers
All biological organisms have the ability to react to certain stimulus without conscious thought. We call such stimulus “triggers”. Certain triggers stimulate positive or negative emotional reaction. The stimulus can take the form of words we chose to use, tonality, visual images, and more. If we understand what triggers negative and positive emotions, we can then use that information to control our prospects emotional responses to a significant extent.
Law of Subliminal Messages
A message is subliminal when it is received and understood outside of conscious awareness. The messages transmitted by our body movement; eye contact and movement; voice tone, speed and pitch; choice of words; and dress, can dramatically affect a prospect’s response to us without their awareness. If we understand how to send subliminal messages and how we respond to them, we can take better control over our communication with prospects.
Law of Perceptual Contrast
People perceive things through sensory image and these perceptions require reference points which are used for comparison. By changing a person’s reference point, you can change the value of something that is being compared to. For example, a $15,000 automobile might be considered expensive if it was sitting on a lot with a number of other vehicles all priced at $5,000. Meanwhile the same $15,000 automobile might be perceived as inexpensive if it was sitting on a display lot where all the other automobiles were priced at $30,000 and higher.
Law of Obligation
People feel obliged to return favors even when they are not desired or requested. For example, people feel obligated to donate spare change when a flower is given to them at an airport, and feel obliged to return a compliment when they receive one. A persuasion professional can cause a prospect to feel obliged simply by giving him something.
Law of Making the Prospect the Center
As individual people, we are most concerned about our own opinions. The astute persuasion professional realizes therefore, that wherever possible in his phraseology, he should replace the word “I” with “You”. For example, “I think this product is great” becomes “You’ll probable think this is a great product”. Additionally, statements of facts should be converted into questions whenever possible. For example, “This product is great because it is high tech”. Becomes, “Doesn’t this product’s high technology make it great?”. Separating every third statement with a question helps to keep the prospect centered.
Law of Perceived Value
An individual will gladly pay for a service or item if she feels that payment is in fair exchange. On the other hand, that person will resent payment for a product or service if she feels that the exchange is not fair. Prospects appraise the worth of something by measuring such variables as: the amount of time invested into it’s production, it’s quality, reliability, repairability, replaceability, esthetics, speed, and the amount of labor, materials, research, and preparation that went into it’s production. By elaborating on the amount of these variables that have gone into your service or product you can make the prospect feel more comfortable with the investment required of your product or service.
Law of Decision Makers and Decision Influencers
There are many people in an organization with the authority to say “yes” to the use of your product or service. It is not necessarily the person with the highest rank. Additionally, there are many people without authority to commit to a service or product who have such great influence on the decision that it would be ludicrous not to include them in your presentations. Be very observant and aware of all people who might affect decisions relating to your product or service so that you can include them while at the same time, never accepting a “no” from any one individual as a final rejection to your product or service.
Law of Pattern Interruption
People tend to communicate and interact in very predictable patterns. The patterns are controlled subconsciously. The patterns work in everyday life because they achieve a desired result. Sometimes, the result of a pattern is not desirable to the persuasion professional. In this case, the persuasion professional should look to avoid triggering a pattern or interrupt the pattern and replace it with a new option.
Law of Testimonials
People are strongly conformist by nature. They are driven to model their action after their peers. Additionally, people will go to extraordinary lengths to be similar to someone they respect and admire. Jurors have been known to hang a defendant they did not believe guilty only because they wanted to conform to the beliefs of others. This makes the Testimonial the Persuasion Professionals most powerful closing tool.
Law of Spaced Repetition
An idea, sentence, word, or phrase becomes memorized if repeated at intervals. The persuasion professional should repeat key, prospect relevant, benefit points at intervals throughout her contact with the prospect.
Law of Rhythmic Compliance
People lose a certain amount of conversation consciousness when old data is being discussed or the speaker is flowing in her speech pattern. This state is almost trance-like and that is when one is very open to suggestion. You can now recall a time when you were staring at someone who was talking to you and then couldn’t remember the last thing they said. Sometime the other party may have even stopped and waved their hand in front of your face to refocus your attention. The persuasion professional can use this by linking three or more known and undisputed facts together with the conjunction “and”, linking a new belief onto the end of the sentence with the same conjunction and expect the prospect to accept the new belief . Example, “What a sunny morning it is, and there is still half a day left, and I’m here with you, and you are going to be very happy with your purchase today.” The technique becomes more effective as it is used repeatedly during the conversation.
Law of Food Power
All living things are programmed with a drive to feed. It is a subconscious drive which assures survival of the species. Our first relationships with any human being is associated with feeding. As a result, eating is associated with feelings of security, dependency, love, and trust for most people. Courtship is often started with a date scheduled around dining. This is a manifestation resulting from our subconscious awareness of the association between eating and companionship. The persuasion professional will find that tentative prospects become much more at ease over a light meal and, therefore, use such an experience to break the ice with a client. The meal is used to get to know the person and actual business should be discussed afterward. A less powerful but effective application of this law is to provide gifts of food, such as cookies.
Law of Synonyms
People will attach strong negative emotion to certain words and phrases. Meanwhile, synonyms of words and phrases are not necessarily associated with the same negative emotions. The persuasion professional learns to substitute synonyms for words he has discovered trigger negative emotions. For example, while trying to expand an order for three cases of an item to six cases of an item a prospect might respond, “We do not need six cases.” The persuasion professional, knowing that three cases are equivalent to a one month supply and six cases are equivalent to a two month supply might then ask the prospect, “Would you like to order a two month supply then?” It is not unusual for the prospect to then respond in the affirmative. Simpler application of the law include:
Ask a prospect to “endorse” an agreement, not to “sign” it.
Call it an “agreement” instead of a “contract”.
Ask the prospect to “invest” in the product instead of “buy” it.