Scientific studies have identified 6 key principles that drive persuasion, here’s how to convince a client in a scientific way.
How many times have you asked yourself how to convince a customer to buy certain products, to choose certain services or, more generally, to make decisions that are somehow capable of favoring you?
Today the answer comes directly from the science that, through 6 principles, teaches us to make the most of persuasion to reach every goal with immediacy and simplicity: effective concepts that we will immediately talk about later, thanks to which you can understand how to convince others to do (almost) anything!
Reciprocity: A well-disposed clientele guarantees greater returns
Among the techniques of persuasion, reciprocity is certainly one of the most important.
People feel obliged to reciprocate favors because of the need to balance a relationship that has been unbalanced by another action. Example: if we receive a gift from a friend, whether we like it or not, we automatically feel indebted to him and will return at the first opportunity.
Here, having a position of “advantage” towards our interlocutors allows us to have greater grip and be more influential with respect to his choices. This principle is used, for example, as an engine for the acquisition of new customers, or contacts.
Users who have the opportunity to enjoy free content, free event tickets, free samples, etc. they will be more inclined to the next purchase.
A recent study has clearly shown how, for example in a restaurant, the waiters’ tip increases according to their attitude towards the customers : who at the end of the meal gives consumers a candy can receive an extra 3% reward, who gives two rooms to 14%, while those, in addition to offering candy, is also nice and kind, even manages to raise 23% more than the basic salary!
Scarcity: When the offer decreases, desire increases
It is the scarcity of goods or resources that determines the price : the more a good is scarce, the higher is its price; at the opposite extreme there are super-abundant goods or resources, the price of which is almost nil.
Even people have reactions in line with this principle and in front of the scarcity of a good increase their desire to purchase and the urgency of the purchase itself.
The most famous testimony is perhaps the experience of British Airlines, which, following the decrease in the number of flights of the Concorde as economically unsustainable for the company, has seen a considerable increase in the number of tickets sold.
The same principle is also applicable to luxury goods, such as automobiles, liquors, clothing, etc. Users facing a product or a service hardly available on the market, they feel a sort of fear for the loss of an opportunity that can not be renounced. This drives them to want them more and to make decisions more quickly.
Consistency: Once a choice has been made it is difficult to turn around
At the base of this principle, there is the natural tendency not to contradict choices made previously. The human being is, in fact, driven to confirm the decisions taken in the past. So, once the word has been given or made a commitment, it is unlikely that people will disregard it.
An example? The inhabitants of two streets, A and B, have been asked to exhibit a large sign in their yard for a safe driving campaign. Road B had 400% positive answers, compared to the A road. Why?
The week before the inhabitants of the street B had been asked to exhibit a small symbol at the entrance to the house in favor of the same campaign! A small commitment, however, created the prerequisite for accepting the installation of the large and bulky cartel the following week.
Authority: Competence and credibility simplify public persuasion
Being socially recognized for your expertise is a very strong lever!
There is a greater propensity to follow the guidance and opinions of people when they are recognized as competent authorities in a given subject. This applies to any area to which reference is made: from parents at home when we are young, to experts in the field in the workplace once they have grown up.
Consider, for example, physiotherapists who expose the degree certificate in the studio to confirm their expertise in the eyes of customers, or to the e-commerce sites that highlight the various security certificates they have. All to acquire in the eyes of customers greater credibility and reliability.
Social Consensus: People make decisions by being influenced by others
Your mother has never asked you: “but if all your friends throw themselves off the bridge, do you too?” . Following the principle of social proof, the answer should be “yes”.
Obviously, the concept is extreme, but summarizes the meaning of “social proof” . That is, the tendency of individuals to homologate their behavior to that of others and to take into account the opinion of others.
You know when, for example, in the hotel rooms you see the signs with the exhortation to the public to use towels for at least two consecutive days?
If the request is sent with a phrase “75% of the guests re-use their towels: please do it too!” , The chances of being heard increase by 33%.
Sympathy: Negotiations between related individuals have more chances of success
Let’s start with the meaning of “sympathy”, that is …
the feeling of inclination and instinctive attraction towards people, things and ideas.
Tendentiously, we are inclined to follow more the guidance of the people we like and that meet our tastes, that is, that we are nice.
The classic example of application are the Tupperware Party, where the interpersonal relations of friendship between the hosts, who host the party, and the senders favor purchases.
The greater the ability to interact and establish a relationship with the interlocutors, the greater the chances of being able to influence their behavior.