How many times
a day do you think someone tries to persuade you? Twenty? Thirty? Actually it's
more like four hundred according psychologist Kevin Dutton of Cambridge
University. He outlines the five principles of persuasion in his book
Split-Second Persuasion. Remember the acronym S-P-I-C-E.
SIMPLICITY: A simple message
makes it easy for people to get persuaded. Complex arguments make people
suspicious.
PERCEIVED SELF-INTEREST: Focus
on the benefits to the person you wish to persuade, rather than emphasizing
your own needs. Don’t say, “We will be able to do this with 20 people dedicated
to your project”. Instead try saying, “Your inventory costs will drop by XXX.”
INCONGRUITY: Changing the unit
of measurement changes the usual reference points. For example, we have all
heard that you need 10,000 hours of practice to be great at any skill. What
does that really mean? If you work at it for eight hours a day, every day, in
four years you could be an expert at something.
CONFIDENCE: People are persuaded
more when you come across as confident. Sales people need to demonstrate
confidence in their speech and body language if they wish to persuade someone
to buy.
EMPATHY: We trust people like
ourselves. Try to see what common forms of connection you can find. Maybe you
studied in the same college or belong to the same town or enjoy the same hobby.
Or sometimes even mimicking their actions like nodding can help people listen
to you with an open mind.
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