Open Me First

June 18th, 2009

Whatever your job title, business or hobby, your ability to make others listen to you, trust you, and act on what you say delivers success.

We thought we’d have a little educational fun with you today, and give you some valuable information at the same time. Every day as a business owner you must persuade somebody to do something. As the CEO of your business, it’s your job to enroll clients, convince the doubters and develop ardent followers.

But do you know how?

Can we persuade you to read this article? Click through to understand the entire process? Let’s see.

We’ve modified a quiz by persuasion expert, Kurt Mortensen, to see just how well you influence people.

1. You are trying to convince a prospective client to do business with you. After several contacts with the person, what technique will be the most persuasive?

a.     Saying that everyone has the product/service
b.     Explaining what the client would miss out on if your company wasn’t hired
c.    Showing how the client is doing the right thing for his family/society
d.    Demonstrating the incredible value your company brings

2. What is the first color to register in the human brain?

a.       Red
b.      Yellow
c.       Orange
d.      White
e.      Gold

3. The best persuaders are:

a.       Analytical
b.      Extroverted
c.       Introverted
d.      Educated
e.      Competitive

4. When you know price is the biggest concern for someone considering buying one of your products, the first thing you should do is...

a.       Talk about the guarantee
b.      Show the most expensive product first
c.       Show the least expensive option first
d.      List additional features
e.      List additional benefits

5. When making a buying decision, what percent of the process takes place in a person's subconscious mind?

a.       55%
b.      65%
c.       75%
d.      85%
e.      95%

Ready for the answers? They might surprise you.

1. Answer: B. Opportunities are always more valuable and exciting when they are scarce and less available. Potentially losing something before we've even had an opportunity to possess it drives people to action. We don't want to miss out on anything we could have had.

2. Answer: Yellow. Research shows that yellow is the color that registers fastest in the brain, and causes people to be alert and watchful. Say you have something critical you want your audience to notice in a PowerPoint presentation: It’s probably a good idea to highlight it in yellow. Color impacts our thinking, our actions, and our reactions. Great persuaders understand how colors can trigger subconscious reactions -- good or bad.

3. Answer: Introverted. One very common misconception is that great persuaders are extroverts. Wrong! The latest research shows that the introverts out-persuade the extroverts. Why? Because they listen more, they ask more questions, and they find out what their audience needs.

4. Answer: B. In one study, sales of pool tables were monitored to see customers who were shown less expensive tables, and then shown the more expensive models. The average sale worked out to be approximately $550 per table. For the second half of the experiment, customers were first shown top-of-the-line tables, priced as high as $3,000. After seeing the most expensive tables first, the customers were shown gradually less and less expensive tables. This time, the average sale turned out to be over $1,000 per table. After seeing the really nice, high-quality tables, the low-end tables were less appealing, so customers tended to buy the higher-priced items.

5. Answer: 95%. Ninety-five percent of persuasion and influence involves a subconscious trigger. Thoughts like 'It just feels right,' 'I trust this person,' or 'I don't like this person' are all based on subconscious emotional reactions. Great persuaders know and understand the power of subconscious triggers.

How well did you do? There are certainly many eye-opening truths about persuasion that we all need to better grasp if we want our businesses to succeed. If you’re captivated by this little exercise, Mortensen’s entire quiz can be found at www.persuasiveiq.com.

Make today the day you adjust a few of your persuasion techniques and watch your results change.

To your success,

Wendy Byford	Gary Bauer
President	Vice President