Persuasion is not just something that is useful to marketers and salesmen, however. Learning how to utilize these techniques in daily life can help you become a better negotiator and make it more likely that you will get what you want.
The ultimate goal of persuasion is to convince the target to internalize the persuasive argument and adopt this new attitude as a part of their core belief system.
The following Are Just A Few Of Highly Effective Persuasion Techniques:
1. Create a Need
One method of persuasion involves creating a need or an appealing a previously existing need. This type of persuasion appeals to a person's fundamental needs for shelter, love, self-esteem, and self-actualization. Marketers often use this strategy to sell their products.
2. Appeal to Social Needs
Another appeals to the need to be popular, prestigious or similar to others. Television commercials provide many example of this type of persuasion, where viewers are encouraged to purchase items so they can be like everyone else or be like a well-known or well-respected person.
3- Get Your Foot in the Door
Another approach that is often effective in getting people to comply with a request is known as the "foot-in-the-door" technique. This persuasion strategy involves getting a person to agree to a small request, like asking them to purchase a small item, followed by making a much larger request. By getting the person to agree to the small initial favor, the requester already has their "foot in the door," making the individual more likely to comply with the larger request.
4. Go Big and Then Small
This approach is the opposite of the foot-in-the-door approach. A salesperson will begin by making a large, often unrealistic request. The individual responds by refusing, slamming the door on the sale. The salesperson responds by making a much smaller request, with often comes off as conciliatory. People often feel obligated to respond to these offers. Since they refused that initial request, people often feel compelled to help the salesperson by accepting the smaller request.
5. Utilize the Power of Reciprocity
When people do you a favor, you probably feel an almost overwhelming obligation to return the favor in kind. This is known as the norm of reciprocity, a social obligation to do something for someone else because they first did something for you. Marketers might utilize this tendency by making it seem like they are doing you a kindness, such as including "extras" or discounts, which then compels people to accept the offer and make a purchase.
6. Create an Anchor Point for Your Negotiations
The anchoring bias can have a powerful influence on negotiations and decisions. When trying to arrive at a decision, the first offer has the tendency to become an anchoring point for all future negotiations. So if you are trying to negotiate a pay increase, being the first person to suggest a number, especially if that number is a bit high, can help influence the future negotiations in your favor. That first number will become the starting point. While you might not get that amount, starting high might lead to a higher offer from your employer.
7. Limit Your Availability
One of the key principles identified for negotiations practices is known as scarcity, or limiting the availability of something, things become more attractive when they are scarce or limited. People are more likely to buy something if they learn that it is the last one or that the sale will be ending soon.
8. Spend Time Noticing Persuasive Messages
Look for examples of persuasion in your daily experience. An interesting experiment is to view a half-hour of a random television program and note every instance of persuasive advertising. You might be surprised by the sheer amount of persuasive techniques used in such a brief period of time.
