Persuasion - how we really make decisions
How many of you reading this think that you’re impervious to persuasion tactics, where attempts to get you to do something (like part with some cash) are easily deflected by some kind of invisible force-field?
I have to admit that I think I’m pretty good at saying “no” to the approaches of sellers – deftly swatting their attempts away, always politely, but equally firmly. Or at least I thought I was.
The fascinating thing about persuasion is that, as we don’t have the mental capacity or the time to make well thought-through, rational decisions for every decision we make, we often take short cuts.
Have a look at this article on “dual process cognitive theory” for more details.
Incredibly, while we may THINK that we use logic to make most of our decisions (“system 2 thinking”) in fact, we make up to 95% of all our decisions based on instinct and gut feel alone (system 1 thinking”). We decide emotionally and justify logically. How does THAT make you feel? A bit unsettling, isn’t it?
Now, dear reader, I’m going to reveal to you that occasionally, my force field doesn’t work as effectively as it should. There are a number of scenarios when I’m at my most vulnerable: when I’m relaxed, when I’m in good company…or at the racecourse.
I’m sharing this tale with you just so you can think about when you might be vulnerable to similar tactics, so you can switch to Defcon 1 and be on your guard.
There’s nothing malevolent about this example and there was nothing underhand about the approach whatsoever, but it did get me thinking about how easy it is to persuade someone, under the right conditions.
Picture the scene. My delightful wife treated me to lunch at a beautiful manor house nearby (for the avoidance of doubt, she’s not rolling in cash, she was taking advantage of a ridiculously cheap, fixed price deal and her friends weren’t available. Not that I’m ungrateful of course).
The house sat in acres of beautifully manicured grounds, the interior of the house and restaurant was stunning and the staff were warm, friendly and welcoming. I was swept away by the grandeur of the place, if I’m honest.
Ushered to a table near the window, overlooking the gardens, the charming waitress greeted us, engaged us in conversation and asked “would you like some Arancini to get you started?”. Well, who doesn’t like those tasty little rice delights?
Yes, of course we’d like some Arancini. We were there to dine, and we both immediately liked the waitress. There was no mention of price or whether or not those little balls of joy were included in the fixed price deal or not. And, relaxed as I was, I didn’t even question it.
It wasn’t until our bill arrived after our meal that I realized that I’d been upsold. OK, so it wasn’t going to break the bank, but indeed it was the most beautiful, seamless and innocuous upsell that I’d ever experienced. I had nothing but admiration for the way in which I’d been persuaded to part with more cash than I was expecting.
The persuasion principle that lured us in was “likeability”. If you’re going to be able to persuade someone, rule #1 is that you need to be liked and the waitress did an amazing job of creating likeability from the moment we arrived.
Those 9 little words are probably earning that restaurant £000’s every single week. Not a bad return for some little balls of rice.
If you’d like to find out more about dual process cognitive theory, I’d recommend these 2 books:
Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman and Influence is your superpower by Zoe Chance.
The best days lie ahead.
