What's the magic word?
Nope! It's not please. It's because. The word because indicates a reason is being given and people LOVE to have a reason. Even if it's not a good one. Seriously! The actual reason doesn't matter half as much as you think it would. Do you remember when your mother would ask you to clean your room and you'd ask, "Why?" "Because I said so! That's why!" she'd yell back and then...you'd go clean your room. Guess what? You were both onto something and it wasn't just the fear of what would happen if you didn't clean your room. It was the need for a reason. According to Dr. Robert B Cialdini, author of, Influence; The Psychology of Persuasion, there's a well-know principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we'll be far more successful if we give them a reason. And, I've found this principle to extend beyond the realm of favors. Providing a reason why, can increase compliance by as much as 34%. To test this theory, Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer, conducted an experiment. While standing in line to use a copy machine at a library, Dr Langer asked those in front, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine because I'm in a rush?" The effectiveness of this request-plus reason was nearly 94% positive. When the same request was made without any reason given, only 60% of those asked, agreed to the request. In another version of this experiment, she asked, "Excuse me I have five pages. May I use the copy machine because I need to make copies." Remarkably, nearly 93% of the people complied with her request. Can you imagine? Understanding Psychological Triggers Understanding that people respond to being given a reason serves as an opportunity to question and identify your why's. When you can give your customers an honest reason for why they should consider working with you, reasons that are both true and aligned with your values, it becomes possible to be of service while at the same time, grow your business. Not to mention, having clear reasons for why someone should work with you is a form of identity work that'll help you master your message, build your confidence, sharpen your focus, and so much more. THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:
LET ME KNOW: I'd love to hear what you discover. What worked. What didn't. How did you apply this in your personal and family life? In your business or work life? What new insights did you gain? What questions came up? By sharing your experience I'll be able to report back the findings to the larger Sagefire community and we can all grow and learn from one another. See what I did there? I gave a reason without using because. So many ways we can play with this. Please send your comments with the subject line "Reasons Why" to: Michael@sagefirementoring.com. I'll do my best to respond in a timely fashion. Best, Michael
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AuthorI make videos about the things I and the people I serve, need to hear. Archives
January 2021
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