The Levers of Influence

How do you influence someone to want to buy from you?

Whilst we talk about Purchase Triggers to get someone to take action when they are ready to buy, Levers of Influence is how you get them there whilst building  the way they view your brand, products and services. These levers can be used in your marketing message to get them ready to buy, as well as in your sales process to convert the sale. Naturally there is some crossover between the two.

The Principles of Persuasion (or Levers of Influence)

The Principles of Persuasion are psychological frameworks that examine human behaviour to understand how we are persuaded into doing something. In my opinion, one of the best books on this subject is “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Dr. Robert Cialdini. Robert often refers to these as “Levers of Influence”.

So what exactly do these Levers of Influence do?

On a normal day, we can make a hundred decisions. These might be from something as simple as what to eat, to something more complex like whether to get a new ducted air conditioning system and who to get it from.  So we don’t drive ourselves mad, we use mental shortcuts to make the simple decisions and to help us with the more complex ones. This is where the Levers of Influence come in.

Let’s use 2 examples to see how this works in practice:

1. Deciding what to eat for dinner (simple decision)
   Rather than having to give this much thought, we simply stick to Tuesday night is Taco night.

2. Deciding whether to install a solar system (complex decision)
   In this case we need to give the decision more thought, but we will be influenced by whether our friends have a system, the company reviews, and a report from an expert.

So what are the Levers of Influence?

According to Dr. Robert Cialdini, the Levers of Influence can be broken down into 7 main principles or levers. Before we get into these, it is important that you understand that these principles have been developed after numerous studies and experiments. They have been proven to make a difference in how people make decisions. 

1. Reciprocation

This is where, if someone gives us something we feel the need to return the favour. We don’t like feeling like we are indebted or owe someone something. The simplest example of this is when someone buys a round of drinks and you feel the need to buy a round back before leaving. There are 2 key levers in this principle:

1. Giving a gift/sample etc
   If you get several quotes and one of those includes a free gift or sample, you are more likely to choose that quote. You will have a level of indebtedness.

2. Rejection then retreat
   This is where you present a solution at a price you don’t expect the buyer to accept; then when they reject it, you come back with a better offer. The buyer feels like you’ve made a compromise for them, so they have a level of indebtedness.

2. Commitment and Consistency

This principle is where we want to be seen as consistent and true to our words and actions. We don’t want people to think we are continually changing from what we have said or done in the past. This has 3 key levers:

1. The Small Initial Commitment
   Once someone has committed in a small way, they feel the need to continue committing. Think about charging a small fee for maybe a diagnostic or inspection. When you charge a call-out fee they are more likely to use you as they have already made a small commitment.

2. The Shift in Self-Image
   Help people view themselves as someone who values what you do and feel like they are partnering with you. This could be including them in developing the solution or simply explaining to them how great they are for wanting to fix their problem.

3. The Demand for Consistency
   This is similar to the first option, but more subtle. Look at getting the buyer to take some form of action. Consider something like a checklist for them to identify what the problem is or what they want in the solution. Another option is a membership for future decisions.

3. Social Proof

When we are unsure, we like to see what the crowd thinks to help us make a decision. This shows the importance of getting and showing your customer reviews and testimonials. There are 2 areas where social proof becomes more important to us:

1. Uncertainty
   If we have any uncertainty, we take more notice of what others say. Think about telling your potential buyer which option is the most popular.

2. Similarity
   We  are more likely to take notice if the social proof is from someone similar to us. Consider telling buyers about other customers who were similar to them, for example, family, single mum, professionals etc.

4. Liking

We are more likely to buy from someone that we like. There are 4 key ways to get someone to like us:

1. Physical Attractiveness
   This doesn’t mean if you aren’t an attractive person, you’re screwed. You can also consider how you present overall, with clean uniforms, professional presentation and good branding etc.

2. Similarity
   We want to deal with people who are similar to us. Look and listen to find out areas that you are similar and make sure you point them out. It could be the same sporting team, or maybe the same demographics (eg. family etc). A more subtle way is what is called mirroring, where you try to match their behaviour, body language etc.

3. Compliments
   We love to feel good about ourselves, so when someone helps us to, we feel more positive towards them. So make sure you compliment them. This can be on something unrelated to the problem/solution or better still how great it is they are taking it seriously etc when most people wouldn’t.

4. Association
   We like people who are associated with what we consider positive things. This could be a local community group or someone you sponsor etc.

5. Authority

Similar to how we are swayed by what the crowd thinks (social proof), we are also influenced by someone we perceive as being in authority. There are 3 ways to develop your authority with the buyer.

1. Symbols (The Look)
   Do you look like someone in authority? Consider turning up in a clean, branded vehicle, in a branded uniform and with your equipment is an organised toolbox etc.

2. Title and Credentials (The Status)
   Your title and credentials have a massive impact on how people perceive you. Don’t just be a plumber, but a Master Plumber. Call yourself an expert or specialist in the solution you are offering.

3. Trappings (Expertise in Action)
   Demonstrate yourself as the expert. Diagnose the problem with the buyer using specialised equipment etc, explaining the issues and solutions as you go.

6. Scarcity

If there are only a few items left or so many days before the offer ends, we are more motivated to make a decision so we don’t miss out. The good old FOMO. There are 3 key ways to build scarcity.

1. Limited Quantity
   Whilst this seems obvious with products, consider only offering so many services in a certain area etc. It could be that we only handle one more solar system installation this month etc.

2. Limited Time
   Every quote should have an expiry date. Promote that this price is only available for a short period of time.

3. Exclusivity
   This  could be something like a membership or past customers. You are only offering this service and/or price to your members or previous customers.

7. Unity

Unity is all about showing yourself as part of the team. It isn’t you against the buyer, but you both being on the same team. There are 3 key levers:

1. Co-Creation
   Work with the buyer to come up with the solution. It is “us” versus the problem. Make sure to talk through the issues with them as well as the possible solutions. Make them part of the team.

2. Shared Identity
   Similar to the Liking (Similarity) above, but a bit more direct. Think about the ways you are the same as your buyer. It could  be you’re both business owners, or parents, or part of the same group etc.

3. Acting Together
   Whereas Co-Creation is about working together to create the solution, acting together is more on how you go about it. How you walk through their home or business together looking at the same things and building rapport.

Sources:

https://www.influenceatwork.com/7-principles-of-persuasion/

Published by Jarrod Sweetman