The Power of Please

Part 4 of a 7-part series


We're taught as children to "Say the magic word" for good reason.

Please is indeed magical, despite the fact we're all aware that its express purpose is to persuade, according to Kevin Hogan, author of The Science of Influence.

Including the word in emails, posts, ads and verbal requests is guaranteed to boost their persuasiveness.

So please do it.

The Power of Imagine

Part 3 of a 7-part series

Imagine works as a persuader because it's one of the few requests we don't automatically resist.

That's why Kevin Hogan, author of The Science of Influence, says it's one of seven "magic words" guaranteed to make you more persuasive.

By asking your customer simply to imagine she's using your product, you're asking so little she's bound to comply with your request.

The Power of Now

Part 2 of a 7-part series

When modifying any request, now acts as a persuader because it implies that delay will have unpleasant consequences.

That's why Kevin Hogan, author of The Science of Influence, includes now among the seven "magic words" guaranteed to make you more persuasive.

The word's power derives from our conditioning as children to hear a request modified by now as a threat by a parent, as in, "Finish your homework now!"

The Power of Because

Part 1 of a 7-part series

Kevin Hogan, author of The Science of Influence, says there are seven "magic words" guaranteed to make you more persuasive.

Because—preceding any reason, no matter how vague—will often persuade people to agree to your request.

They'll do so automatically.

That's because we're conditioned from childhood to comply when offered justification for a request.

Feelings First

Note to B2B marketers: Money isn't everything.

Yes, money informs all business decisions. But emotion propels buying decisions—including the decision to buy your product.

Your product not only has to be the right choice; it has to feel like it. Without that feeling, all options seem pretty much the same.

Leading with the detailed financial arguments needed to seal buying decisions can take the wind out of your sails (pun intended).

So before piling on proof points, rouse your customer. 

Tell attention-grabbing stories of "before and after" transformations experienced by other customers.

Omit those stories and you'll find yourself merely reciting a lot of facts and figures, which feed the brain, but starve the gut.

Sales gurus Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer, in Conversations That Win the Complex Sale, caution:

"One of the most common mistakes sales professionals make when selling is that they lead too early with proof. They believe that all they need to do is use the brute force of facts and logic in their pitch, and the prospect will buy from them. What you need to understand is that proof has its place. But it should come only after you've created the emotional momentum in your prospect that makes him want to move from where he is to where your solution can take him."