By Victor Antonio, BSEE, MBA
Now, many of us at one time or another have been invited to
a Tupperware party or something similar.
We all know what’s going to happen; someone is going to sell us
something at the party. And in the end,
we come home with more Tupperware even though our cabinets runneth over with
more plastic goodies than we’ll ever need.
How did we get sold? Let’s
recreate a scenario and then let’s take a closer look.
Scenario:
Your friend Ann calls you and invites you to a Tupperware
party she is hosting at her house. You
find it hard to say no so you agree to be there. You show up and there are other friends and
soon to be new friends at the party snacking on hors d'oeuvres and sipping on
some wine all the while having polite conversation.
Your friend Ann then clinks her wine glass politely with a
spoon to get everyone’s attention as she prepares to introduce the Tupperware
representative (a friend of Ann’s I’m sure).
The rep begins by introducing herself and then courteously asks everyone
in the room to introduce themselves so that everyone can get to know a little
more about each other. The rep then asks
how many people already own Tupperware.
Many of the guests raise their hands.
The rep then ask each of them to share their experience with the
Tupperware products and how they use them at home to make their lives more
convenient. She then talks about the new
products Tupperware has and then closes by thanking everyone for taking the
time and supporting their friend Ann.
Ann then says, “I’m passing out this form for anyone who is interested
in buying any of the items we discussed.
And we also have more drinks and hors d'oeuvres.” That’s it, no hard sales pitch and no sales
pressure to buy. Next thing you know you
filling out a form and signing up to buy a few of the Tupperware items even
though you told yourself you wouldn’t.
Sound familiar? What
happened? Why did you feel compelled to
buy something? What I want to do now is dissect exactly what happened and
why. If you’ve ever watch one of those
crime shows, you’ve probably seen the lead detective, after reviewing the crime
scene, recreate exactly what happened based on the evidence. What I want to do is highlight what rules of
social dynamics compelled you to buy:
1) When you walked in you were greeted by your friend Ann.
Rule of Liking:
we are more likely to be persuaded by people we like, know and trust. We favor
buying from people we like,…in this case our friend Ann.
2) You were then offered free hors d'oeuvres and wine.
Rule of Reciprocity:
when someone gives you something, you feel a sense of obligation to return the
favor in kind…in this case by buying something after eating Ann’s food and
drinking her wine
3) The rep than asked the willing to share their experience
with their Tupperware products.
Rule of Social Proof:
when we see others doing something, we take our social cues from others and we
are inclined to do the same. When the
rep asks those who’ve bought in the past to share their experiences, what she
is doing is providing you the buyer with ‘proof’ that others love the product
and so should you.
4) And, if you were one of those people that volunteered to
share your experience with the group, then you were influence by the following
rule.
Rule of Consistency:
if you make a public statement, you will behave in a manner that is consistent
with your public statement. By saying
that Tupperware is great you’ve pretty much painted yourself into a mental
buying corner. You will look like a liar
if you don’t buy some of their newer products after stating how satisfied you
are with their products.
There are other subtle dynamics at work in this example, but
I wanted to highlight the four major rules at work. Each rule in and of itself may or may not be
enough to sway someone to make a buying decision, but the cumulative effect is
powerful and effective.
So here’s my question to you, “How can you use one or all
four of these rules to improve your sales closing ratio?”
My
challenge to you is to send me an example of how you would use these rule(s) in
your business. Send me a brief
description (100-200 words and highlight what rules you’re using) and I will
publish the best strategy in the next Sales Influence newsletter.
Victor Antonio, Sales Influence
Finding the Why in Buy
Copyright
© 2008 by Victor Antonio. All rights reserved. This article
MAY be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address
are included as part of the article’s body. All inquiries, including
information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio at
info@victorantonio.com.
