When we think of persuasion, we tend to think of saying things in an artistic way. Those who are good with words can easily persuade others. But sometimes, there are far simpler ways of persuading others.
In 1519, the famous Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortés, famous for causing the fall of the Aztec Empire, gave a perfect example of persuading through very simple, yet direct means.
The year before, Cortés had been put in command of an expedition to explore and colonise the interior of Mexico by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the Governor of Cuba. But Cortés and Velázquez had a rather strained relationship.
Velázquez was a bit like a mentor to Cortés and put him in a position of power when he was just 26. But Cortés was perhaps a bit more intelligent than Velázquez had appreciated, and quickly grew in power to the extent that Velázquez became jealous. On top of this, he had also been romantically involved with Velázquez’s sister-in-law, which further strained relationships between the two.
So, despite putting Cortés in command of the expedition, at the last minute Velázquez changed his mind and revoked Cortés’s charter. Cortés ignored this and decided to go on anyway, further enraging Velásquez.
As Cortés pushed on, some his crew remained loyal to Velásquez and planned to seize a ship and escape back to Cuba. Cortés found out about this and decided to take a course of action that would make loyalty to himself the only choice the whole crew had.
He removed everything of value from his ships, then lined them up, and sunk them all.
The crew’s only chance of escape had been sunk. They were now left with a simple choice, either remain loyal to Cortés and march inland and conquer the Aztecs, or die.
Later on Cortés went on to conquer the Aztec empire, so this simple action was clearly very persuasive!
Pushing
Cortés caused his crew to believe that they had no other choice but to do what Cortés said. Whenever we take action that causes people to believe this, we are essentially pushing people.
Pushing people, is generally not my recommended way of persuading people. It can backfire.
I once saw a Director of Operations do pretty much the same as Cortés, and later pay for it.
For the last few years, the company’s sales team had been using a Customer Relationship Management system called OpenEye. They were currently using OpenEye 2.0, but the company wanted to update to a newer version they called OpenEye 3.0. This newer version allowed the Directors to track more information about performance, but it also required the sales team to spend a lot more time inputting data.
It’s generally not a good idea to make people do more work for no extra benefit.
As he introduced OpenEye 3.0, the sales team immediately started complaining about the amount of extra work they’d have to do.
The Director countered this with a company wide training on how to use the system. But they still complained.
So then the Director offered them a transition period. For the next few months, they could continue to use OpenEye 2.0, whilst they took some time to get familiar with 3.0.
But a few weeks into this transition period, he noticed that not a single member of the sales team were using 3.0. So then he did a Cortés, and one morning when the sales team turned up to work they discovered that all of a sudden, OpenEye 2.0 no longer existed.
The sales team were outraged. Morale dropped to an all time low. A number of people left their jobs. Company sales started to drop, and the Director of Operations became so unpopular there were certain offices he could not travel to. A few months later, the Director of Operations resigned.
That’s not to say this tactic doesn’t work.
We see high-tech companies doing this all the time. They keep updating their hardware and software, and after a few years if you are still using an older product with an out of date software then you can’t download the latest apps or get any customer support. This forces people to buy newer versions that also happen to be better. But it’s a bit easier to tolerate this principle of persuasion when you are offered something better in exchange for doing what they want you to do.
Manipulation
Sinking the ships is not the only way of pushing people. There are other ways, but these tend to be very manipulative.
Scarcity is one such way. The principle of scarcity says that the lower the supply, or shorter the availability of something, the more valuable people perceive it as.
It seems that every single gym in Shanghai believes in this principle. Every time I’ve visited a gym to enquire about membership, they say the same old thing; “Well, you see, normally the price is 10,000RMB a year, but, you see, these last few days we’ve had a special offer where the price is reduced to 2,000RMB a year. But, you see, you have to hurry up and decide because the special offer ends today!”.
Honestly I’m not even kidding here, every single gym I’ve ever visited in Shanghai seems to have a special offer on the EXACT day I visit. It is uncanny.
But it’s not uncanny really. I know exactly what they are trying to do. They are trying to cause me to believe that if I don’t act now, I’ll lose out. This manipulates all sorts of psychological trigger points that cause people’s cognitive functions to shut down and focus on taking action.
But again, scarcity can be used for legitimate reasons. For example, you are selling your car. One person is considering buying your car and says they’ll get back to you tomorrow. Then another person phones you and says they’d like to buy your car today and offers you a higher price. You can then very legitimately phone back that original person and explain to them that if they don’t up the price and buy now then you’ll have to sell it to that other buyer.
There are also other means of manipulation.
Reciprocity can be one of those. Reciprocity is the principle of giving back to those who have already given to us. It’s another psychological trigger that comes from our ancient past.
If you were out hunting with your friend, and at the end of the day you had caught a nice rabbit, and your friend had caught nothing, then would it be better for you to share or rabbit with your friend or keep the rabbit all to yourself?
In terms of your long-term survival, it would be better to share that rabbit with your friend. Because the next time you go out hunting, it could you that comes home with nothing and your friend that has that rabbit. If your friend remembers you shared your food with them last time, they are much more likely to share their food with you this time.
This means we have an instinct for giving back to others. If someone has done something nice for us, then we feel obliged to give them back something in return. And sales people sure do know about this!
Pyramid schemes tend to use this principle.
Your good friend has just started a business selling diet supplements. One day they invite you for coffee. They tell you about how this is one of the best business opportunities of this time, but you have to act quick if you want to take part in it because otherwise the opportunity will pass you by (scarcity again!). But if you’re still not sure, then how about this? Here’s a bunch of free samples, worth a lot of money too! “Here, take them, my gift to you” your friend says.
How kind of your friend to give you such expensive items for free. They must be doing this purely out of kindness because they’re your friend.
Wrong! They’ve fallen victim to the pyramid scheme brainwashing and are trying to suck you in as well.
But again, reciprocity doesn’t have to be done in a manipulative way. When we create value for others, without expecting anything in return, reciprocity can work out in our favour. Doing a favour for a friend, introducing someone in need to someone who can help, or giving a potential customer some valuable advice for free, can all come back in our favour. But the key to doing this in a nice way is to not do it with a particular return in mind!
Pushing Honestly
When I first came to Shanghai, I used to love walking around the fake shopping malls. All of these luxury brands could be bought for peanuts! I loved walking out with several new Rolexes to add to the collection.
But in the early days, I really got ripped off. I was such an easy target. I was nice and the shopkeepers were brutal. They’d lure me in, pounce on me, and show me no mercy. I once bought a 15RMB fake Rolex watch for 600RMB!
After a while, I had learnt the ropes. I knew how much things were really worth. And I knew the manipulative tactics these shopkeepers were using. And I developed my own, respectful, way of driving a hard bargain.
I’d walk in with a clear bottom line. I’d decide I’m not paying anymore than 20RMB for that fake Rolex watch. Plus, I’m not going to play their games. I’m just going to give them one choice, take it or leave it.
Of course, I’d also choose to go in on weekdays when there weren’t any tourists or other vulnerable customers. I’d be one of the few chances they had to make money that day. But obviously I wouldn’t tell them that!
I’d walk in with a warm face and greet them. I’d find what I wanted, and ask them what the price was. They’d take their calculator and quickly type a price that was clearly a mark up of thousands of percent! I’d patiently and politely listen to them tell their bullshit stories, and then I’d make my move.
“Maybe I choose the wrong shop. I’m not looking to spend more than 20RMB on this. Can you give it to me for 20RMB?”
They’d then drop their original rip off price by 50%, which was still a massive rip off. Again, I’d politely and patiently listen to their bullshit and wait for them to finish.
“You’re right, it is lovely. But maybe I’ve chosen the wrong shop. I’m looking for something that’s 20RMB, if you can’t give me that price then I don’t want to waste your time.”
They’d then pull out another, cheaper looking watch and say I could have that one for 50RMB.
“Mmm, I’m sure that one is cheaper. But I want this one, and I want it for 20RMB. Can you give it to me for 20RMB?”
They’d scratch their head, then give me more bullshit and lower their price even more, but still blatantly try to rip me off!
“I guess I’ve come to the wrong shop. Sorry for wasting your time.” And then I would walk away.
As I’d get 5 meters away, they’d come very close to my asking price.
As I’d get 10 meters away, they’d match my price. Then I’d turn my head, walk backwards and pay the price, and thank them.
I have seen multiple styles of haggling in these markets. Most are brutal, and I really feel sorry for the shopkeepers having to put up with arrogant, rude and extremely disrespectful tourists. I can understand why they’d want to rip people off.
That is why I choose to be honest, and respectful. I don’t give them any bullshit reasons for why they should let me buy that for 20RMB, I just directly say I want it for that price. And I remain respectful by listening to them, not raising my voice at them, not disqualifying anything they said, and pointing out that maybe I’ve made the mistake by choosing the wrong shop.
But ultimately, I’m still using the push principle. I’m their only chance of making money in that moment. As I walk away, I know they are the only ones who will stand to lose in this moment. I can go to so many other shops, whereas they have no other customers to choose from. Either they do what I say, or they lose out.
Summary
Pushing is one way of persuading people. It’s where we cause people to believe that they have no other choice but to do what we say.
Pushing can backfire. It is my least recommended method of persuading.
But it can be done respectfully.
The key is to create the conditions that cause them to believe that this is their only choice. And there are two main ways of doing this:
– Sink the ships – In other words, remove any alternative choice
– Use Scarcity – In other words, pressure them by only offering this option for a limited time
