The 5 most basic principles of human nature...

Advanced search

[Guest]

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever

Login with username, password and session length

[Old Nikko]

 
...can be summed up in just 27 words:

People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw stones at their enemies.

These few words are the 5 most important principles of human nature - because - they are simple, they are immediately useful, and they can be almost frighteningly powerful in the world of sales and marketing ... as well as for madmen and despots, seducers and conmen, preachers and evangelists, entertainers and politicians, etc..

For good or ill.  

Don't believe me?

Watch the commercials you think are good - you'll see that they have at least one, if not more of these behind the messages they are trying to send.
Whether that is intentional or not is a subject for another time.  

Same goes for every word from a politicians mouth... and, it's the one thing that keeps getting them re-elected.

Look for them, you'll see these few words in action... in every message that works.

Are there more "hot buttons"?
Of course - hundreds, if not thousands!
But - They aren't nearly as significant or useful as these 5 are.

Try using these in your "sales" messages - you'll see a significant positve increase in your own effectiveness in communicating whatever it is you want your "reciever" to act upon.

Nick

PS: There is a sixth, not-so-secret one I like to use - a lot! A careful read of almost everything I write has it in it... in one form or another.

Can you guess what that might be?  

[alandry]

Thank you Nick

[Old Nikko]

The power of "because"...

    Behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues decided to put the persuasive power of this word to the test.  In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, "Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the Xerox machine?" 

     Faced with the direct request to cut ahead in this line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them. 

However, when the stranger made the request with a reason ("May I use the Xerox machine, because I'm in a rush?"), almost everyone (94 percent) complied...

    Here's where the study gets really interesting...This time, the stranger also used the word because but followed it with a completely meaningless reason.  Specifically, the stranger said "May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?"

The rate of compliance was 93 percent.

That is from Bob Cialdini's Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive.