Have you ever wished you could “make” someone agree with you?  Have you ever wondered how a salesperson managed to get you to buy something you really didn’t want?  Have you ever heard the phrase “Getting to Yes” or “Closing the Sale” and thought that would be a useful skill?

Well, when we make decisions, our brains are hard-wired to take mental shortcuts.  Internal mechanisms help us quickly assimilate information and take the correct next step.  It stands to reason, then, that those who understand how these mechanisms work would have an enormous power to “help” others make easy, quick decisions.

There are seven “triggers” listed below.  Naturally, it takes time and study to master them, and far more information than the nibble I’ve posted here, but if you are interested in learning more, I used to offer a course that covers the elements of each trigger, how to activate each of them, and how to apply them both individually and in combinations.  It’s a process of determining which triggers will be most easily activated in each persuasive encounter you have.

If you are interested in setting something up, just leave me a comment with your contact information.  All my comments are held until I allow them to be posted, so your information will never be shown on my blog.

Persuasion is the single most important business and personal skill to learn.  Without the skill of persuasion, leaders would be unable to lead, salespeople would be unable to sell, motivational speakers would be unable to motivate, and so on.  Persuasion is the key to success in every facet of life.  Most people don’t understand the key elements of persuasion and fewer still apply the process well

1.  The Friendship Trigger:  Trust, Friendship and Common Bonds.

Friendship is a fundamental trigger that works by itself, and underlies and supports virtually every other trigger.  When you establish the elements of friendship, persuasion becomes much easier.  We are far more likely to be persuaded by someone we trust and feel friendly toward than by a stranger.

2.  The Authority Trigger:  Show Credibility, Knowledge and Authority.

Ethos, the Authority trigger, is one of the three primary triggers defined by Aristotle around 435 BC.  Like Friendship, Authority is a critical emotional trigger, a pre-requisite for other triggers.  When people believe you are an expert, are experienced, know what you are talking about, persuasion compliance follows.  The key is to wisely activate your partner’s Authority trigger.  Authority/Expertise is an exceptionally powerful trigger that is fairly easy to aquire and communicate.

3.  The Consistency Trigger:  Some of Us are Slaves to Consistency.

Remember this truism: We are slaves to consistency and conformity.  From birth forward, we assemble a databank of beliefs, feelings and actions that form the bedrock of who we are and how we react to stimuli.  We are required to be consistent with the feelings we have about ourselves, and to conform to our respected peers.  The Consistency trigger allows us to make instantaneous, automatic decisions.

4.  The Reciprocity Trigger:  The Universal Requirement for Quid Pro Quo.

Fun, easy to facilitate, and guaranteed to work, the Reciprocity trigger always delivers and the outcome is consistently a win-win situation.  Psychologists have been able to watch the brain react for over a decade and have concluded that it is the Reciprocity trigger that is responsible for helping human civilization start, grow and flourish.  It’s a powerful trigger and plays a huge role in the persuasion process.

5.  The Contrast Trigger:  Perceptions Rule.

Those individuals you are trying to persuade always have alternative approaches to meet their needs.  Your job is to persuade them that your product, solution, or service is better than any alternative.  The savvy persuader will know precisely how to compare and contrast options — even the option of doing nothing — in a way that motivates others to say YES!  The contrast trigger is scientifically documented and incredibly effective, easy and fun to use.  Perhaps most importantly it helps you organize the order and structure of your presentation for maximum results.

6.  The Reason Why Trigger:  Provide a Reason and You Will Persuade.

This is one of the quickest triggers to get to YES!  Simply give your partner a reason why he/she/they should do what you want.  That’s it.  The amygdala seems to accept a valid reason, and doesnt even bother to send the information to the cerebral cortex for further evaluation.  The amygdala OK’s the reason as a shortcut to avoid heavy thinking.  Until we understood the amygdala-cortex connection, the Reason Why trigger was just a hit-or-miss process. But now we understand the relationship and are able to fine-tune the process for consistant results.

7.  The Hope Trigger:  The Strongest Motivator.

This is both the most powerful and the most important trigger of them all.  Hope drives all human motivation. It is the bedrock for decision and action.  Decisions and actions to achieve our hopes, dreams, needs and wants will always trump logic, reason and cognitive thought.  The amygdala quickly and consistently triggers immediate decisions when the Hope trigger is ativated.

Naturally, this is just a taste of what mastering the powers of persuasion entails.  I hope it has sparked your interest and “persuaded” you to want to learn more.  It’s a fastinating subject to study and life-changing when employed.