Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

Cheeky Request – What Would You Have Done?

This week I received an email from a MM reader, Darren about a cheeky request he received and I want to see how you feel about it and what you would have done if it happened to you.

Darren stated he received an email from a telecommunications consultant that been helping him switch to his product/service. In the email the service provider advised he had activated Darren’s global roaming and it was now available for use.

However he closed the email with the following request:

Can I be really cheeky?……. and ask you if you’ve got any companies that you might be able to refer me to?

Darren stated the provider has been good with the service he provides and he does go “above & beyond”.

I asked Darren how the request made him feel and he said his immediate response was it was a cheeky request indeed.

Darren felt that the request had put him on the spot, cheeky or not, and he felt pressure to provide a referral – which he didn’t want to do.

We understand the pressure Darren was experiencing was coming from the pull of Reciprocity.   The service provider had done a good good job and gone “above and beyond” for Darren and now he was looking to collect by asking for a favour in return.

The question is was this an equitable exchange?  Darren was paying the telecommunications advisor for his service after all and going above and beyond is perhaps his unique differentiator in the marketplace.

The telling part of the story for me was Darren said he waited almost two days to respond due to the discomfort.  During the two days he mulled over what to say before eventually replying with a non-committal statement saying,

 Trying to think of any organisations where they have a need for 5+ mobiles etc – will think to mention you to them as I interact with them to see if they are receptive to an approach.

Darren told me that he probably won’t follow through with this commitment because of the way the request was made and how it made him feel.

 

Here is your chance to interact.  Tell me how you would have reacted.  Was the request okay or not?  As Sleuth of Influence what advice would provide the service provider to persuade Darren to provide a referral without making him feel uncomfortable or obligated.

I am really looking forward to your views on this one – I have plenty I will share as we get going.

 

Cheeky request

 

 

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The post Cheeky Request – What Would You Have Done? appeared first on Social Influence Consulting Group.

Receptive or Not Receptive – that is the question

Receptive

Receptivity is defined as “Ready or willing to receive favourably”.  Understanding how receptive someone is to your request is a core function of persuasion.

By way of example, many years ago I knew a teenager whose natural response to anyone else’s ideas or requests was pessimistic.  He would highlight the risks, say how hard it would be to implement what was being proposed and he would generally take a non-supportive view. Looking back now it was amazing how much energy was put into this continual resistance.  It must have been exhausting being so unreceptive.

Fast forward 25 years and today I know another guy.  His natural response to everything is “yes” or at least let’s explore it further.   He is open to new ideas and explores every situation for opportunities to collaborate and succeed.

Would it surprise you however to know that the guy I am talking about in both instances is the same person?  Would it also surprise you to know this guy is me?

As a teenager I was a “doer” but I was also a “know-it-all”.  I liked to get things done but I was the one who had to do it.  I had to be right.  I was the one who had to come up with the idea and execute it.  No-one would ever do it the way I thought it should be done so I would do it myself. I was unreceptive to ideas of others.

Today I am not like my younger self.  I am more receptive to ideas.  Others and my own.  I am more willing to explore things and look for a successful outcome.  I know that taking time and exploring the situation in its entirety will create a better solution and it is certainly better than rushing in blindly.  While it has taken me awhile I have learned to be receptive to others and their ideas.  I am not perfect at it by any means but yes is more of the norm now than no.

Upon reflecting on my journey through receptivity I remembered a phrase we used in the police called “escalating commitment to a failing course of action”.  This phrase refers to someone (usually a decision maker) who due to having made a previous commitment to do something would often see them remain committed to that decision.  They would resist the ideas of others, often in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary and usually until it was too late to change the inevitable outcome. History is littered with examples of leaders, and teenagers, who suffered from an escalating commitment to a failing course of action!

On many occasions I have seen good people make poor decisions because they were unreceptive to the ideas of others.

Therefore in any persuasion task you need to:

identify who the Persuadee actually is
set about analysing what is Essential to them
find out their Attitude to what you are proposing
understand how much they do or do not Know about your product, service or idea

This is what I call the PEAK process and it involves stakeholder identification, analysis and planning to ensure you achieve your desired goal, i.e. reach the PEAK!

1. Therefore monitor the reactions of those you are engaging with.  Identify those who have power and interest and engage them. Use their receptivity to your advantage.

2. Similarly identify those who have power but little interest.  Keep them informed but don’t annoy them with too much information.  Sometimes we confuse lack of receptiveness for actual lack of need to know and some leaders while in charge just don’t need to know or need to be involved in what you are proposing.  If they are the person you need to persuade, then this is where your persuasion skills come into play to have them change their beliefs and behaviour and in the process have them become more receptive to your request.

3. Identify those with high interest but no power and use their receptiveness to rally them around you.  Have them convey their support to others and use their passion and drive to get things done.

4. Finally monitor those with no power or interest.  They only need to be monitored because they are outside the Circle of Persuasion, i.e. the inner circle of persuadees that will either impact positively or negatively on your request.  Your only task with these people is to make sure you aware if they move from the outer to the inner circle of persuasion.

IMPLICATION

This week, think about how receptive people are to your requests.  Persuade the persuadable and then set about engaging those Persuadees who need to be involved.

Think about how receptive you are to others and remember saying “yes” or at least being open to the idea maybe all it takes to build a relationship and trigger Reciprocity.

None of us like “All Staff” emails when they don’t relate to us.  Don’t alienate leaders or decision makers by continually updating them when they don’t need to be.  That way when you do include them they are far more likely to be receptive to your ideas!

 

The post Receptive or Not Receptive – that is the question appeared first on Social Influence Consulting Group.

Setting the Stage for the Up Front Close

If you’re in sales you can probably relate to the following scenario. You met with a prospective client and immediately had great rapport, which opened the door for you to compete for their business. You gathered the necessary information and provided them a better deal than they currently had. They asked for time to think it over and consider a couple of other quotes. Despite all the positive indicators, in a follow up phone call you learned they opted for another provider. You’re left wondering what you could have done differently to seal the deal.Sound familiar? One way to reduce the odds of that happening is to engage the principle of consistency through a technique known as the “up front close.” Consistency is the principle of influence that tells us people feel internal psychological pressure and external pressure to be consistent in what they say and do. Getting someone to commit to you early on exactly what it will take to win their business is what the up front close is all about. It might look like this: “Mr. Smith, I’d like to know exactly what it will take in order for you to move your business to our firm. If I can’t do something you require I’ll let you know right away and save us both time. How does that sound?” Your goal is to find out all the things you need to do for the customer in order for them to make the switch to your company. If you can’t meet the price, delivery date, service requirements, etc., then let the customer know and remove yourself from the sales process as soon as possible. If you think you can meet all the requirements then go for it and use their requirements as leverage during the sales presentation.During a recent coaching call a graduate of one of my Principles of Persuasion (POP) workshops asked how he could easily and naturally work his way into the up front close. That’s a great question because you don’t want to jump right into the up front close in the first five minutes of meeting a potential customer. It takes some finesse but you can do it! Here’s how I would envision using questions in a natural, ethical manner to move into the up front close. Salesperson – It looks as if business is going great and you seem like you’re very busy.Customer – Never been busier but I suppose that’s a good thing in this economy.Salesperson – Agreed, better too busy than not busy enough. With all that’s going on I’m going to guess saving time is pretty important for you?Customer – You bet. I’m usually in here by 7 a.m. and rarely leave before 6 p.m.. I even put in extra time on the weekends.Salesperson – I have many days like that myself. If you’re like most people I talk with buying insurance isn’t high on your list of fun activities. It’s not like planning a vacation or shopping for a new car. Knowing that, I have an idea that might save us both a good bit of time when it comes to your insurance. Would you like to hear it? Customer – I’m all ears.Salesperson – Since the insurance buying process is a necessity I’m sure other agents are competing for your business. While that’s a good thing, you probably don’t want to deal with any more agents than you have to in order to complete the process, right?Customer – Exactly. It’s a necessary evil and time consuming. That’s why we only put it out to bid every two or three years.Salesperson – Here’s what I propose that could save us both time. I’d like to know exactly what it would take in order for you to move your business to our agency. If I can’t do something you require I’ll let you know right away and remove myself from the quoting process and save us both time. How does that approach sound?Customer – I think that’s a great approach.From this point forward the salesperson has to use good questioning techniques to learn the key factors in the buying decision. The conversation should end something like this: Salesperson – We’ve covered a lot of ground today! If I understand you correctly we need to do A, B and C in order to become your new insurance agent. Am I correct?Customer – That’s right, A, B and C are critical.Salesperson – And there’s no other reason you wouldn’t make the switch if we do A, B and C?Customer – Nope. You do those three things and we’re in business together.If you return to the office and realize you can’t do all three just let the customer know right away. But, if you can do all three that becomes you’re leverage to easily ask for the business when you present your proposal. Will everyone say “Yes” at that point? No, because sometimes things change. However, using this approach will get far more customers saying, “Yes” because the psychology of consistency drives them to naturally do that.Brian Ahearn, CMCT® Chief Influence Officer influencePEOPLE Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.