A Simple Trick To Persuade Someone Who Doesn’t Want To Be Persuaded

Persuasion is an integral part of salesmanship. Because if you want to get your prospects to buy your product or get your service – you want to persuade him that it is only in their interest to do so.

And obviously persuasion is a huge topic with a wide array of strategies you can use. So today I’m going to touch on just one.

A simple trick actually. As always. And also very sneaky. =)

So what exactly is the trick I’m talking about?

Let me first tell you a story…

I was away in Vietnam with my girl friend a while back, in part to holiday and in part to find business partners.

As foreigners, we stand out from the rest of the crowd.  Even when we are Asians like them, the Vietnamese sure knows a foreigner when they see one.

And that makes us prime targets for street sellers!

One day, while me and my girlfriend were walking along a crowed Hanoi Street, 2 ladies immediately appeared in front of us out of nowhere.

One of them quickly removed her Vietnamese hat (You know the one that looks like a farmer hat as above?) and placed it on my girlfriend’s head. And she then placed the baskets she was carrying on my girlfriend’s shoulder.

I must admit it was quite a sight with my girlfriend wearing the hat and with the baskets on her shoulder.

And you know what happened next? She took the camera I was carrying on my hands and offered to take a photo of us.

Okay…we obliged. They took for us.

When that was done, they gave us an ‘act cute’ look and asked us to buy their pineapples.

And guess what…we did. Or should I say – my girlfriend did.

They actually wanted me to wear the hat too. But I immediately back off. I already knew what they were up to right from the start!

So what can we learn from this? How did they manage to persuade us to buy when we weren’t even looking to buy anything – let alone pinepples?

2 things.

• Reciprocity

They make us feel indebted to them by helping us to take our photos. If you think back carefully, we wouldn’t be taking the photo if my girlfriend wasn’t such a funny sight with the hat and baskets of fruits.

The ladies orchestrated this scenario. And we fell into it.

• Targeting the right person

They knew I was a harder nut to crack. So they targeted my girlfriend, knowing full well that she would give in much more easily than I would (I won’t in fact!).

I have actually seen this trick done a few times to other unsuspecting foreigners. And it’s always the women they target.

Very smart fellows. I have to admit the whole set up was ingenious. So full credit to them. They deserve our business.

Now…do you think you can create a similar scenario where you induce the act of reciprocity from your prospect?

Tell me what you think. I wanna hear them.

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[tags]E-MoneyMarketing, business, persuasion, principle of reciprocity[/tags]

These are some nice tips indeed. Persuasion is key in any deal and people need to master the skills.

The key is to just be not annoying. Persuasion requires kindness and down to earth level.

I like Falcon’s point about kindness vs. annoying. When I ask for reciprocal links, I never make it seem like an expectation, just a suggestion. And I always point out that it’s something that benefits their site, too, not just me.

I still find they are very, very difficult to acquire. Doing it face-to-face, as the ladies with the pineapples did, makes it so much harder to say no. When we do it online, it’s much easier for the person on the other end to simply ignore the request or send a quick reply stating “site policy” against it.

Reciprocal linking is a tricky business. Most people just want to sell you the link spot. It depends who you contact. It has to be low PR site.

Well if you went all the way to Vietnam and they took your photos, its not a bad idea that you got some fresh delicious pineapples. But your right, they knew who would be the easier sell. And I am sure walking around with a camera wearing different kind of clothes made you look like a tourist.

The lady must have done this before since she had the routine all set. Persuasion is a valuable skill.

This is an interesting topic. You should write a few follow up articles on this topic — about persuasion.

@ Falcon Punch:

Right on. Being annoying is just about one of the best ways to kill a deal.

@ UptakeinOH:

Agreed. Face-to-face persuasion is always gonna be more effective because there is real life interaction. You can see and speak to the person.

Then again, it could also be easier for you to piss the person off if you say the wrong thing in person.

@ Glendale Attorney:

The clothes I was wearing wasn’t exactly far off. But yes, I think they probably recognize us from our camera, map and backpack.

I would definitely write more about persuasion. In fact you can do a search, and you will find some articles I have previously written about persuasion, and a related subject – negotiation.

Jag

” They actually wanted me to wear the hat too. But I immediately back off. I already knew what they were up to right from the start! ” would have done the same thing lol.

Jordanss last blog post..Puma Suede – Blacklight Snake

That is an interesting persuasion technique. I think a lot of online marketers try to replicate it by offering free services, such as a helpful newsletter, although it seems to be more effective in real life.

Lol. Love the title of the post and the way article is written. Persuasion is the main skill used in any business to convince the customers and make them brand loyal. Nice post :)

@ Jordans:

Yeah. Guys are more ‘cold-hearted’. We can stand the badgering.

@ Aircraft Guns:

Helpful newsletters and very good value-added information are one of the best ways to build relationship with your members.

@ Amelia:

Thanks! I hope you enjoyed reading the article!

Cheers,
Jag

In my line of work, property equity release, I would be crucified if it was thought that I was persuading someone to use my service.

interesting story and good tip. any tips on how to setup a similar reciprocity on the internet? people almost always expect things for free. and without that “sad begging face” kind of hard to be convincing.

drunk drivings last blog post..Women Gets DUI after MADD Meeting

that was actually an interesting move on the sellers’ part. reciprocity indeed. i think i would’ve bought the fruit as well… :O

koujis last blog post..captivating Capiz, a haiku poem

Reciprocal linking is a tricky business. Most people just want to sell you the link spot. It depends who you contact. It has to be low PR site.

Cricks last blog post..Henderson, Nevada

Wow, very interesting I think I should try to prepare such a strategy for my online business LOL … I wonder how I will do that… but its true very effective…

Gustav

Gustavs last blog post..¿Cual es tu Proposito en la Vida?

I feel that you’re right when you say that targeting the right person is necessary. Those persons in most cases will be persuaded, even if they are inclined to be not involved in such affairs.

PSD RockStars last blog post..How to make some parts colored with rest in Black & White

Hopefully people do not get frustrated about being pestered all the time!!!

Tracy

This is why I love this site! That is so true about the concept of reciprocity. It was just human nature to ‘pay them back’ for what they did for you.

D.J.
Monetize Without Pay-Per-Click

what cunning street vendors they have there in that country… exploiting man’s basic nature to reciprocate a kind act, hmmm what an excellent idea!

Persuasion is a part of business. But it should be in good manner. I liked your post very much.
Keep up your good work.

Another book I enjoyed reading was ‘How To Influcence People and Persuade Others’

Persuasion is a allotment of business. But it should be in acceptable manner. I admired your column actual much.

Keep up your acceptable work.

good trick i will use this trick.

this kind of persuasion from street vendors is a natural thing. They are very intelligent in choosing the right buyer or prospect. They have mastered the art of persuasion. Watching them how they do that is so easy and simple but it takes so much confidence and courage to do it. Nice Post.

Very interesting incident!!.. Persuasion is a part of business but it should be done in proper manner…

Those girls do this probably for years now.

You was overwhelmed by them and before you knew you had bought a pineapple. This always works. You don’t have the time to thing rational.