Book review: COVERT PERSUASION
Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game
Genres:
- Persuasion
- Sales
- Psychology
Review posted on:
16.03.2016
The number of pages:
240 pages
Book rating:
4/5
Year the book was published:
First edition published 2006
Who should read this book:
- Start-up founders, Entrepreneurs, people in Sales and Marketing.
Why did I pick up this book and what did I expect to get out of it:
I found Covert Persuasion written by Kevin Hogan and James Speakman at work and after reading the covers and table of contents I decided to give it a go. One of the main reasons I decided to read this book is simply that I want to know what psychological tactics are being taught in the “world of sales.” So that maybe I can use some of them and also to be more vigilant when other people try to use them on me.
I hope that this book is not written like a textbook and that the author provides some of the latest research in the field of psychology as well as examples and case studies when explaining the psychological tactics and tricks in the book.
My thoughts about the book:
Much of our decision-making happens on a subconscious level based on feelings we might not even be aware of. Managing and understanding those subconscious feelings is the key to the art of persuasion. To say that this book covers all about persuasion is false, but it is a great start. I found the book interesting and I recommend it to people who are just starting to get into the art of persuasion. The writing is clean and clear. There are no complex theories, statements of advice are explained in a straightforward manner. I also liked that the tactics are grouped in chapters following well-defined concepts so you don’t jump around and lose the “red thread”, and that the author also included storytelling as a persuasion/sales tactic. You can read more of what you can expect in the book in my notes section.
Here are some of the examples he shares in the book on how you can try to persuade people in certain situations:
“Tell me, if you saved up $1000 this month because of what I am suggesting, what would you do with that extra $1000?” – This causes your client to agree that the savings would be nice to have, and it puts their focus on the future and gets them to mentally spend the savings on something they want, thus creating commitment to buy from you.
“I understand how you feel, about that, many of my customers once felt the very same way, but when they looked closer, they found…” – this gives your customer the excuse to change his/her opinion without the moral dilemma of going back on his previous statements.
The future pace technique – Mentally walk the person into the future, a future without the benefits you can provide. Help them experience the pain associated with not choosing to do the right thing. Mention how they will be in a worse position, and how other people they respect will view them. How they will face disapproval or possibly cause others they care about to feel some embarrassment, discomfort, or harm. Then remind them that none of that has happened yet and that you can help them prevent any of it from ever happening if they choose differently right now.
If you picked up this book please let me know what you think about it in the comment section.
My notes from the book:
- To be able to persuade someone you must understand what motivates and drives the other person. Knowing that you can position your thoughts and requests in such a way that they are easily accepted.
- Persuasion is about creating change in the minds of your customers without them being aware of it.
- The right words in a question form can direct thinking.
- Always discover current beliefs and attitudes so you can affirm them in some way.
- The brain makes stuff up out of thin air to fill in the blank spots.
- When people experience anticipated regret, they tend to take action to prevent the regret.
- Telling someone not to think of something makes it more likely that the person will indeed think of it.
- Discover what your target’s interests are, and if you’re not in tune with their interests, learn about them. When people talk about their interests they lower their mental defense.
- To win another person to your way of thinking, it is very helpful to admit a weakness in your case before the other person does. Admitting fault or damaging admission can be viewed as far more credible.
- People instinctively put themselves into the story you are telling. They place themselves in the situation and identify with the person in the story.
- Always be looking for things to like or admire about other people. And always give more than you promised.
- Each of us has a hard-wired, biological need to belong and be a part of the group we identify with.
- Fewer choices mean you’ll hear yes more. Too much information causes confusion, and when people are confused they do nothing.
- When people make a decision in a lot of cases they feel regret after time and they change their mind. To prevent this you have to prepare them for the potential feeling by telling them about it.
- Without constant attention to your own thought processes, your brain will begin to go off track.
- Realize that you are responsible for every decision you make, that only you can choose how you feel, what you do, and what the outcome really means to you.
- You can’t tell your listeners how wonderful you are, but the people in your story can.
- People only seek evidence that supports their existing beliefs. So, starting from what you know they believe, give them something they “know” is true and then expand that toward your ultimate goal.
- In business when confronted by a customer about a bad experience before offering what you think is the solution to the problem, ask the customer what they think would make the situation better.
- People do more to avoid pain than they will do to gain pleasure. Show your clients how your product prevents pain and even enables pleasure.
- People don’t listen, they wait to talk. Listen to them, you can’t learn anything by talking.
- Peer pressure doesn’t end in high school. Use the law of association and the law of friends to help you persuade others to your cause.
