Greg's Right FIT #460

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Risk
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Risk

• Repetition is powerful. There's a reason soldiers and surgeons do so many drills. When it's life or death, we want to minimize risk. Repetition minimizes risk.
• A salesperson's risk tolerance depends on finances. If yours is "playing tight" with opportunities, they may be minimizing their risk of a "no." Tactfully talk about personal finances. Get real with perceived risks. 
• If a request is low stakes, use the word "because" to persuade the listener to take action. Research shows when we hear "because" we reflexively approve the request. Especially in low risk situations.
• The easiest way for a prospect to manage risk in a new purchase is to invest/pay less. "We'll just give it a try." Acknowledge this and deal with it by focusing on leading indicators. "How will we know we're on track?" 

Being Human - Consumption

“The poorest is the one who needs a lot to live.” ― Jose Mujica

The catalogs have started arriving in the mail. It seems a little early, but the early bird gets the worm, as they say. 

One catalog stuck out. Are you familiar with Gorsuch? They are stores in Colorado's high priced ski areas like Aspen. The beautiful pink ski jacket on the cover will only set you back $2,000, less than half the price of other jackets they sell. The catalog is full of these amazing garments being worn by incredibly attractive people. Part of my brain bristles. But another part sounds like my youngest watching commercials during Saturday morning cartoons: "I want that." 

I spend a lot of time on the fine art of persuasion and know what's happening. I'm being anchored. If a jacket is $4900, or even $2000, when I see the one they sell for $500 it looks like a bargain. Excellent anchoring. 

The competition for our dollars is intense. It pays to defend yourself against tactics by being aware of them. The easiest book is the 1984 classic, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Robert Chialdini. In it he examines the tactics and techniques used by master marketers. Meant to be a guide for consumers, it's become a how-to manual for marketers, which is funny. 

'Tis the season. Prepare yourself. 

Random Stuff

Scarcity: People want things more when those things are scarce or limited. - from Dr. Robert Cialdini

I am trying to wean myself from social media. I have to do a cleanse every once in a while because, well, the social media companies don't want me to. 

My technique is pretty simple. I delete the apps, and log out of the sites. This time I considered moving off my smarphone, my device of choice for consuming social media. But buying a new thing to stop the old behavior seems silly. Instead I turn my phone to grayscale. Without the vibrant colors, the story goes, my brain won't be excited to look at it. 

Two weeks in, this is what I notice. 

• I think I went through a physical withdrawal. At one point I was like, "why am I so grumpy?" and I think it's because my brain wanted more stimulation.
• I still play games. A few of us exchange results from Wordle each day. Proof of life, we call it. Grayscale Wordle is way harder because I can't tell if I have the right letter in the wrong place or right letter in the right place. 
• Facebook is getting desperate to have me back. I get daily notices of friend requests from fringe contacts, and old contacts activity. "Chris Bruno posted a photo." Bruno?!? I haven't heard from him in years. . .hey, wait a minute. . . 
• I've already finished four books that have been sitting on my desk for months. A fifth will be completed today. In another month I'll be caught up. Just in time for holiday book buying. 

In "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," Cialdini lists scarcity, the fear of missing out (FOMO) as a key persuasive technique. It's real! Even two weeks in I can't shake the feeling I'm missing out on something important. 

If you know what it is, let me know. Meanwhile, I need to figure out if this color is dark gray or just gray-gray.