How to become more persuasive in 2023 (Evidence Based Guide)
The psychological study that changed my relationship with honesty and my unconventional method for persuasion
Hey friend. This is NLCS. The tactical newsletter on the world's best writers, marketers, and psychologists. Why? Because we break down their frameworks so you can use them to improve your executive-level communication skills and become unforgettable in less than 5 minutes a week.
I'm going to come right out and say it: I believe most businesses suck at training their customer-facing employees to build trust with their customers.
From "perfect" G2 reviews, to phrases from the training sessions that say "we're the best, and customers would be stupid to go with someone else"," we've been bombarded to believe our customers will immediately see these blurbs and go, "yep, I trust this 100%. I used to be stupid. But thanks to your lovely slide decks, I'll buy right away."
So, what’s a customer facing professional to do?
The unfortunate answer is that they mimic what they've been taught.
They interact with customers, and much of their time is spent demonstrating how flawless their product is.
Here's what usually happens next:
Customer says, “thanks, we’ll have a few meetings, and we’ll let you know”
Customer says, “can you send me more information?”
After that Zoom meeting, your customers are messaging each other on Slack about how their "this feels too good to be true" radar has gone off.
Now you're in "follow-up" land because no one buys.
Instead, increase your trust by leveraging the “Pratfall Effect”
The Pratfall Effect, originally described by psychologist Elliot Aronson, states that people are liked more when they show imperfections.
You'll see how brands have used flaws to sell more for decades once you understand the Pratfall Effect...
With its "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait" campaign, Guinness leaned into the fact that it took a long time to pour their beer with this ad.
Buckley’s (cough syrup) - the Canadian version of Vicks - proudly proclaims, “It tastes awful. And it works.” Check out this snipper from their website -
Oatly, oat milk, admits taste isn't their best asset.
Here’s why it works and some tips for using the Pratfall Effect to win over your clients.
#1 - Admit your flaws
What are you particularly good at? What are you willing to give up in order to deliver on your strength?
Companies will now have a committee to buy B2B software. Basically, a group of people in a business who decide what to buy.
And if it's done right, your champion will explain why your flaws aren't so bad and praise your strengths.
When working on an upsell, I worked with an Account Executive who said to a champion and a blocker:
"Competitor X rocks. I'd go with them if the business case only solved for X without budget. Like you, customers often want to replace five tools with one at a low cost without sacrificing reliability when they evaluate us. How will the team react to a proposal knowing we're not the Lamborghini in one small category? Is the deal 100% over?”
The champion explained why they would choose our product in front of us.
They bought from us a few days later.
#2 Benefit from being real
"Like a black dot in a sea of white circles," as Josh Braun says, your radical transparency will stand out in a sea of boasting, nonsense, lying, exaggerated claims, and meaningless jargon used by everybody else.
"Your transparency will lead to other people's transformation." Trent Shelton
That’s it for this week :)
Every week, I dedicate over 80 hours to learning or practicing effective communication techniques so that I can distill it all into a <5-minute read for you.
I spend a lot of time making sure I write something that brings value to you.
The best compliment you could pay NLCS would be to share it with one person who would find this content valuable.
If you know any customer facing professionals who could benefit from this level of transparency, I would love to bring them into our small circle of people who care about this topic. Please feel free to forward this article and others from the NLCS to grow our tight-knit community one person at a time.
Great piece, Rishav!