Most of us are creatures of habit. As much as we’d like to think we are all cutting edge creative thinkers, we really do the same stuff every day.
The blogs we read, the TV shows we watch, the restaurants we go to, and the brand of shoes we buy is usually the same.
Whenever we go into an unfamiliar situation, our anxiety starts to creep up.
This is only natural. After all, if our ancestors were always wandering off the reservation looking for new and exciting experiences, we would have died out a long time ago.
There’s definitely safety in consistency. But if you’re trying to persuade somebody to your way of thinking, in sales or otherwise, this can present a problem.
What if you’re selling them a blue car, and they’ve always driving red cars?
What if you’re trying to talk her into going out to a restaurant she’s never been before?
What if you’re selling an online product that nobody’s ever heard of before?
Luckily, there’s a solution. It’s actually pretty simple. As much as our minds are hard wired to find safety and familiarity, it’s always pretty easy to “re-program.”
The basic strategy is this:
Just convince them that whatever you want them to do, is similar to stuff they’ve done in the past.
Sure, you may have to “chunk up,” dig around for their criteria, but this is a lot easier than most people realize.
For example, if you’re selling an online product that they aren’t sure they need, and they don’t know you from Adam, just say something like this early on in your sales page:
“Now, you may be wondering if this product really is for you. After all, we never really know until we buy it. But as you read this, you may think back to a few products that you’ve already purchased, and are glad you did. When you think of all the things you’ve bought online before, and how much they’ve helped you, you might consider all the ways this product can help you.”
Of course, you’ll have to word it differently based on your actual product, but the structure is basically the same.
Get them thinking of similar actions in the past.
Remind them of all the good decisions they’ve made.
Suggest this is just another in the long line of good decisions they’ve made in their life.