Secrets to Success Deborah Cole Micek and John-Paul Micek

You need to find that starving crowd

CAN YOU EVER be manipulated to do something you normally wouldn't do?"

This question is, of course, always on the minds of the top-producing sales trainers in America. It's the question that always comes up when the discussion concerns influence, hypnosis and sales.

The fact is, you can never really make someone do something they don't want to do under "normal circumstances." But what about when circumstances aren't normal? What about when you're dealing with a starving client or crowd? That's when simple tools of influence can turn you from a normal sales person into a Pied Piper of persuasion.

In last week's article, I shared our visit to Buca di Beppo, before which I had had a snack and my husband did not. Our waiter used some of the most basic tools of influence, and even though my husband was aware of what was happening, it didn't matter. He fell for the basic upsell -- hook, line and sinker!

I sat there shaking my head, "No, thank you," because I wasn't interested in anything beyond the salad and the main course. But JP dove right in.

What was the difference? Why did one patron say, "No," while the other screamed, "Yes, yes, YES!"

It was "the starving-crowd factor."

You can have someone who is starving at a restaurant, sitting next to someone who is relatively satiated, and no amount of suggestion will get the person who is "full" from an earlier meal or snack to order another meal -- because they simply are not hungry.

There is no need to fill; therefore, you won't influence a satiated patron to do something she does not want to do.

So, if you want to know the shortcut in getting the most impact out of your marketing, sales, or even management techniques - look for the starving crowd. What is your target audience crying out for that they can't currently get anywhere else? What solutions are they starving for that your competitor is not providing? That's what you're looking for when serving a starving crowd. And, that's what will get you an immediate "Yes!" response when you apply simple influence tools in your marketing and sales.

The bottom line:

You can never really be "made" to do something that you really don't want to do -- under normal circumstances. Just remember to have a meal before you go shopping at Costco, otherwise, your cart and your bill will be bigger than usual.

And remember, when you have a starving crowd, serve them well, because it'll be easy to lead that crowd into making decisions that are win-win and beneficial to you and your customers.