I’m sure you’ve heard about Robert Cialdini’s new book. It’s called Pre-Suasion. And it’s the “sequel” to his seminal book Influence. I’ve read it four times by now, and the reason is… First, it is a great book. Every new pass uncovers something new I didn’t see before. And second, by getting deep into the topic of pre-suasion, I’m really starting to understand one crucial thing: How all the environmental things around us can shape our behavior.
Think about it…
From various posters, brochures, product placements, and all the visual cues people get from their surroundings… right up to what you say to your clients… and how you say them… All these things can really set the stage for what people do next. And, more importantly, have an impact on what they buy. But the real magic happens when you realize that all these cues are also part of your During Unit “awareness”. And by being strategic about it, you can really start boosting the profits of your After Unit.
Here’s what I mean:
Your During Unit has two layers. The first one, the surface layer, is the most basic part of the unit. It’s what you do for money. It’s where you attend to your customers’ needs, and they pay you for it. But there’s another layer hidden behind the surface. And that’s your strategic layer. Here, you place those pre-suader cues and plant the seeds for what your customers might want to buy next.
For example…
Say, you’re a dentist, and you have a patient coming into the practice for a routine checkup. When your patient enters your premises, they are surrounded by all these visual cues about everything else you do. Cosmetic dentistry, whitening, orthodontics… and so on. You have brochures and posters on display in the waiting room… a video is playing on the TV set in the corner…
All these things are planting the seeds in your patient’s subconscious of treatments they might need next. But here’s the thing… They might not request teeth whitening straight away. Maybe not even in the following month or two. But next time they are brushing their teeth, getting ready for that special date… wishing the teeth were a few shades whiter…
At that moment, the tiny seed planted months ago will jump forward. Right to the front of their awareness. And guess what happens next? That’s right. They schedule a whitening session with your practice the following morning. 🙂 Over to you now.
How could you improve yours During Unit awareness? Any ideas of cues you can place and seeds you can plant?
Let me know!
