I hope you’ve had your coffee.
Because we’re diving deep into the psychology of motivation today.
Into what makes people tick, click and ultimately act on your emails.
Have you heard of the infamous ‘photocopier experiment’ from the 1970s?
It’s a must-know when it comes to influencing people.
At a university library, researchers had a student ask to cut in on a queue of people waiting to use a busy photocopier.
They had the student use three different, carefully worded requests to break in line:
“Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
“Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”
“Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?”
The results were fascinating:
With the first request, where no reason was given, 60%of people said yes.
With the second, where a reason was given (“because I’m in a rush”) a whopping 94% of people let the student queue jump.
With the third, where a spurious reason was given (“because I have to make copies?”), a surprising 93% of people still agreed to let them cut in.
So what does this mean for you?
The researchers found we’re often on autopilot when it comes to our responses.
When we’re given a reason or hear the word ‘because’, we’re hardwired to comply, however lame the rationale.
This is especially true when the stakes are low, like with letting someone jump in line.
We just do it without thinking too much.
And you want your readers to do the same – act quickly without having to agonise over your emails.
Need to get clients to process dull paperwork?
Give them a reason why: “because it means we won’t have to keep pestering you for information all the time”.
Want to regain trust and retain business after a screw-up?
Tell clients why a mistake happened: “because there was a power outage from the electricity provider”
Want to get invoices paid?
Tell them why prompt payment is so important to you: “because it means we can get your project finished quicker”
So go and give it a try, becauseit’ll make you a more powerful and persuasive communicator.
Does it work on you, too?
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