How To Get People To Say Yes

Interesting point, Steve. By how much has this helped your conversions?

I quite agree with this too!

Yes absolutely true.

The reasoning is - People may or may not believe what they are told but never doubt what they conclude.

So, you've got to do make sure customers absolutely believe it is their decision to buy.

Which is why I always say something along the lines of-

"It's your decision that counts..."

"Thanks for reading this Ad but now it's entirely up to you..."

"I hope I've proven all the benefits... but now you'll decide"

"All that matters is your decision...."

And so on - they're stacks of ways to do it.

Just make sure the customer knows they have all the power (everybody needs to feel a sense of power - so, it's one of the most compelling things you can give to customers)

Now they don't in anyway think they've been "press ganged" into doing something we want - instead they're doing what they want.


Steve

Mal,

Providing it's all above board - I don't care what I have to say to persuade them to buy.

And I don't care about my ego.

So, if saying "Thanks for reading..." and "You decide.... bumps up the response.

I'm happy to do it.


Steve

I can completely see Steve's point here too - what if at the tail-end, the reader almost completely believes, but still has a tiny, tiny bit of doubt in the back of his mind. Is he believing because someone told him he should believe, he asks himself?

Perhaps there was one word in the ad that did not ring quite true for him, or one example that did not quite correspond to his experience. Whatever it was, he's not quite there yet. He's not ready to push that buy button.

But if told "It's all your decision now" I can see how that could very well tip the undecided reader down the chute. He is convinced he buys for his own reasons.

That video and Gladwell's Tipping Point book seem to reinforce a similar point of view. MLK didn't say "I have a plan" - people went to hear him because he had a dream that they also agreed with. So if Steve's technique is the final straw that tips people into completely self-identifying with the dream the ad just showed them, then it's something worth remembering.

However, I can also see how it might work best with certain writing styles. I have seen similar techniques used in some financial ads, most notably those that engage the reader in a conversational style. (As in "Don't take my word for it, do your own research on these companies and decide for yourself if what I say is true...").

It's certainly an idea worth testing.