1

FREE eCHAPTER

Try the Straight to Yes! Freedom Shopping Challenge -see page 10 for details

2

You’ve finally plucked up the courage to ask for something. The afternoon off. A pay rise. Then comes that crucial moment where you wait with baited breath for the response. It’s tense, but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to master the art of ‘the ask’.

Taking a direct, light-hearted, wholly practical approach, Haider Imam zooms straight in on that moment of truth providing a set of proven tools and techniques for getting to ‘yes,’ every time. He instils readers with the confidence to ask bigger, more often and even ask for the impossible – and to get it.

• Basedonsoundpsychologicalprinciples,Straight To Yes! offers tonnes of winning ways to make requests that get you to ‘yes’

• Whollypracticalinstyleandcontent,thebookfeaturesaccessible,straightforward techniques readers can put into action immediately

• Designedforquick-referencewhileonthemove,itaffordsinstantaccesstospecific, step-by-step, single-page techniques as needed

AvAilAble in print And e-book formAt

Make yourself a yes magnet

Buy today from your favourite bookshop

3

Please feel free to post this

Extracted from Straight to Yes!publishedin2013byCapstonePublishingLtd(aWileyCompany),TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ.UK.Phone+44(0)1243779777

Copyright © 2013 Haider Imam

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptunderthetermsoftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988orunderthetermsofalicenceissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency, 90TottenhamCourtRoad,London,W1T4LP,UK,withoutthepermissioninwritingofthePublisher.RequeststothePublishershouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,

JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,England,oremailedtopermreq@wiley.co.uk.

sampler on your blog or website, or email it to anyone you think could profit from it!

Thank you.

1

CHAPTER 4Same and Different“Ifit’sfamiliar,ithasn’teatenyouyet,”isaquoteIlovefromDrakeBennettofBloombergBusinessweek.Whilewe’resharing,oneofmyfavouriteHollywoodstories iswhenDanO’BannonandRonaldShusett,writersofthefilmAlien,pitchedittoHollywoodstudiossimplyas“JawsinSpace.”

We’reprogrammedtolikewhat’sfamiliartouspurelybecauseit’snotarisktous.Backinthe1960s,RobertZajonc’s experiments uncovered what we now call the Mere Exposure Effect – meaning that the number oftimesweareexposedtocertainstimulipositively influencesourpreferencesforthosestimuli.Otherlandmark studies have shown that when people are faced with a choice between two gambles, they will pickthemorefamiliarone.Sometimes,theyevenpickthemorefamiliargamblewhentheoddsofwinningare lower. So, it seems thewritersofAlienunderstoodprocessing fluencyatadeep level.Presentingafilm that radically departed in content and style from what the public was used to still needed a touch of familiarity to clinch the deal. It didn’t hurt that their point of reference was a blockbuster classic.

Familiarityenableseasymentalprocessing,savesenergyandsofeelsfluent.So,inourminds,wetendtoequate the feeling of fluency with familiarity. Put another way, we infer familiarity when a stimulus feels easy to process. More difficult to read, pronounce and/or understand means more foreign, less known, more risky.

2

A raft of different studies over the years shows how the ease ofprocessing ideas, names or words affects our decision making. For example, test subjects perceived a hypothetical food additive with a name that was harder to pronounce – Hnegripitrom – as being more harmful than one with an easier to pronounce name Magnalroxate. Deepanalysisindicatesthatlistedcompanieswithstocktickercodesthatareeasiertopronounce(suchasAAPL,GOOG)trademoreprofitablyinthelongterm. Weeven“smile”inourbrainswhen we see objects that look easy to pick up, compared to complex objects.

1. A Familiar contrast

If simple, fluent familiarity attracts us and complex, disfluent unfamiliarity repels us, we can leverage this in a myriad of ways. If your industry offers a high number of complicated solutions, the logical approach is to radically simplify your product and offering.

Telecomscompanieshavedonethisinthelastcoupleofyearswithsuccess–ThreeMobile’sTheOnePlanandT-Mobile’sTheFullMontyremovethe“Whichtariff?”conversationfromthemixentirely.WhenSteveJobsreturnedtoApplein1997,heradicallycuttheproductline,notonlytofocusbusinessefforts,driveimprovements and manage costs but also to simplify the choices for customers. It was part of what turned the company around from bankruptcy to the world’s most valuable company two decades later.

3

If your industry doesn’t have a backdrop of complexity, the most straightforward way I know is to create one.Simplypresentoneor twooptions thatcreateadegreeofdisfluency, followedbytheoptionyouprefer, presented in an easy, familiar, fluent format.

For example, which of the following options would you lean towards if you were a teenager: “You can go for party option one, which will be frivolity ad absurdum for a loquacious congregation like yours, or you can goforpartyoptiontwo,whichwillbeseriouslyfunforyouandyourcrazymates–uptoyou?”

I suppose the only caveat to be aware of is where complexity is expected and valued, for example, if you are evaluating something with a high-tech edge to it such as processors in computers, chemicals or minerals in household equipment. However, just like Alien, it’s worth adding in simple terms what benefits that brings, too.

Try iT

Create options. Make the first options disfluent and slightly more complicated; use words with a greater number of syllables or use a touch of industry jargon. Follow this with a simple, straightforward option, articulated in a plain, easy to understand way.

4

2. Undesired to Desired

Another great way to intentionally create a perception of extra fluency that I have used many times is to present an undesired option followed by the desired option. Although it may seem odd to do this at the point of making your request, it works.

After taking the time to understand what your audience wants and doesn’t want, it’s simply a case of first recapping what they don’t want, layering in a little complexity to create a sense of disfluency before presenting a simple, attractive version of what they do want. It has the added bonus of showing your audience that you’ve been listening, you’re confirming their thoughts with them and keeping them in the conversation. Very respectful.

A visual way to do this is to show the undesired option in black and white or out of focus in some way next to the desired option in fully focused, clear vibrant colour. This heightens appreciation of the colour image more than if it had just been viewed in isolation. I’m not saying I’ve ever done this subtly featuring slightly defocused competitor logos next to my own sharp company logo, but you get the idea! It’s an idea that’s often used in television or magazine adverts, to show the transition from rainy, drab and dreary “before” to sunny, vibrant and cheery “after.” In fact, the next time you see “before and after” cosmetic shots, check to see which photograph appears to have been lit more professionally and livened up – it’s always the “after” shot.

5

Try iT

First, frame the least preferred option in a slightly complex, disflu- ent way to provide a positive contrast for your preferred, simple, fluent option. Render the undesired option as a lower quality, less coloured or defocused image and your preferred option in full colour, bright and high quality.

3. rejection then retreat (Door-in-the-Face technique)

A leader at an Irish client of ours wrote me a letter of thanks after attending a workshop I ran that included this Ask.

In her email, she explained how she returned home after the workshop and asked her boyfriend if they could start making plans to buy a new kitchen and redecorate the living room. After she picked him back up from the floor, her beleaguered beau replied that even though they were doing well, doing two rooms togetherwouldbreakthebank.Shesighed, lookedslightlydisappointedandthensuggestedthey“Juststart with the kitchen this year,” to which he eagerly agreed. “In truth,” she revealed to me, “I only wanted the kitchendone.Thelivingroomisfinefornow.”Sheknewthatifshe’daskedonlyforthekitchen,theresponsewould have been less favourable, less enthusiastic and with less commitment on her boyfriend’s part.

6

Professional negotiators we work with know to always build a buffer into their figures: ask for more than you expect to get, give away less than you’re able to and expect the others at the table to have built in a bufferaswell.Usually,ourclientswhoaskbigandgivesmallcomeawaywithbetterresults.

Beforeweevengettotheresearcharoundthis,weintuitivelyknowthatwhenwehaggle,arerejectedbutultimately arrive at a better deal than the one we started at, we feel satisfied. If we’d named our terms and got them immediately, there’d always be a nagging doubt in the back of our mind that it was too easy; perhapswecouldhaveaskedformore?However,barteringforadealleavesuswithasensethatwegotthebestdealpossible.So,notonlydoesaskingbigbringyourewards,ithelpsyouraudiencefeelbetteraboutthe result they have secured. A “win–win.”

In a fabulous experiment over 30 years ago, a group of researchers approached students on campus, posing as the “County Youth Coun- selling Programme.” In the first version of the experiment, research- ers asked the students whether they’d be willing to volunteer to look after a group of troubled youths on adaytriptothezoo,unpaid:17%accepted;83%refused.Inthesecondversion,theonlydifferencewasthat a significantly larger request was made before the zoo request – spending two hours per week for at leasttwoyearsintheroleofcounsellortothetroubledyouths.Theresult?Threetimesasmanystudents acceptedthezoogig.Why?

7

There are two reasons why this approach works so powerfully. The first is that we are hardwired for rapport andsocialbonding–wehatetoreject(orsay“No”to)eachother.AsexplainedinChapter1,theworkofZhou,Zheng,ZhouandGuoindicatesthattheoldcliché,“Thisisgoingtohurtmeasmuchasithurtsyou,”isn’tfarwrong,atleastemotionally.Whenwerejectsomeone,weinstinctivelyfeelmoreinclinedtohelphim or her or agree to his or her next request. In other words, it triggers “reciprocity” and the desire for an oxytocin rush.

The second ingredient is “perceptual contrast.” Perceptual contrast is an interesting and well-documented phenomenon in psychology. If you’d like to try it yourself, you can take three bowls: fill bowl one with very hot water, bowl two with room temperature water and bowl three with very icy water. Put a hand in bowl one and the other in bowl three for a short time. Then put both hands in bowl two and notice how the “hot hand” now feels cold and the “cold hand” now feels hot! The contrast, or differential, is what we respond to, not the actual factual data. It’s counterintuitive because we see ourselves as rational creatures when, in fact, we are anything but.

The only caveat here is that if we are reckless and make our Ask too extreme, we risk damaging not only our results but also our relationships. The trick is to ask just high enough to provoke an initial “No!” response before looking slightly disappointed and repackaging a more palatable offer. My advice to influencers is generally that the extreme request should be within the bounds of reality: that there should be some comparison, benchmark or precedent as a backdrop to your Ask.

8

Try iT

Getclearonwhatyouactuallywantandthencreateaninitialrequestthatisjustextremeenoughtoproducea“No!”response(70%moreinvestmentthanyouneed,threeweeksquickerdeliverytime when you only want three days quicker, a new kitchen, living room and furniture when you justwantanewkitchen).Then,lookingorsoundingslightlydeflated,askforwhatyoureallywantasaconcession.Youcouldphrasethisas,“Oh,allrightthen(sigh).Inthatcase,howabout...”

4. That’s not all . . . (TNA)

I’ve attended my fair share of business conferences over the years where experts do their public speaking bit from the stage followed by a one-time-only deal for the audience. If you’ve been to enough of them, which perhaps you have, and pay enough attention to the structure of their pitch, which perhaps you have, you’ll see the core framework of the final request. If you haven’t been to such conferences, watch some TV shopping channels to see the same process in action.

Itstruckmebetweentheeyesataconferencesomeyearsago,where“themanwhosoldtheBrooklynBridge,”PaulHartunian,usedthisonagrandscale.Hedeftlypersuadedme,mycolleagueandabout

9

300 other frenzied members of the audience to spring into action and secure his amazing offer at the back of the conference room, before the limited amount of deals ran out. There was nearly a stampede. I clearly remember feeling wild sensations of blossoming opportunity mixed with swelling anxiety as I battled the mob to sign up.

Howdoesitwork?Thespeakerpresentswhatwethinkisthedeal,extollingitsvirtuesandbenefitswithpassion in their delivery and asks us to take action. However, without giving us much time to think, they roll out the “That’s not all” technique.6

Theytypicallysay,“Butthat’snotall!Forthefirstnpeople,forthenextfiveminutesonly,thisiswhatyou’llalsoget...”Whatfollowsisalistofdealsweeteners,eachfollowedby“avalueof‘£n’,”resultinginatotalusualpackagepriceof‘£N,’(includingthemainproduct).However,ifweactnow,theentirepackagewillonly cost us less than the main component by itself.

Critically, this is a very different kind of psychological phenomenon to the making of an unsuccessful requestthenofferingadiscount.Burger’sresearchconcludedthatit’stheimmediacyoftheaddedvaluethat creates the effect by removing your audience’s time to critique the first offer. Like “Rejection then Retreat,” the TNA technique has two effects on us. First, it makes us feel that we are receiving concessions fromthepresenter,initiatingreciprocity(seeChapter8).Second,itprovidesacontrastforthenextpartofthe deal to look even better.

10

Inoneexperiment,Burgerincreasedsalesofcupcakesandcookiesfrom40%(acupcakeandtwocookiesfor¢75)to73%(acupcakefor¢75andtwocookies“forfree”).Inanother,heincreasedsalesfrom44%(onecupcakefor¢75)to73%(onecupcakefor$1,butimmediatelydiscountedto¢75).

Try iT

Plan out your TNA. Immediately after presenting your regular offer and without waiting for a response, offer a sweetener to have your audience say, “Yes!”

5. Freedom Shopping

This is a highly controversial exercise that I sometimes use for people who need more confidence, are terrible with rejection and would like to raise their asking game. Although people are initially uncomfort- able with it, the epiphany they sometimes have is astonishing.

IdevelopeditfromlifecoachJamieSmart’sversionofanapproachbypsychologistPaulWatzlawick.InhisbookChange:PrinciplesofProblemFormationandProblemResolution(1974),Watzlawickisdealingwithayoungmanwhoisunabletofinishhisthesis,duetoanxiety.Withoutsharinghisreasoning,Watzlawick

11

instructs the student to go into three shops and make absurd requests. The student does so, experiences asubtlechangeinhissenseofselfandcompleteshisthesisshortlythereafter.JamieSmart’sbuildonthiswas to go into a shop and ask for something you know they can’t offer, for example, asking for a pizza in a fast-food hamburger shop.

“Freedom shopping,” my extension to this, also involves intention- ally courting rejection to realize that, while uncomfortable in the moment, life goes on and you get over it.

It also draws on mindfulness, perceptual contrast and reciprocity, making it a rocket-powered request.

My workshop students enter a high street shop and ask for something they are confident will result in rejection: a dress in an electrical shop, a sandwich in a sports clothing shop or a sofa in a sandwich

shop,perhaps.Oncetheyreceivetherejection,theyaskforsomethingsmallerandgiveareason(see“Justbecause...”inChapter13).Itoftensoundslikethis,“Oh.Well,mightIhavesomethingforfreebecauseI’mon a confidence-building course and am supposed to return with a little something.”

The aim of the exercise is not to see what you can get, or even to “get” something. The aim is to build your rejection muscle and practise making bigger, bolder, more outlandish requests. However, students often comebackwithfreegifts–onaverage50%ofthetime.Overtheyears,thesegiftshaverangedinvalue

12

from bags of gourmet coffee to headphones, from kids’ toys to toiletries (in fact, one sandwich chain is so consistentlygenerous,Iwon’tspendmoneywithanyothercafé,ifpossible!).OnegroupIworkedwithinLondon got so carried away, they returned to the workshop 20 minutes late with bagsful of gifts, totalling about40poundseach,wearingafeeding-frenziedexpressionontheirfaces.Inappropriate,perhaps,butthe next time they’re pitching for venture capital, they’ll almost certainly aim higher and get more and leave their audience feeling satisfied that they struck a great bargain.

Try iT

Walkintoashopandaskforsomethingoutlandish,withasmileonyourface,expectingarejection.Next,askforsomethingcomparativelysmallerforfree,givingareasonwhy.Whatevertheoutcome,keep smiling, thank them and leave graciously.

IfyoutryHaider’sFreedomShoppingchallengeandyouaresuccess,whynotTweet usat@thisiscapstonewith#freedomshoppinganduploadaphotoofyourfreebie.AllentrantswillwinacopyofStraighttoYes!

13

6. Choices: Gold, Silver, Bronze

Nowthatyouknowaboutperceptualcontrast,you’llappreciatewhy,“Was£1,499...now£799”issoattractivetousasconsumers.Greatpersuaders know this intimately. As soon as one amount (which couldbetime,price,share,commitment,etc.)ispresented,mentionedoreven“accidentally”shown,itbecomes fixed in the audience’s mind as an “anchor” to which thinking and decisions inevitably become “biased” – almost as if the anchor is strangely magnetic, which it is. At this juncture, presenting a second, contrasting amount, which is closer to the original expectation is received with exponentially more enthusiasm than if the second amount had been presented on its own.

So, following the theory of ABCs (anchors, bias and contrast), a super high price, followed by amorereasonable price will be more attractive than just presenting the reasonable price on its own. Asking for someone to complete a task now, then conceding that they can complete it by the end of today instead, is more attractive than just asking them to complete it by the end of today.

Behaviouraleconomicsresearcher,DanAriely,ranafascinatingexperimentbasedonachanceencounterwith The Economist website.

Accidentally, subscription to the magazine was being offered in three flavours: an online only option for $59,aprintonlyoptionfor$125andanonlineplusprintoptionfor...$125!

14

Hewasintriguedenoughtorunthisexperimentwithhisstudents.Whenthreeoptionswerepresented,16%displayedapreferencefortheonlineonlyoptionand84%preferredthecombinationoption,printandonline.Whentheunintentionalcombinationwasremoved,

68%ofpeoplepreferredtheonlineonlyoptionandonly32%wentwiththeprintonlyoption.

Hypothetically,fromarevenue-generationperspective,theinclusionofthe“mistaken”offerledtoa43%uplift.

Why?Arielyexplainsthatourperceptionofvalueisrelativenotabsolute.Inotherwords,wemaynothavea reference for what the value of a year’s subscription to The Economist is, but we do know that print and onlineforthesamepriceasprintonlyisabetterdeal.Forthatreason,weare(a)morelikelytocommitand(b)more likelytocommitbiggerwhendirectedtoevaluatecompetingoptions, thancomparedtooffering a solitary option. Choices, it seems,increasecomplianceandextentofcompliance.Ourinternal conversationmovesawayfrom,“DoIordon’tI?”to“WhichonewouldI?”

In business parlance, we have shifted from a selling conversation to a negotiating conversation: the “sale” has already been made.

15

Oneofthewaysmycompanyusesthisinbusinessistogiveclientsoptionsinourproposals,commonlyreferredtoas“Gold,SilverandBronze.”It’sagreatapproachtouseformanagingtheexpectationsofpeoplewho expect you to “do more with less,” at work or in your social life.

UsingtheapproachesI’vejustoutlined,weofferthreeoptions.Threeseemstobetheoptimalnumberofchoices, by the way, sup- ported by some cute research – cutting the number of product choices consistently increasesrevenue.SheenaIyengar,authorofTheArtofChoosingsays,“Idon’tthinkpeopledon’twantalotofchoice.PeoplewillsaytheywantalotofchoicebutIdon’tthinkthat’swhattheyreallywant.Whattheyreally want is a better choosing experience. They want to feel competent during the choosing process and they want to feel confident that what they have chosen is a ‘good’ choice.”

So,theGoldoptioncomesfirst;thisistheoptionthatdeliversonwhattheyneed,givesthemwhattheywant and also adds in some more value-added work. It’s attractive and advisable but more than they’d budgeted for and perhaps not essential right now. It usually produces a “sharp-intake-of-breath” moment.

Next,whentheycometotheSilveroption,theyseeascopeandpricetagthatisastheyexpected;theyexperience a sense of relief and reinforcement – all is right with the world.

Finally,theycasttheireyeovertheBronzeoption.It’sthebudgetoptionandleavesoutsomeofthemoreessentialelementstheyneedbutit’smarginallycheaper.IncomparisontoSilver,ithardlyseemsworthdoing.

16

EverythingpointstowardsSilverandinallmyyearsonconsulting,managingandselling,I’veneverhadanyonegoforBronzeorGold.

Ofcourse,sometimesthey’vegonefor,“No,thanks,”asthesales process progresses but it’s important to understandthattheonlyoptiontheyeverconsider,regardlessofwhethertheyfollowthrough,isSilver.

For struggling managers, it’s a great one to use when asked to do the impossible. Classifying the option you wantasSilverandoutliningwhatresourcesyou’llneedtomakethevariousoptionshappen(time,money,training,extraemployeesandsoon)helpsmanageexpectationsveryclearlyindeed.

Try iT

Getclearaboutwhatyouwant;callthistheSilveroption.Createanoptionthatiscomparativelylavish and a lot more of an invest- ment of time, money and/or commitment, for example; call this Gold.Createanoptionthatisslightlylessthanwhat’swantedorneededbuttheupsideisthatit’slessofaninvestmentthanSilver,marginally;callthatBronze.Nowpresentyourchoicesinthefollowingorder:Gold,Silver,Bronze.

17

7. Ugly Twin

Another piece of Ariely research that is useful for visually influencing people’s choice is his “ugly twin” research. He showed groups of people a headshot of a male avatar named Tom and one named Jerry andaskedthemtosaywhichavatarwasmorephysicallyattractive.Straightforward,perhaps?Thetwist,however, was that Ariely added a third avatar to the line up – “ugly twin Jerry” for some, “ugly twin Tom” for others.

Now,rationally,we’dexpectwhoeverismoreattractive,TomorJerry,toreceivethenod,wouldn’twe?The results showed something different. The avatar that had its ugly twin next to it was consistently voted “mostattractive.”Inotherwords,when“uglytwinJerry”wasaround,Jerrywasmostattractive.When“uglytwin Tom” was around, Tom was most attractive.

Ourperceptionofvalueisbasedonrelatives(excusethepun),notabsolutes.

Again,couldthispartlyexplainwhy“beforeandafter”shotsaresoprevalentincosmeticsadvertising?

Try iT

If you’re visually displaying images, choices or products, consider featuring three together. Two of these should look very similar to each other: put the very similar looking older, lower quality or less attractive option right beside the pretty one.

18

8. Time for a rhyme?

Rhymes are a great example of where fluency is used in advertising campaigns, especially jingles, because research has shown that rhyming increases influence. See if you can complete these famous slogans:“(What?)MeansHeinz,” “AMarsadayhelpsyouwork, restand (what?)”and“Onceyoupop,youcan’t(what?).”Allofthemareinstantlymemorableandthereforeperceivedascredible.Evenhalf-rhymessuchas,“NothinggoestogetherlikeapintandCastella,”or“Youcan’tfitquickerthanaKwikFitfitter,”wormtheir way into our minds as credible statements, purely because they’re simple and sound familiar. There’s no comeback to such a rhyming statement, just as, “He who smelled it, dealt it,” meant conceding shame and defeat in my earlier years.

Try iT

Playfully, sing or include a rhyming statement in your final request, for example, “Those who’ve beenthroughit,wannadoit.Doyouwanttodoit?”Or,reachingouttoshakehands(see“Theoutstretchedhand”inChapter7!)try,“Goodbyedebts,noregrets...Whatdoyousay?”or“Ican’twait to get started on this! Let’s shake it in and rake it in!”

19

9. The Font of Success

In tests, fonts that are easier to read make us twice as likely to opt for a product although research exists that shows that unusual fonts help us remember the information more. Whatreallyfascinatesmeisthatinthe tests, where subjects have to read instructions in disfluent fonts or illegible handwriting, they report the task itself as more difficult, not the instructions. This is a crucial distinction: the disfluency is passed onto the task, not the instructions. It’s subtle, yet impactful.

Try iT

• Makesureyourfontorhandwritingisclean,clear,simpleandlargeenoughtocatalyze processing fluency.

• Usespaces,images,plentyofwhitespace,shortsentencesandparagraphswherepossible.

• Keepyourwordssimple:complicatedwritingcreatesdisfluencyandisperceivedasunintelligent.

• Useelaborate,stylizedorunusualfontsandhandwritingif your aim is to have your message remembered!

20

Same and Different: a Summary

In this chapter you may have noted that:

• Ourmindstendtowardoptionsthatgiveusahighdegreeoffamiliarityandfluencybecausethey’resafe and easy to process.

• Simplicityisking.

• Creatingdisfluencyasacontrasttofluencyheightenstheperception of fluency.

• Recappingwhat’snotwantedbeforewhatiswantedheightens desire.

• Contrastingabigdemand(goingfora“No!”)withasubsequent reasonable demand makes the reasonable demand more likely.

• Makingyourofferthenimmediatelyaddinga“That’snotall...”creates reciprocity and a contrast.

• Givingthreeoptionsisbest:mostcostlyfirst,preferredsecond, cheap and cheerful last.

• Whenwecomparesimilaritemsandoneisslightlyless attractive, our attraction to the pretty one is heightened irrationally.

• Messagesthatrhymearemorecredible.

• Simplefontspersuade.

21

Now that you have these insights, how might you use some of these approaches to:

• Secureabigincreaseinsalaryorresourcefromyourbossorbankmanager?

• Enlistachildtodosomehousework?

• Haveapartnerchoosethevenueyou’dlike?

In the next chapter you’ll learn favourite Asks from the world of business: time-honoured and good to go.

22

Haider imamwasUKSalesTraineroftheYear2007,andworksathome&abroadwithglobalbrandsteachinginfluencingskills,sales,negotiationandleadership,contributingtoa$75,000,000return on investment for clients in this work over the last three years. He manages a team of talented consultants, which requires stellar influencing skills.

He has been training for ten years, and is a speaker and writer for theInstituteofSales&MarketingManagers.HehasclientssuchasEDFEnergy,Merlin(Tussauds,Legoland,SeaLife,etc.)ADS(theUKAerospace,Defence&Securitybody)andmore,aswellaslinksatSageUK,Nando’sandothers.

About the Author

Why Not Say ‘Yes’ To Getting a Copy today?and learn to ask bigger, more often and even ask for the impossible – and to get it!

AvAilAble in print And e-book formAt

Buy today from your favourite bookshop