Scenario: Your friend Ann calls you and invites you to a Tupperware party she is hosting at her house. You find it hard to say no so you agree to be there.  You show up and there are other friends and soon to be new friends at the party snacking on hors d'oeuvres and sipping on some wine all the while having polite conversation. Your friend Ann then clinks her wine glass politely with a spoon to get everyone’s attention as she prepares to introduce the Tupperware representative (a friend of Ann’s I’m sure). 

The rep begins by introducing herself and then courteously asks everyone in the room to introduce themselves so that everyone can get to know a little more about each other. The rep then asks how many people already own Tupperware.  Many of the guests raise their hands. The rep then ask each of them to share their experience with the Tupperware products and how they use them at home to make their lives more convenient. She then talks about the new products Tupperware has and then closes by thanking everyone for taking the time and supporting their friend Ann. 

Ann then says, “I’m passing out this form for anyone who is interested in buying any of the items we discussed. And we also have more drinks and hors d'oeuvres.”  That’s it, no hard sales pitch and no sales pressure to buy. Next thing you know you filling out a form and signing up to buy a few of the Tupperware items even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. Sound familiar?  What happened?  Why did you feel compelled to buy something?   What I want to do now is dissect exactly what happened and why. If you’ve ever watch one of those crime shows, you’ve probably seen the lead detective, after reviewing the crime scene, recreate exactly what happened based on the evidence.  What I want to do is highlight what rules of social dynamics compelled you to buy: 

1)     When you walked in you were greeted by your friend Ann. 

Rule of Liking: we are more likely to be persuaded by people we like, know and trust. We favor buying from people we like,…in this case our friend Ann.

2)     You were then offered free hors d'oeuvres and wine.

Rule of Reciprocity: when someone gives you something, you feel a sense of obligation to return the favor in kind…in this case by buying something after eating Ann’s food and drinking her wine.

3)     The rep than asked the willing to share their experience with their Tupperware products.  

Rule of Social Proof: when we see others doing something, we take our social cues from others and we are inclined to do the same.  When the rep asks those who’ve bought in the past to share their experiences, what she is doing is providing you the buyer with ‘proof’ that others love the product and so should you.   

4) And, if you were one of those people that volunteered to share your experience with the group, then you were influence by the following rule.

Rule of Consistency: if you make a public statement, you will behave in a manner that is consistent with your public statement.  By saying that Tupperware is great you’ve pretty much painted yourself into a mental buying corner.  You will look like a liar if you don’t buy some of their newer products after stating how satisfied you are with their products.  

Now there are other subtle dynamics at work in this example, but I wanted to highlight the four major rules at work.  Each rule in and of itself may or may not be enough to sway someone to make a buying decision, but the cumulative effect is powerful and effective. 

So here’s my question to you, “How can you use one or all four of these rules to improve your sales closing ratio?”