Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Not Worth Trying To Persuade Everyone

Not Worth Trying To Persuade Everyone
[This is part of the series: 31 Persuasion Tips That I Learned From Scott Adams]

Maybe quit trying to persuade everyone?

It is like they say about selling.“Don’t try to sell the unsellable.”

I mean, persuasion is more of an art than a science – you can’t force someone to decide a certain way – you can just tilt the odds in your favor.

The point is not to waste your time on people that have already decided.

And people who believe you are not effective anyway.

Before you start any persuasion technique, you want people wanting you to talk them into it.

PERSUASION TIP 16: It is easier to persuade a person who believes you are persuasive.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly

How Fear Persuades

How Fear Persuades

It should not be a surprise that fear persuades people to go all kind of things.

Just watch out where others are using fear to manipulate you.

I mean, not that politicians would do that.

I have seen college professors use this tactic to increase the odds that their students will study.

“If you are not studying this at least one hour a day, you will probably fail this class. And what will you tell your parents then?”

And look at advertising.

If you use Brand X your yard will look bad, and your neighbors will think ill of you.

But, of course, if you use Brand Y, your yard will be beautiful and be the envy of the neighboorhood.

Maybe there are subtle ways to use fear to your advantage too?

After all, your boss might lose that big account if you don’t go play golf all day Friday with the customer.

Fear can be deeply persuasive. But not all fear-related persuasion is equal. To maximize your fear persuasion, follow these guidelines. A big fear is more persuasive than a small one. A personal fear is more persuasive than a generic national problem. A fear that you think about most often is stronger than one you rarely think about. A fear with a visual component is scarier than one without. A fear you have experienced firsthand (such as a crime) is scarier than a statistic.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly
Sterling Terrell