Rodrick Samuels on The Silent Work, Modern Beauty Education and Why Empathy Wins
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Retailing tips: The 6 laws of influencing others
Study the 6 laws of influence, and learn to influence your clients to increase their spending with you!
July 10, 2011
2 min to read
Whether you're recommending a retail product or you're upselling a client to an added service like waxing, color or conditioning, you need the power of influence on your side. Industry consultant Susan Papageorgio introduces participants at her Inspired Learning workshops to the theories of Robert Cialdini, an authority on influence who conducts research on its impact. When you're working on a client's hair, nails or skin, it's impossible not to become an influence, says Papageorgio. So you might as well make it a conscious, positive influence!
How do you influence clients to purchase a product or service? Papageorgio identifies six "laws of influence":
1. The Law of Reciprocation: be the first to give. People give back when you give first. So, first, give the best service possible.
2. The Law of Liking: like your clients, and they'll like you. We tend to like people who we sense like us, and we trust people who we believe have good intentions toward us.
3. The Law of Consensus: your recommendation is powerful. People trust recommendations, which is why testimonials and referrals are the single best form of advertising. This applies to your recommendation when you suggest a retail product, but it's also a good reason to get your clients to refer their friends to you.
4. The Law of Commitment: deliver what you promise. People trust what works. If you deliver on your promises, they will stay with you and tell others about you.
5. The Law of Authority: you're the expert. People trust expertise and will accept the recommendation of someone who they believe knows more than they do.
6. The Law of Scarcity: this is the "rule of the rare." People like things that are customized, exclusive, new and first. Keep reinventing your service experience; talk about what is new and give clients the opportunity to be the first to try products, styles and techniques.
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