The power of Liking

We tend to do business with people we like.

People who like each other want to work together.

Sales have a rule that they call rule #1: "Get your customer to like you."

I don't doubt that this is a good rule, but I doubt that it's the #1 rule.

The #1 rule should be:

"Come to like your customers and show them that YOU like them first."

That's what will move people in your direction.

Why?

Because they're safe there.

It establishes connection and rapport right away.

Someone who likes you will give you the best solutions and provide you with the best help because they like you.

People will work with those who like them easier than with many others who they like.

Therefore, we all want an expert and a guide who believes in us and who supports and likes us.

So find ways to show people that you like them.

And the easiest way to project that you like your customer is a smile.

A research shows that when we go to professional offices and meet someone at the desk, we have expectations.

The researcher asked, "What do you expect the most from a person at the desk?"

Most people say they like seeing a smile first to establish a personal connection.

So, find a reason to smile at the first interaction.

The funny part is sometimes the material that represents your company doesn't need a smile but something that reminds people of it.

A line with upturn edges!

Look at the picture with 4 bottles with some product.

There's a line at the bottom that curved differently.

The first one curved as a simile, the second is neutral, the third one doesn't have a line, and the last one curved as a frown.

It's the same product and the same packaging.

The only difference is the line at the bottom.

Researchers asked people to pick the product they would buy.

Do you know what is the percentage of choices for each bottle?

The "smile" bottle was the winner with 36%.

The "frown" bottle was the loser with 13%.

The "smile" bottle beats the "frown" bottle almost 3 times over!

That's the power of a smile.

Now look at so many logos of powerful and successful logos.

What do you see there?

That's right - lots of smiles.

Most successful companies have invested thousands of dollars to come up with the right logo.

And they all found what was working best - a smile.

Why not put a little smile curve on your products and your website?

If you'd like to learn more about powerful Cialdini principles, subscribe to my newsletter and get access to the negotiation and influence podcast:

https://bit.ly/replay-and-summary