X-Message-Number: 10119 From: Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 16:00:23 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Re: Sales and Persuasion In Message #10105, Scott Badger discussed the issue of emotion in making a decision to purchase something (such as cryonics) and suggested in part that "when consumers make buying decisions based on an >emotional appeal, they're most typically buying impusively. As recently >discussed, signing up for cryonics is a process that requires considerable >effort and reflection. It's pretty hard to be impulsive when you're signing >up for cryonics, I would think. An emotional appeal may get your foot in >the door and you'll want to sustain emotional interest as long as possible, >but given that it can take months to make all the arrangements necessary to >finalize the sign-up, a rational argument will eventually be required to >convince the majority of prospects. It's the old one-two punch." My own few years in selling real estate (when dinosaurs roamed the earth and wanted larger houses for their growing families) demonstrated to me over and over that the most coldly- calculated purchaser still required an emotional "push" at the moment of decision. I can remember only one exception in my own experience where a participant in the purchase of a house made the decision to make an offer without an emotional "prod". I suspect that we are all discussing the same thing, and only placing emphasis more on one stage or another of the decision-making process. My focus, in this discussion, is more on how to get the (future) "stiff" to take the initial action. "Buyer's Regret", the fear that you have made the wrong decision in any major purchase, is most real. Ask any seller of large ticket items about this phenomenon. This is a separate stage of the selling process. However, how many times we have run across those who will agree with cryonics but balk when it comes to taking the step of doing something. I can't remember how many times I would be with a prospect offering him what he needs, what he wants, at a price that is well within his ability to afford - and he balks. I soon learned that giving reasons wasn't enough. Even when the mind is convinced the decision is the right one, the human being needs to feel an urgency to take the step forward. That urge is emotional. This is also why I am advocating placing more emphasis upon getting individuals to "protect" *others*, whom they care for rather than just "saving" themselves. You may view yourself as a selfish monster for seeking personal immortality (due to the cultural norms) but you are more likely to cast yourself in an heroic role if you are trying to save those you love and care for. I really feel this approach is one which has great promise. I also like Scott Badger's suggestion of causing more grass roots efforts to talk about cryonics in the local community, but there is an even deeper level of action we can take. All of us already know friends and relatives we care for. I am suggesting that we need to better approach our own inner circles with the emotional benefits of the cryonics option. I have been receiving emails from several members who are busy brainstorming on just this issue. I would encourage everyone to do the same. It seems to me it would be very useful to have a "sales" approach for personable contacts laid out so that we essentially have strong emotional as well as factual answers for the objections given by those we care about. There is risk here for the relationships. We would need to overcome our own concern for how we are thought of in favor of trying to save their lives. This is true. But if we truly believe in the potential of cryonics, we will not hesitate to risk personal censure to save the life of someone *we* care for. I am reminded again of how other movements such as active religious groups, have a distilled series of messages to win converts. Who hasn't seen or read the small comic book style "Chic" tracts used by some fundamentalist Christians? Who hasn't been confronted by a someone with a simple series of questions, such as "Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?" or some other pithy question which cuts directly to the matter of what you personally think and intend to do about this or that issue. For those of you who are only reminded of the crassness of such encounters, have you never had someone you personally knew come to you and present the same questions without your feeling resentment? I have. When you already know someone and you actually care about their welfare in a certain context, this usually carries through in your conversation with them. I would to like see a hierarchy of benefits, perhaps in a flow chart form, which we could develop and study, as a guideline in presenting cryonics especially to those people we already know. There has been an enormous amount already written and published to review from this perspective. There is much work that needs to be done here, I believe. But with steady effort, I think it can be done. What do you think? -George Smith ----------------------------------------------- Peace on Earth ... one mind at a time. THE ANGER CURE (tm) http://www.netcom.com/~smithid/angercure.html ----------------------------------------------- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10119