If you had the choice between hiring someone you don’t quite trust even though they “look impressive on paper,” verses hiring someone who doesn’t look like the ideal candidate on paper, but you have a good feeling about that person’s integrity – who would you choose?

9 out of 10 people pick the person they can trust every single time.

An independent study on a corporation whose team had decided “on paper” to hire one company over another proved this theory. Once the team met the competing leaders, the team did a complete 180 on their decision, and went with the other company.

We think we make purchasing decisions based on logic. But in reality, we make our decisions on a subconscious level, a more emotional level; then we justify our purchase decision using logic.

Actions speak louder than words

Last week we explored a case study where Keiko met with two contractors separately. She had to decide who would get the job to renovate her kitchen.

Most people seem surprised to learn that Keiko chose …

contractor #1 who had a much higher bid, and admitted he couldn’t meet her deadline for the project. On paper, it seems the logical decision would be to go with the bid that falls within budget, and with a contractor who promised to meet her deadline.

Keiko just couldn’t trust contractor #2, even though he “said” he could meet her deadline. She explained, “He missed his appointment and didn’t call back until much later. He also didn’t ask as many questions about the job as the first contractor did. That leads me to believe that the second contractor was just making promises he couldn’t deliver.”

She felt that the first contractor actually took the time to really get a feel for what the project would entail, and gave her an accurate estimate of when the project would be completed – with no surprises when the bill came.

Making promises based on what you think someone wants to hear will never influence your listener in the long run – especially if they simply don’t believe you.

#1 Law of Influence: Do What You Say You Will Do (DWYSYWD)

Being true to your word, doing what you say you will do, and acting with a sense of honor and integrity is the most important law of influence. All other strategies are built on this.

Keep your promises. Remember - your word is your bond. As a general rule: under promise and over deliver.

Once you break a promise to a client (or a vendor) you’ll be on shaky ground. Even if it seems like a small issue, you’ll look flaky and unreliable. People want consistency – especially when shelling out their hard-earned money to you.

Being true to your word is how you’ll be judged. It will determine your success in influencing your clients, neighbors, and friends.

Coach Deborah Micek
The Influence Code

You can know all the laws of influence, all the tricks of the trade, from psychological trigger buttons to using the right words that make people automatically want to buy from you; but, if you don’t follow the #1 law of influence - you might as well flush all the books on influence strategies down the toilet.

What is this critical factor in influencing others?

Let me first share a brief story with you so you can see how this law of influence works.

Keiko was searching for a contractor to remodel her kitchen. After careful research on the Internet, she selected her top-two favorites.

Contractor #1, Tommy, arrived on time. He asked her dozens of questions such as how large she wanted her new addition to be, and what the most important features she wanted included in the new design.

When Keiko asked him how quickly he could get started, he gave her an estimated date. Unfortunately, it was a date past the time she really wanted her new kitchen completed.

Although the estimate was higher than she anticipated, Tommy explained that she would have everything she ever wanted in her new kitchen. The quality of his craftsmanship and materials used were guaranteed for the next 50 years. And before he left, he said to Keiko, “I take pride in every kitchen I’ve ever created.”

Respectfully thanking Tommy for his time, Keiko walked him to the door and waited for contractor #2 to arrive.

Three hours past the time Steve was supposed to be meeting with Keiko, contractor #2 called from his mobile phone, only to have the call dropped as he was explaining, “Wow! Time just got away from me! I should be there in about…”

Pushing the volume up on her phone, asking, “Can you hear me now, Steve?” Keiko realized the call was dropped, so she went outside to tend to her garden in anticipation of Steve’s arrival.

Another two hours passed with no call back from Steve. Keiko went inside the house to make dinner for her son.

By early evening, she finally heard back from Steve, asking if he could come right over. Consenting, she set up a new appointment for an hour from then.

Steve arrived late, but with an impressive, four-color brochure about his company. He gave the old kitchen a quick look, and asked her what her budget and deadline was.

Seconds after Keiko described why she wanted the project done as soon as possible, Steve nodded his head, and assured her he could get it done by then, no problem.

He left her with a quote that was well below her budget for the project, and told her that if she sends in the signed contract with a check before the end of the week, he’d knock off an extra 10%.

Who did Keiko choose?
Find out in next week’s post.

In the meantime, post your answer in the comments section below…

Coach Deborah
The Influence Code