I’m not delusional. If you were in the market for a handgun for personal protection, I’d have dramatically less selling power than would James Debney, the president and chief executive officer of Smith & Wesson.
Similarly, if you were looking to buy a grand piano, my words would be much less impactful than those of Ron Losby, president of Steinway & Sons, the manufacturer of some of the finest handmade pianos on earth. Then there’s Karl Schulze, CEO of C. Bechstein, Steinway & Son’s aggressive German competitor and the famed maker of one-of-a-kind art case pianos for royal palaces since the nineteenth century.
Who the heck am I, by contrast to these men? Their words would pack a bazooka-like punch that I just couldn’t match, but why? It’s the credibility of authority. The depth of knowledge that these men have about their guns and pianos is something I’d be challenged to match. What I could never match, no matter how much time I spent trying, is the authority with which they speak. With enough desire and discipline, I could learn what almost anybody on the planet can learn. What I can’t do, no matter how long and diligently I study, is become the president or CEO of these companies and instantly acquire their years of experience. Thus, when Debney, Losby, and Schulze speak, consumers who are in the market for what they sell tend to listen.
“But Drew, those guys aren’t going to be the least bit objective. After all, they’re the manufacturers.”
That’s absolutely right. However, I offered them as examples of how the combination of expertise and experience trumps our acquired knowledge as salespeople no matter how thoroughly we study our sales materials.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines authority as “the power to give orders or make decisions: the power or right to direct or control someone or something.”
When advertisers use faux doctors as spokespeople, even though they may begin their commercials with, “I’m not a real doctor, I just play one on TV,” consumers are still impressed by the white jacket, hanging stethoscope, and realistic-looking hospital set. Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says they’re not allowed to have a real doctor recommend their products, these clever advertisers assemble the trappings of authority, and because of the existence of heuristic buying behavior (making purchases on the basis of images and symbols rather than facts and details), the cash register rings just as loudly.
Who in industry is a recognized authority that you could adopt for the purpose of adding credibility to your presentation? In my seminar Newspaper Advertising Magic, for example, I tap into the authority cue by featuring on the brochure cover, a review quote by Caroline Little, president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America. That might not mean anything to you, but among newspaper publishers you can’t get a more impressive quote from a more important industry player.
These big players may not be the easiest to persuade to help you market your products—unless it’s their brand you’re selling, of course. However, a much easier way to scoop up plenty of authority is through the use of noncorporate notables who are experts in your product category, in other words, high-profile people who happily use your product.
For example, if I’m trying to sell you my $500 Artisan Ice Cream Maker, it’s one thing for me, the salesman, to tell you how great it is and quite another if I have the outspoken Gordon Ramsay or the popular Giada De Laurentiis endorse it. In escalating degrees of value (and, perhaps, cost), I’d ask them for a short written quote about it and then a more extensive written review. I’d even fly a videographer to their offices and shoot them saying a few words about it or try to get the ultimate—which would cost a few bills—a video of these great chefs using it while speaking glowingly about its merits.
Maybe you’re saying, “Come on, Drew! How could I ever get stuff like this? I just have what my boss gives me.” Or perhaps you’re insisting, “I’m a small business owner, Drew. I can’t get big names to give me endorsements or testimonials. You’re dreaming!”
Of course you can. Celebrities live for publicity (that’s why they’re called celebrities). They actively seek out opportunities to promote their name and brand because they want to continually increase their celebrity. Although some want big chunks of cash to provide anything with their name on it, others will do it for very reasonable amounts or other forms of value. The easiest and cheapest way is to write to them directly (unless they’re major names who probably communicate only through an agent) and ask them outright about securing a simple review quote in exchange for sending them your product. Your letter should lay on the praise for their work, of course, and tell them that nobody is equally qualified to judge the quality of your product because of their vast expertise. Get it?
Want an even stronger method? Then send them the product as a personal gift (without bothering to contact them first) with a warm and personal note saying something like, “To Gordon, our favorite celebrity chef.” Then shoot him a message via his website or Twitter and ask him what he thought about it. If you get a positive reply, respond with, “Thanks so much for your kind comments, Gordon. It means a lot coming from such a great chef whom we truly admire. We’re really thrilled that you like our Artisan Ice Cream Maker! May we include your kind words in our marketing materials? Again, thanks so much for your generosity. I’ll await your kind reply. Sincerely.”
Unless the person is a total jerk, in the vast majority of cases you will get a positive reply, including permission to use his or her quotes. (It’s important to note that you absolutely must make it almost effortless for them to respond to you. Your request isn’t anywhere on their “what I need to do today” list. That’s why communicating with them via e-mail or any social medium is best.)
What we just did was use two different techniques that largely went unnoticed, even by you as you’re reading a book about consumer psychology. We sent our product along with a personal letter. That immediately kicked in the principles of reciprocation, the feeling that we need to do something for someone who did something for us, and consistency, which dictates that a person continue to act in a way that’s consistent with his or her previous behavior lest he or she be considered a hypocrite. We’ll discuss both of these principles in more detail in this section.
All the principles discussed in this book are practical and can be implemented immediately—today—if you choose. This particular one, the idea of backing your product or service by authority, is among the easiest to implement because it’s so concrete. You find a respected authority who’s willing to let you use his or her quote or review. I’ve done it countless times, and so can you. Actually, among the many ideas contained in this book, this one by itself can pay for the price of the book many thousand times over.
Don’t you see? These are sales tools just like your brochure and samples. They’re no different and no less important. In fact, they’ll trump the selling power of almost any other sales technique you use besides personal demonstration, which is the ideal form of persuasion for a quality product.