Small changes, big impacts – 52 small details make it easy for you to increase your impact

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A product worth 100 yuan, changed to a 99.9 yuan promotion, can make the buyer feel a lot cheaper?

Can making a small change to an email make negotiations less difficult?

Changing a conference room to a round table is easy to convince employees to act in unison?

We often say that the devil is in the details. When you intend to influence the behavior of others, the smallest change in practice can often achieve the most significant results.

Direct your attention to smaller numbers

Have you ever received a loyalty card from a milk tea shop or coffee shop?

You can collect a stamp for each cup you buy. After you have saved ten stamps, you can exchange another cup for free. And when you get it, the boss has already stamped a stamp for you.

There are two different ways to describe the progress you've made: you've already walked 10% of the way, or you still have 90% of the way to go.

Which statement do you think motivates you to get this free cup of milk tea?

To study the problem, scientists were persuaded to design a series of experiments, they chose a sushi restaurant, and developed a loyalty customer reward program: ten times during lunch, you can get a free lunch.

Half of the customers in the Progress Accumulation Group get blank cards, and they are told that they can stamp one stamp every lunch, and if they bring a friend, they can get multiple stamps.

Half of the customers of the "remaining task force" got 10 stamped cards, and every time they came to the store for lunch, the clerk used a punch machine to knock out a stamp, and if they brought a friend, they could punch a few more holes in the card.

Over a 4-month period, the researchers found that if customers initially made less progress, that is, eating alone or inviting few guests, then people in the "progress accumulation group" were more likely to return to the restaurant to spend again. If the customer initially made a lot of progress, then the situation is reversed, and the customer of the "remaining task group" is more willing to come back.

Why is this happening?

That's because when the customer's focus is directed to a smaller number, the motivation to accomplish the goal is higher — whether that smaller number is a progress that has been made or a task remaining.

So, to motivate others to complete tasks more actively, you can direct your target's attention upfront to the small amount of progress you've already made, rather than staring at the larger numbers that haven't yet been completed. After all, from 20% to 40% completed, it is equivalent to doubling the progress and looks very efficient.

And when the process is halfway through, it is necessary to make a small adjustment to the incentive method. By focusing feedback on the small number of tasks remaining, people become more motivated to complete tasks. Replacing "you're 90% done" with "You're only 10% away from your goal" is more inspiring.

Ask a few more specific questions

Maybe you also have this experience: a colleague has obviously promised to help, "Leave it to me, I will be happy to help you contact the new vice president", but after saying it, there is no movement.

It wasn't that he didn't mean to just talk or not practice, but because there were too many things competing for his attention. He promised you, just not yet had time to act.

It can be seen that simply getting people to say "okay" is often not enough to get things done.

But a small extra action can have a significant effect on improving the intent to execute.

You just need to ask a few more specific questions, such as: "When will you send an email?" "What are you going to do by 15 o'clock on Friday?" "What would you say to him?".

Behavioral scientists call this "implementation intention." By answering these specific questions, it is easier for people to develop a specific plan, so that they can more easily carry out their commitments as planned.

It would be better to postpone it a little

Sometimes, when we try to persuade others to do something they "should" but not necessarily "willing to do," no matter how well we master the art of convincing others effectively, we may fail.

The most common reason is that people know they should change their behavior and just don't want to do it "now."

"The near future" and the "distant future" feel different in people's minds.

If you want to ask a friend to volunteer on the weekend, whether to go this weekend or go again on a weekend in 3 months, their reaction is likely to be very different.

If you want them to go this weekend, their focus is likely to be on specific costs, such as not being able to watch the latest movies or sleeping in.

And if you want him to go back on a weekend in 3 months, he's more likely to evaluate your request on a broader level, such as whether he should do it or not. When he finds that this matter is in line with his own values, it is easier to grant your request and keep the promise.

Behavioral scientists call this commitment strategy "future binding," and when you want to convince others, you don't have to ask them to change it immediately, but put it at some point in the future. Of course, the premise is that the matter is good for them and in line with their values.

Through 52 tips to enhance influence and persuade others from the details, this book teaches you the rules of influence that can positively influence others, and is a practical life tool book in various areas of work and life, such as workplace communication, employee motivation, business negotiation, and family education.