The Delivery Gone Bad
My friend Jane faced a challenging situation; admittedly, she didn’t handle it well. Upon reflection, I believe she could have applied several techniques at the time, which might have resulted in a much better outcome than what transpired.
While this was a personal challenge, these principles of persuasion are helpful at work in motivating team members, and especially associates in other areas.
Here’s the background information:
When Jane’s clothes dryer broke down, it was clear it was beyond repair, so she ordered a new one from a local retailer. She was told it would take a few days to be delivered, and her laundry had already piled up for about a week.
On the day the dryer was scheduled for delivery, Jane was hosting a long-planned birthday party at 8:00 p.m. at a local restaurant. The dryer was expected to be delivered between 2 and 4 p.m., which should not have been a problem. At 5:00 p.m., Jane began to get anxious; by 6:00 p.m., she was pretty upset, and worse, the delivery truck did not show up until 7:05 p.m.
Upon arrival, the driver complained about his long 13-hour workday and was very slow to start unloading his truck. Anxious to get to the party, Jane became uncharacteristically furious at the delivery man. She, unfortunately, swore at the man and pushed him out of her house, and ultimately had to reschedule the delivery for several days later. Meanwhile, the laundry continued to pile up.
I’ve considered how Jane might have applied the Principles of Persuasion to get the driver to work faster, unload his truck, and install the dryer in 30 minutes so she could get to her party on time.
Here are three techniques that may have done the trick by themselves or in some combination.
Reciprocity
Jane could have started by offering something small to the driver—perhaps a bottle of water or a snack. This small act of kindness could have triggered the reciprocity principle, making the driver feel more inclined to return the favor by working more efficiently.
Unity
She could have tried to create a sense of shared experience, saying something like,
“We’ve both had long days, and I know you want to finish up quickly, too. Let’s see if we can get this done fast so we both can get a break!”
By framing it as a shared goal, the driver might be more motivated to cooperate.
Consistency
She could have asked the driver a small commitment question, such as:
“Would you say you usually get these installed pretty quickly?”
Once the driver acknowledges this, he is likelier to act consistently with that statement and complete the task faster.
Had Jane applied these principles, she likely could have persuaded the driver to move quickly without conflict, installed the dryer, arrived at her party on time, and maintained a good relationship with the delivery team.
You can apply these principles easily in work settings and with family and friends.
These are not the only approaches that will work, I’d love to tell you more about how to apply them to your challenges.