Common Sense Isn’t That Common

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Q) What do the following phrases all have in common…

  • In relationships, opposites attract
  • Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
  • We only use 10% of our brains
  • Money can’t buy happiness
  • Carrots can help you see in the dark

A) They’re all popular pieces of folk wisdom that science has either disproved, or at least shown to be exaggerated*.

This is another good example of a theme we’ve been exploring recently – the importance of examining our assumptions. Especially when it comes to our sales and business activity.

So, let’s examine this one…

Do we really believe that Cialdini’s “Influence” strategies are effective?

Well, of course we do! They’ve been proved to be effective time and again, in every possible industry, all over the world.

But let’s ask that question again…

And add to it…

How am I demonstrating that I believe it?

There’s a fabulous Stephen Covey quote that goes, “What is common sense isn’t common practice.”

There’s a lot of wisdom in that thought.

Because what it observes is that what people SAY, and even what people BELIEVE, doesn’t always translate into ACTION.

We know that Cialdini’s methods work, and we know that we should apply them to our sales strategies.

But are we actually doing so in practice?

And if we are, when was the last time we reviewed our methods to ensure we’re fully applying these principles to every step of our sales processes?

What we might find, if we have the courage to make a rigorous assessment, is that we’re doing too many things on autopilot or simply because we’ve always done it this way.

We repeat folk wisdom to each other because we assume that since they’ve stood the test of time they must be true.

We call basic truisms “common sense” because they’re obvious, without really thinking about whether we live those truisms.

And we can very easily nod along when someone reminds us of a powerful Cialdini principle without really considering whether we’ve fully grasped the underlying truth.

Cialdini’s curse is that many of his teachings are so simple, they can be taken for granted as being obvious.

  • People are inclined to reciprocate when someone does something for them or gives them something.
  • People are inclined to respect something said by an authority figure.
  • People are inclined to accept something that is believed by their peers.

On the surface these sound self-evident, bordering on trite.

And so the risk is that we could just say we believe these things to be true without actually putting them into practice.

To misquote Covey, “Commonly accepted Cialdini principles are not commonly practised.”

So, let’s challenge our assumptions about what we accept and what we practise.

Let’s take a fresh look at Cialdini’s “Influence” studies and go deeper into what they mean and how people’s psychology manifests itself when they come to our store, our website or our webinar.

We all get stuck in a rut sometimes. But the good news is that all it takes is a little push to get us moving again.

Next time we’re going to ask the question, “Are the best salespeople natural, or can their skills be learned?”

Until then…

Wishing you health, wealth and a joyful life,

Swadeck Taher

*Further reading:

Swadeck Taher OSK is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and a Chartered Marketer (CIM) running businesses and coaching, consulting, mentoring CEOs and entrepreneurs ranging from startups through family businesses to established top 100 companies in Mauritius. He enjoys sharing the expertise he developed over the last thirty years at senior leadership/directorship level with his clients, business partners and other budding entrepreneurs.

Swadeck is also a GTD Practitioner and a Certified GTD Trainer. He helps others experience what the Productive Experience feels like and how they too can savour stress free productivity.

Sakeenah Co Ltd is the only Certified International Partner of the David Allen Company in Mauritius.

GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company.

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