Using Competition To Amp Up Persuasion

Lately I've been really dedicated to working out and recently I noticed something interesting at the gym. My gym is most definitely not a meat market. A very large percentage of the patrons are there because they care about their health and not for dating purposes or to see and be seen.

However, on occasion, I've noticed that as I ride the stationary bicycle, someone will hop on to the one next to me and I pick up my pace a little. It's not a conscious decision, really, but my other than conscious wanting to show off a little. It could be a desire not to be outdone.

Conversely, I have also noticed if I get on a machine next to someone, they'll often do the same thing. Most people have a high desire for competition. This drive may or may not be something we embrace. I'm a competitive person who embraces it. As a sales person I loved challenging myself using other people's records as benchmarks. I would constantly challenge myself to double or triple what the other sales people around me were doing.

You see competition in everyday life most intensely where there are limited resources. (Just look to the animal kingdom as they compete for water, food, mates.) Humans, especially in the United States, compete on economic bases. We all know about the survival of the fittest. . . It's seldom about trade and cooperation. On some level or another, we compete--money, mates, parking spots. When we're not out there competing ourselves, we sit around and watch others compete (sports, reality TV, beauty contests. . .)

My observations at the gym showed me how competition can be used as incentive for self improvement. There's a part of my mind that engages the competition (whether the other person knows it or not) and it helps me to workout harder and faster. In this way, I am only doing myself good. This sort of competition is healthy. A drinking contest. .. that's another story.

So how can this base instinct be used most effectively for selling our products or services? Well, we see it all the time. . . two gas stations across the street from each other with slightly different prices, the lower of the two deciding to take that much less for the product. I'm not suggesting you lower your prices by any means, but through framing, we can show ourselves, our products, our services, as the answer in the minds of our affluent prospects and clients. 'I am by no means the cheapest, and in fact, I may be one of the more expensive realtors, but you really do get what you pay for.'

What is your relation to competition? Do you embrace it or shy away from it? And how can you begin to use it for persuasion purposes?

About the Author

Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to earn the business of affluent clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion strategies. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.

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