Certify the Value of Certainty in Persuasion

Whether wanting to convince people to make a purchase, a donation, or a commitment, presenting your case confidently will help, as long as your degree of confidence doesn’t outpace your audience’s judgment of your accuracy. The assessment of accuracy precedes the impact of the influencer’s degree of certainty.
     But what about circumstances in which accuracy information isn’t easily available? People will tend to assume what they’re being told is accurate, according to study results from Georgetown University, Harvard University, and University of California-Berkeley. Further, the higher the salesperson’s confidence, the less likely it is that audience members will choose to check for accuracy.
     This sets up circumstances in which consumers could be misled. It’s more likely to happen with experience and credence goods than with search goods.

• Search goods have features, the value of which can be relatively easily assessed before purchase. A refrigerator and a car are search goods. 
• The values of experience goods are more difficult for the shopper to assess until the goods have been used. An insurance policy, gym membership, or unfamiliar food is an experience good. 
• Vitamin pills and investment portfolios are examples of what are considered credence goods or post-experience goods. These are items for which it is difficult to evaluate the advantages of having made the purchase even after use. 

     To exercise ethical influence, especially when selling experience or credence goods, check that your confidence is justified. The same rule holds when attempting to convince people to donate to an unfamiliar charity or to commit to a set of beliefs with hidden consequences.
     It also helps for you to project a little bit of uncertainty. That can make you more accurate about your deserved confidence. As it happens, it also makes you more influential in circumstance where people are judging your advice. In a Journal of Consumer Research article wonderfully titled “Believe Me, I Have No Idea What I'm Talking About,” researchers from Stanford University reported that expert restaurant reviewers are more influential when the reviewers say they're less than completely certain about their conclusions.
     Avoid coming across as absolutely certain in the recommendations you're making. A bit of doubt makes people more comfortable in asking questions and expressing concerns. Those questions and concerns are highly valuable to you when facilitating the sale. You can present counterarguments or you can steer the customer toward an alternative which will better fit their preferences.

For your success: Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology

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Post Dramatic Tales for Post-Experience Goods
Sell More by Being Less Certain