Getting people to say yes is not as easy as simply asking for something. Even when you’re the boss it can be difficult to influence your team members to agree to certain requests- and you know that you’ll just create resentment if you issue constant orders or even throw around ultimatums.
We know that’s not how you want to manage your team- you’d much prefer to influence them positively. Which isn’t as hard as it sounds, once you understand the basic psychology behind why people say ‘yes’.
Last time we discussed the fascinating research by Professor Cialdini which showed that there are six psychological factors at play that can influence people to say yes; even if they don’t want to.
We’ve already covered the first three: Reciprocity, Consistency and Liking (read that article here), this week we’re going to cover the final three: Social Proof, Authority and Scarcity.
Social Proof
We constantly copy what others are doing, and often seek social proof ‘Is anybody else doing it?’ before we enter into something. In particular, we look around and say, ‘Is anybody that I respect already doing it? A great way of influencing people to say yes to something is to show that people (and even better, someone they know and admire) have already done it with, good results.
This is the idea behind featuring powerful testimonials on websites and advertising assurances that ‘9 out of 10 dentists recommend’, or ’5 million families already use this product’. We want to be reassured that we’re not going it alone- that we’re not taking a risk.
How can this work in your virtual team?
When asking your team to take on a new project, extra work or a new practice, first seek out examples of where others have done it successfully. Find names they respect to get them on board and influence them to say yes.
Big names work, but so too do familiar ones close to home. For example, if Bob is your top performer, use the example of Bob when you’re trying to get someone on board with a project.
“Bob did something similar for me a few weeks ago and he hit the deadline early by doing it
this way”.
Authority
Yes, you’ve got the title of ‘boss ‘on your email signature, but do you have the natural authority to influence people into doing what you want?
Do people automatically see you as a figure of power, and follow your requests willingly based on that sense of authority?
As a leader, this is important to get right. Luckily, there are ways you can boost your image of authority.
The way we dress is one of the simplest ways to convey an image of authority. People will almost always accord more respect to those wearing a suit or a lab coat than to someone dressed informally. Whether your employees believe you are competent and knowledgeable in your area of expertise as well a leader will also play heavily into whether they genuinely believe in your authority.
How can this work in your virtual team?
When you host meetings via video call, ensure that you’re dressed to impress so that you’re instantly viewed as the authority figure in the room. To establish their belief in your competence as a leader, make sure that your professional profiles on Linkedin and any virtual workspace you share are looking extremely professional, as your virtual employees will almost certainly look at these resources to establish your competence.
It’s a good idea to Google yourself and review your Facebook settings to ensure you’re sending the right professional image to any curious employees. To further consolidate your authority within your team, be sure to build your reputation as an expert, whether that’s writing blogs, keeping abreast with industry news, or speaking at an industry event.
Scarcity
Scarcity is the long-proven idea that people will always be more interested in something that there’s not very much of. Something new, something rare, something that’s running out. Basically, the idea that not everyone can have it makes it more valuable, and therefore you can heavily influence workplace behaviour by offering a reward that is scarce.
How can this work in your virtual team?
This is largely a sales tactic, so it’s slightly harder to apply to the management of a team. However, it can be done. If you award bonuses or rewards, steer clear of ‘everyone gets something for trying’ schemes and instead introduce the idea of scarcity.
Don’t penalise people by cutting existing schemes as that will make you unpopular (and actually undermine your influence), instead introduce a new, short-running scheme where bonuses are awarded to the first person to do something. Say the award will only happen once, and create rewards that are truly scarce- such as big game tickets or a Friday off. (You can do many of these short-running schemes— just make sure the goal and the reward are unique each time to continue the idea of scarcity.)
So, there it is. A total of 6 ways where your virtual team can be powerfully influenced using basic human psychology. I hope this article has triggered some ideas for you in helping influence your team towards saying ‘yes’.
Until next time,
Julia
P.S. Do you need a brush up on your influencing skills? Are they hitting the mark? We can help click here to get in touch.
