How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 287

meeting you put forth your great idea right after another great idea, it
won't have the impact it would have had if it had followed someone else's
poor idea. Likewise, if we are talking to a beautiful woman or man at a
party and we are then joined by an unattractive woman or man, the
beautiful person will seem even more beautiful, and the less attractive
person will seem even less attractive.
This is all about human perception. The human mind has to find a
benchmark of comparison to make judgments, especially when we are
talking about unfamiliar situations. People need to make comparisons
with their past experience and knowledge. By presenting your prospects
with contrast, you are creating those comparisons for them. The mind
can't process everything at once and so it develops shortcuts to help make
decisions. Instead of making a completely internal judgment, we look for
boundaries, patterns, and polar opposites. We want to know the difference
between our options, so we naturally contrast the two items. We mentally
place things in our mind from best to worst, first to last, or highest to
lowest. Do you want your prospects to compare your product or service to
a second-hand used car or to a Rolls Royce? You get to decide where you
want them to start their benchmark.
When using the Rule of Contrast, keep in mind the powerful differences
between positive and negative information. Psychologists have asserted
for years that people automatically and subconsciously have extremely
high expectations for the good over the bad. Because of this consistent
tendency, negative information, when it comes, always seems to be given
considerable weight because it is such a jarring contrast to what was
expected.[1] For example, have you ever had a salesperson get you all
excited about some incredible product you were about to purchase?
You're totally thrilled with all the things this product is going to do for
you, and then BAM! The salesperson hits you with the ghastly price.
Suddenly the hefty price tag, just one negative detail, outweighs the
product's twenty terrific features. Negative information has taken
precedence over all the positive information. In fact, now it's consuming
your thoughts. You drive home able only to think about how the precious
item is going to cost you an arm and a leg.
Contrast works in many arenas. You can contrast just about anything and
immediately see its effects. Try this experiment: Fill three buckets with
water, one with hot water, another with cold water, and the third with
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