How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 307

up to us and we all laugh. The amazing thing that happens is that they
begin to laugh too. They realize it's not a big deal and go off to resume
their activities, often laughing with us. Children act based on the
expectations of their parents. You create the expectations in your voice, in
your actions, and with the words you use.
Studies show that children will live up to the expectations of their parents
whether those expectations are positive or negative. According to Bill
Glass, over 90 percent of prison inmates were told by parents while
growing up, "They're going to put you in jail."[6]
Blood Drive
When blood drive organizers make reminder calls, they may end their
conversations with something like, "We'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
then, okay?" and then wait for the person's commitment. Why do they do
this? Studies have shown that when you create an expectation, attendance
rates dramatically increase.
Sales Applications
The power of suggestion can also be extremely effective when you
engage the emotions in your tactics. For example, when your car salesman
says, "You're really going to love how this car handles in the mountains,"
he is shifting the focus away from the sale and creating an exciting image
in your head. He is also speaking as though you had already agreed to the
sale because you wouldn't be driving it in the mountains unless you were
going to buy it. He's acting like it's a done deal — and the truth is, the
more he does this, the more it is!
I love seeing door-to-door salespeople use this law to their advantage.
They approach a door, ring the bell, and with a big smile tell the prospect
they have a great presentation that person needs to see. Of course, they
emplo