Key word gets 94 percent ... do you?
One of our axioms - accepted wisdom - at Image 7 Group for the last two decades has been "Tell them the reason why."
When crafting an offer, writing an appeal or consulting with a client, we should never expect the receiver to make decisions in an information vacuum. We should always give the reasons why a particular decision is the correct course of action.
But now, there is proof. In particular, proof that one specific word can make all the difference.
That very powerful word is because.
Behavioural scientist Ellen Langer of Harvard University set out to find out just how powerful the word is.
In one study, Langer and her team approached people in line to use a photocopier and asked, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" Sixty percent agreed to let the stranger jump the queue. But when the stranger added "... because I'm in a rush" to their script, the figure jumped to 94 percent.
But the study gets even more interesting. Langer and her team experimented with a variation of the script where they used a completely nonsensical justification but still used because. The script was now, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies." The result was an amazing 93 percent agreement, almost the same as when the justification was reasonable.
The team tested further, but this time significantly increasing the level of the favour from five to 20 copies. Without because, only 24 percent of people agreed to the stranger's request. When because was used with the thin justification of "I have to make copies", agreement did not improve at all.
When the script changed to include "... because I'm in a rush", agreement doubled to 48 percent.
The results of this study suggest that we humans rely on mental shorthand for small decisions that don't have a large impact on us. So we are likely to say yes after the use of because simply for the reason that we are conditioned to expect that a good reason follows.
However when the request gets bigger, we analyse the reasons more rationally and weigh up how to respond. But even then, when there is a solid reason for your request, response rates can double.
What does this mean to you?
Go back and review your communications where you are seeking a decision. Look carefully because they are often well disguised. (There it is. A call to action followed by a reason with a because in the middle.) It could be a purchasing decision, approval for an administrative change, or encouragement to change habits or lifestyle.
Are you using because to its full power?
Of course, like all things, the power of because has its limits, but it remains the hammer drill in your creative toolbox.
Get more headlines every month - Subscribe to 7 Seconds
