Do you wonder why some communications or proposals get a response and others don’t? Do you want to get a better response rate?
A tax authority had been sending out a collections letter unsuccessfully in the U.K. A team of behavioral scientists (BIT) decided to test the effectiveness of the correspondence. They sent out two different letters to delinquent taxpayers.
The first letter said: We are writing to inform you that we have still not received your tax payment of $5,000. It is imperative that you contact us.
In the second letter, the team of behavioral scientists incorporated social psychology.
It read: We are writing to inform you that we have still not received your tax payment of $5,000. By now, 9 out of 10 people in your town have paid their taxes. It is imperative that you contact us.
It’s not surprising that the second letter was more effective and influenced taxpayers to start paying their bills.
It made me think of the statements I receive from my energy company. Each month they provide a graph of my energy use compared to my neighbors. I have to admit, it gets my attention and my competitive juices flowing.
The second letter sent by the psychologists provided a point of comparison. The message communicated that the delinquent taxpayers were not measuring up. It’s what they used to call “Keeping up with the Joneses”. And that’s the question in the mind of your audience. “How do I compare to others?”
The next time you want to influence a response to an email, letter, or PowerPoint presentation, how can you build in social psychology?
To learn how to be more confident, clear, and influential, contact me at diane@diresta.com