Why Crazy People Are Can Be So Convincing: Belief Sells, Confidence Motivates
Why Crazy People Are Can Be So Convincing: Belief Sells, Confidence Motivates
Let’s say you have a health problem and you go to a doctor.You want him to listen, evaluate and investigate. When he makes his recommendation, you want to hear as much confidence as possible.
"Andrew, you've got the plague. Here's a prescription that will fix you right up," is a lot more reassuring than, "Andrew, I think you either have gout or it could be scurvy. Or possibly lupus. Then again, it might just be the flu or a bad cold. I'll write you a prescription. Maybe the drugs will make it go away, maybe they won't, and you might want to call me if you think they make it worse."
A subordinate I'd inherited once asked me, "Do you think it would be okay if I got some sort of raise, eventually at least?" Hardly a question asked by someone convinced of the overwhelming force of his case. Maybe he was going for a pity raise.
A few months later, one of my top people approached me for a pay increase. She concluded by saying, "So that's way a 20 percent raise makes such perfect sense. I know it's not time for my yearly review and I know 20 percent is a lot more than normal, but obviously these aren't normal circumstances. I just want to make sure I can count on your backing."
She didn't get the raise simply because she expected to get it. But she did get the raise. I got her more than she expected, bringing her into line with the top people in her position in the company. Which is exactly what she deserved.
Confidence sells. And the closer confidence gets to absolute conviction the more powerful it becomes. That's why crazy people can sometimes be so convincing. Hitler never had a moment's doubt or hesitation. He believed so absolutely an entire country was swept along in his insanity.
In the late '80s, I was asked to consult on a start-up operation by a potential client who soon turned out to be a megalomaniac. The man was on drugs and under psychiatric care and absolutely convinced that he was going to revolutionalize consumer purchasing.
What was astonishing was how many intelligent people he'd pulled into his fantasy, including a high ranking ex-military officer and the chairman of the board of a leading Fortune 100 company. Investors were throwing money at him, and a telecommunications giant gave him several million dollars work of equipment on credit. None of them were bothered by the fact that the man's conception of the business he was creating changed hourly. And that, because of that, no one, least of all the poor man himself, had any idea of what the final product he was developing might be.
Such is the power of confidence. In the late 90s of course, the above model became standard operating procedure for Internet start-ups.
Confidence is also why people too obtuse to understand what's wrong with their position sometimes succeed in convincing others. As Bertram Russell said, "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."
That's not the kind of confidence you want to project. That type of confidence is fragile and brittle. And it's too often revealed as false--ideally sooner rather than later--when it's buffeted by reality. The confidence you need to project comes from having made your proposal the best it can possibly be, from understanding the downside and having made peace with it, from making the What’s-In-It-For-Them as potent as it can possibly be for each of the Thems you’re trying to bring on board.
And it comes from laying your cards out on the table, granting the people you're dealing with their legitimate points when they have doubts. (Grant their legitimate points and the points you need to make your case become far more believable.) So they can make a completely informed decision. And knowing that if they do, in most cases, they should and they will go along with what you’re proposing.
That's real confidence. The operative word being real. If you can’t do that with whatever it is you’re advocating, maybe you should be advocating something else.
Why Crazy People Are Can Be So Convincing Belief Sells Confidence Motivates - To learn more about this author, visit B. Maher's Website.
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It's far easier to make someone else a believer when you're a believer yourself.
Let’s say you have a health problem and you go to a doctor.You want him to listen, evaluate and investigate. When he makes his recommendation, you want to hear as much confidence as possible.
"Andrew, you've got the plague. Here's a prescription that will fix you right up," is a lot more reassuring than, "Andrew, I think you either have gout or it could be scurvy. Or possibly lupus. Then again, it might just be the flu or a bad cold. I'll write you a prescription. Maybe the drugs will make it go away, maybe they won't, and you might want to call me if you think they make it worse."
A subordinate I'd inherited once asked me, "Do you think it would be okay if I got some sort of raise, eventually at least?" Hardly a question asked by someone convinced of the overwhelming force of his case. Maybe he was going for a pity raise.
A few months later, one of my top people approached me for a pay increase. She concluded by saying, "So that's way a 20 percent raise makes such perfect sense. I know it's not time for my yearly review and I know 20 percent is a lot more than normal, but obviously these aren't normal circumstances. I just want to make sure I can count on your backing."
She didn't get the raise simply because she expected to get it. But she did get the raise. I got her more than she expected, bringing her into line with the top people in her position in the company. Which is exactly what she deserved.
Confidence sells. And the closer confidence gets to absolute conviction the more powerful it becomes. That's why crazy people can sometimes be so convincing. Hitler never had a moment's doubt or hesitation. He believed so absolutely an entire country was swept along in his insanity.
In the late '80s, I was asked to consult on a start-up operation by a potential client who soon turned out to be a megalomaniac. The man was on drugs and under psychiatric care and absolutely convinced that he was going to revolutionalize consumer purchasing.
What was astonishing was how many intelligent people he'd pulled into his fantasy, including a high ranking ex-military officer and the chairman of the board of a leading Fortune 100 company. Investors were throwing money at him, and a telecommunications giant gave him several million dollars work of equipment on credit. None of them were bothered by the fact that the man's conception of the business he was creating changed hourly. And that, because of that, no one, least of all the poor man himself, had any idea of what the final product he was developing might be.
Such is the power of confidence. In the late 90s of course, the above model became standard operating procedure for Internet start-ups.
Confidence is also why people too obtuse to understand what's wrong with their position sometimes succeed in convincing others. As Bertram Russell said, "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."
That's not the kind of confidence you want to project. That type of confidence is fragile and brittle. And it's too often revealed as false--ideally sooner rather than later--when it's buffeted by reality. The confidence you need to project comes from having made your proposal the best it can possibly be, from understanding the downside and having made peace with it, from making the What’s-In-It-For-Them as potent as it can possibly be for each of the Thems you’re trying to bring on board.
And it comes from laying your cards out on the table, granting the people you're dealing with their legitimate points when they have doubts. (Grant their legitimate points and the points you need to make your case become far more believable.) So they can make a completely informed decision. And knowing that if they do, in most cases, they should and they will go along with what you’re proposing.
That's real confidence. The operative word being real. If you can’t do that with whatever it is you’re advocating, maybe you should be advocating something else.
Why Crazy People Are Can Be So Convincing Belief Sells Confidence Motivates - To learn more about this author, visit B. Maher's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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