The Yes Train: How to get more people to say yes

In order to influence someone you have to get someone to say yes to you. 

When someone says yes once, it’s hard for them to say no afterwards.

And if someone says no to you, it’s hard for them to switch to a yes. 

Get them to say yes first.

This is one of the principles of persuasion used in Robert Cialdini’s book Influence. The Commitment and Consistency principle.

So how do we use Commitment and Consistency? 

To create a Yes chain, you have to make the questions you’re asking geared towards agreeing to the idea of rather than a specific answer.  

For example, “I’d love to see you again, would you like to meet up for coffee sometime?” or “Listen, do you want to make more money or are you happy with where you’re at?” 

And there’s your first yes.

Then, follow up with “What’s your schedule like next week?” After he or she’s given you their schedule and you know your schedule, you can finally ask a specific question: How’s Thursday at 4pm by the café near your place sound? 

This transition is smooth. 

It’s extremely difficult to make someone commit to something that involves a huge leap. This process creates small steps to that lead to the answer you want. 

Once the first step is taken, it creates a commitment to continue to take that next step. 

By now, you should be able to see how this can be applied to various areas in your life.

You have to get them to agree to the idea of what you want to persuade them to.

Then, continue to positively reaffirm them.

Lastly, close the deal.  

My name is Romario Villanueva.  Entrepreneur & blogger. I'm a graduate from Rutgers University with several certifications from top schools through Coursera. I love all things business, psychology, and basketball. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or LinkedIn