Five years ago, I used to wake up at 3 a.m. every morning for an hour-long bus ride to an oil sands site in northern Canada. On those rides, I read books about marketing and business, dreaming of the day I could do something I was passionate about.

One of those books I read was Influence by Robert Cialdini, and looking back, I see that it completely changed how I viewed business.

Once I understood the 6 Principles of Persuasion from the book, it was like I had a superpower!

I could look at any website or business and immediately find ways to improve its marketing with these subtle tactics to make more people buy stuff.

Use them for good!

Below, I'll describe a principle and offer a specific example of how you, as a filmmaker, can leverage them to close more deals.

Let's dive in:

1. RECIPROCITY: This is when you do something for a person without expecting anything in return. Giving first is much more powerful than asking for something and then giving later.
   
   EXAMPLE: This can be as small as bringing a client a coffee before a meeting or picking up the tab at lunch. Offering advice on a discovery call or linking to useful articles to help their business. A big way you can use this is in the example I mentioned in the SHOULD YOU WORK FOR FREE post. It was about finding a need the client has and solving it for them. Imagine starting off a client relationship by finding an opportunity within a client's business and creating videos for them to take advantage of it. They are far more likely to buy from you later. Powerful!
   
   
2. COMMITMENT/CONSISTENCY: People unconsciously behave in a manner consistent with their past behaviour. If a person performs even a small favour for someone, they are far more likely to perform a bigger one later. This can be as simple as liking an Instagram post or subscribing to a YouTube channel. This can also mean a commitment to a statement, especially if it's public - like sharing a goal with friends that you will make $100K this year from filmmaking.
   
   EXAMPLE: You can get the client to take small actions to build up to bigger ones later, like filling out a form for a discovery call or sending examples of videos they like. If the client is hesitant to go ahead with a large project, you can start with a smaller one first, then build up to the larger one. If the client says they need more creative video content, you can reinforce their statement by saying:  "It sounds like you're ready to invest in more creative videos now, is that right? People strive to commit to the statements they make. You can also use this on yourself by making your goals public, as studies show you're more likely to achieve them if they're public and you write them down.
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3. SOCIAL PROOF: We always pay attention to what others are doing and saying. It's why you're more likely to want to go into a busy restaurant than one that's empty. If other people aren't doing it, we assume it must not be good. This is why most websites show how many newsletter subscribers and followers they have or customers they've served. Or why McDonalds says, "Billions Served," lol.
   
   EXAMPLE: This is why testimonials, case studies, and showing the logos of past clients on your website are so important! If you look at the Kolder Creative website, you'll see multiple brand logos at the top and an entire page of student testimonials. If you have a large following or have worked with a good amount of clients, it will help to include that in your outreach and website.
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4. AUTHORITY: People instantly trust people more if they're an authority figure. This can be a doctor, lawyer, millionaire, influencer, or expert in a field. They weigh the opinion of that person more than a non-authority figure and are more likely to follow them.
   
   EXAMPLE: This is why being an expert in a specific niche can be a game changer in your business. You can also leverage this by showing testimonials and case studies from well-known brands you work with to increase your "authority" in the client's mind. If you've been featured in any press, you should also include that on your website. Imagine you positioned yourself as a luxury resort videographer and had a case study from the Four Seasons. This alone will help you land more clients.
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5. LIKING: It's easier to persuade someone if they like you. This could be subtle, like body language, tone of voice, or things you have in common, to offering compliments and similar likes/interests.
   
   EXAMPLE: In your emails, you can use this by mentioning your love for the brand, how you bought their products, or why you liked their last marketing campaign. On calls, you can mirror the person's body language, like if they use their hands a lot or how they sit, etc. Match their tone by speaking at the same pace. You can also find commonalities with the person you're speaking with, like where they're from, people they know, travels, interests, etc. If you're on a call with someone who is very expressive, talks fast and laughs a lot, you'll improve your chances of persuading them by mirroring their actions.
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6. SCARCITY: This is a powerful one. It can also be called FOMO or exclusivity. The less there is of something, the more we want it. This can be used as a limited number of something - "Only 2 spots left." Or if there's a deadline, such as "Sale ends in 6 hours."  Another example is if access to new software is "invite only" while in the beta phase. It generates hype because people want to be invited to see what it's all about.
   
   EXAMPLE: If you got 100 new clients today, would you be able to work with all of them? Not likely. You can mention this to clients (if it's true) by saying - "We're able to take on 2 new clients this month." You can use exclusivity if you need a client to make a decision. If you're talking to 3 clothing brands and can only take one of them on, let the others know - "We're also speaking with 2 other clothing brands about a project and are only able to take on one right now." Or if you sent the same creative concept to multiple clients but can only use it for one video campaign.
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Wow, that's it. Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

These subtle techniques can be used when communicating with clients, and they're perfect for weaving into your emails, website, and sales conversations. I used "scarcity" in an email yesterday and got a response within an hour on a Saturday.

These work!