From the course: The 10 Essentials of Influence and Persuasion

The "Compared to what?" effect

- One of the more common mistakes we make when attempting to influence and persuade others is to fall into the trap of thinking that all we need to do to get them to accept our proposal is to provide them with some good information and perhaps a reason why. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't do this. Of course you should, but there's something else that's really important, too. Persuasion researchers like me are forever pointing out how much context matters. The reason we do this is because, very often, it's not the merits of our message or proposal that leads to its success, but, rather, the context in which it's delivered. And it's here that remembering the compared to what rule is so important. If you think about it, it's pretty hard to make decisions or evaluate a proposal in isolation. As a result, all of us use comparisons to determine the relative worth of something. For example, an average-looking house can quickly seem like a really nice house if the one next door is in a state of disrepair. Yet that same house might appear pretty shabby if there happens to be a palatial residence next door. Presumably, that's why realtors will often drive their clients through the rougher parts of town on routes to a viewing. Now, that might sound like a sneaky thing to do, and it is, but that doesn't mean there aren't honest and ethical ways for us to use the compared to what rule. We just have to plan and remember to use it. Understanding and using the compared to what rule can be especially productive when we're presenting our ideas or written proposals. So be sure to think carefully about what you can compare your proposition to. Maybe a more expensive or an untested option, and then present that idea first, so that yours is seen in the best possible light. The compared to what rule can even influence hiring decisions. This is especially true when there are lots of people competing for the same job. It means that the first applicant will often be at a disadvantage, because the recruiter can't compare them to other candidates. It may mean that they end up getting compared to an ideal candidate in the recruiter's head, or even that heaven-sent candidate described on the job description, that's unlikely to exist in real life. So when you're seeking that new promotion or perhaps pitching your company to win a new account, and there are at least two competitors, all other things being equal, research shows that you're going to be much better off arranging to go last rather than first, something that's backed up in studies published by the Journal of Economic and Organizational Behavior, by the way. When we look to persuade people, it's so easy to fall into the trap of becoming engrossed in what we're going to say, that we completely forget the importance of this compared to what rule. The problem then is that our audiences may well come up with a comparison of their own and, as a consequence, our ideas and proposals run the risk of not being seen in their best possible light.

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