How to Persuade 2X More People With One Sentence

Hey, it’s Marie Forleo, and you are watching MarieTV, the place to be, to create a business and life you love.

You know, today we’re talking about a tiny little tweak in your language that has the power to double your conversions. That’s right! Double. Uh! Double up. Uh! Uh!

Well, alrighty then. Now, look. Whether you run a business, a nonprofit, or you just want to be more effective in getting people to say yes, I think you’re going to find this fascinating.

Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of the classic book on persuasion called Influence, studied the donations process at the American Cancer Society. He found that the number one game-changer in gaining more donations was one tiny language tweak.

Let’s have a look. Which one of these might make you more likely to donate.

“Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?” Or, “Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every penny will help.”

Now, check this out. Research showed that people who were asked the second version were almost twice as likely to make a donation. While only 28% gave money with the first call to action, 50% donated when the call to action included that one extra sentence. “Every penny will help.”

So, let’s break this down. You see, when you give people a small, easy action to take, it can double their chances of saying yes. That’s right, double. Uh! Double up. Uh! Uh!

By adding a simple sentence, you’re creating what’s known as a minimum viable action, the smallest possible action someone could take to create the change you want.

Now, obviously, this doesn’t just work for nonprofits. In fact, you’ve probably been offered a minimum viable action at your favorite stores. Here’s an example.

So, a few weeks ago, I was at the Container Store because I KonMaried the crap out of my closet. #sparkjoy! So, when I was checking out, they asked me if I was a member of POP, their Perfectly Organized Perks program. I said, “I am not.” They said, “Oh, it is so easy. All we need is your phone number and you will get an extra 15% off.” I was like, “Oh! Okay! Saving money’s like making money. Here is my phone number. I want to be a Popper, like yesterday!”

And look, this isn’t just about business, either. I mean, you can use this same strategy to double your chances of getting yes even in your own head. That’s right, I said double. Uh! Double up. Uh! Uh!

Anyway. For example, if you’ve made a commitment to exercise more, which of these internal scripts is more likely to get you moving?

“I need to work out today,” or, “I need to work out today. A five minute dance break is better than nothing.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am way more likely to get moving with that 2nd option. In fact, I’m probably double as likely. You guys, I said double! Uh! Double up. Uh! Uh!

Okay. That’s the last one. I swear. I double swear. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Okay, enough, enough, enough. Let’s land the plane on this tweetable. “If you want to inspire someone to act, suggest the smallest action possible.”

Now, I would love to hear from you. Is there something in your business that you’d like to get more people to say yes to? Or a personal change that you’d like to make? How can you use this idea of a minimum viable action to make it happen? What’s that small sentence that you can add to your request to make it simple and easy and doable?

I want to see your exact wording in the comments below.

Now, as always, the best conversations happen over at MarieForleo.com, so head on over there and leave a comment now. Once you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our email list, and become an MF Insider. You’ll get instant access to a powerful audio training called, “How to Get Anything You Want.” And some exclusive content, special giveaways, and personal updates from me that I just don’t share anywhere else.

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Thank you so much for watching, and I’ll catch you next time on MarieTV.