Don't touch that! (or you will want it)

"If you touch it you will want to buy it"

Research has shown that when you touch an item on a store shelf, test drive a car or hold my book....you are going to feel the desire to buy it.  

Once you hold something it registers in your brain as if you owned it.    Therefore, you feel a reluctance to give it back.   Heck, I didn't need the research to believe in this theory.  I see it being used everyday by retailers.

Sometimes this is called the puppy dog close.   I know because that's how I came to own my last dog.     My son pleaded to go into a pet store just to see the puppies that were playfully wrestling in the store window.   Of course I told him under no circumstance would we would buying a puppy.    He promised!

You know how this is going to end don't you?    That's right, the clerk asked my son which one he liked?   Put the puppy in his hands.    And the dirty rotton SOB said to my son, 'why don't you take him home and bring him back in the morning?'   I knew at that moment....I was screwed and about to expand the family by one cute puppy. 

What was the lesson for me?

First, never take a child into a pet store if you don't want a pet!

Second,  I could use this principle of 'touch it and you own it'  to my advantage.  Now when I finish my talks I usually conclude with a pitch for my book...How To Seduce Life.   When I first started about 25% of those attending bought my book.   And for most speakers that's pretty good.   But then I remembered the puppy story and...

Now when I speak at least 90% of those attending buy my beautiful book!

 

Here is what I do......before I start my book pitch I give everyone a copy of my book to look at.  Most of the time 100% of them buy it.    I have a few other techniques to help persuade them to buy however nothing is as effective as putting it into their hands.  

I remember once after a talk a young lady came up to me get her book signed.   She then told me that prior to my  pitch for the book, she told herself she had spent more at the conference than she intended.   So she promised herself that under no circumstances was she going to buy any more books.   Then once she got the book in her hands she just couldn't bring herself to give it back.    Wow!

How could you use this to your advantage?

Even if you are selling a service you can use the principal to your advantage.   To do this you need highly attractive promotional materials that you can give them.  Cheap looking and feeling materials don't work.   It must feel expensive in order for this to  work. 

Or you could give them an opportunity to test drive  something for free.   Just don't give away too much.   Let them feel what having your service would be like.  If they like it they will want to buy it.