Persuasion - Strengthening Your Persuasion Strategy Through Repetition

Once is enough for the wise man, they say. But in the world of sales and trade, there is no such thing as an arrangement being confirmed just once. In order for you to finally close that deal, you will have to exercise a number of persuasion strategies, and one of the most popular is repetition.

The more you repeat the merits of the product or service you are selling, the more it becomes natural to you and your prospect. It is this feeling of naturalness that you want to achieve, because when an idea becomes as if second nature, it won't appear as if you're trying to sell but, instead, just highlighting the obvious.

Notice how after seeing a certain advertisement on TV we find ourselves humming the ad's catchy jingle even while we're washing dishes? That's repetition in action. In fact, it operates on several levels.

Repetition is necessary to keep a certain piece of information to memory. For example, if we need to learn a certain poem, we keep repeating it to ourselves, even in our sleep, so we could memorize it. This method is also needed to promote a better understanding of a certain idea or issue. Thus, if you want to convince your prospect that your product is the best in its industry, then you will have to keep repeating its merits and the awards (if ever) it received to persuade him.

Repetition also breeds familiarity. The more often you reiterate the benefits of your product, the more likely your target buyer will feel and think that what you're saying is the one and only truth. There might be other brands in the industry, but if your prospect is most familiar with yours because of your advertising strategies, then he is likely to buy what you are offering.

Of course, repetition should not be overdone as familiarity can also breed contempt, as the saying goes. If you bombard the buyer too much, you will appear desperate, your campaign will look stiff and forced, and your approach will seem nagging. You want to win your client over to your side, not drive him away by being too pushy.

There is a method to successful repetition, and that is moderation. As with anything else in this world, too much is too much. If you start annoying your client with your aggressiveness you're not likely to get any positive response from him or his network (who he will most probably tell) now or any time in the future.