persuasion Most of the time our minds get stuck on cruise control. Thinking takes up too much time and requires too much energy. Imagine having to think about every decision we make. It wouldn't leave us much time to accomplish anything else, would it? Most of us have a systematic way of looking at the world. When this mode is operating, our minds are perfectly primed to automatically respond to persuasion triggers. I call these triggers the Laws of Persuasion. Twelve Automatic Triggers of Persuasion The Laws of Persuasion operate below our conscious thoughts. When employed properly, your prospects don't even realize you're using them. On the other hand, if you blunder your way through a persuasion situation, your audience will be totally aware of what you're doing. It's like seeing a police car on the side of the road-it jars us back to reality. If the persuader is skilled, he or she will use the Laws of Persuasion so the message is delivered below the radar. Understanding the Laws of Persuasion involves understanding the human psyche. Such knowledge empowers you to improve your persuasive abilities. It magnifies your effectiveness in relationships, improves your par ls • a skills, enhances your leadership ability, and helps you sell yourself Jnd your ideas. In short, it maximizes your influence. Thinking About Not Thinking In his book Triggers, bestselling author Joseph Sugarman estimates that 95 ercent of the reasoning behind a consumer's purchase is associated with a subconscious decision. In other words, most buying is done for reasons a person hasn't even fully formulated. Professor of psychology Gregory Neid ert estimates that our brains actually run on idle 90 to 95 percent of the time. Let's face it, thinking is hard work. It is human nature to conserve cognitive energy. Thinking burns three times as many calories as watching TV. Those who use their brains for a living have traditionally been among the highest paid professionals. Consider the incomes for doctors, lawyers, and engineers, just to name a few. Most of us feel we don't have the time or even the desire to think on the level that these professionals do each day. What are the main reasons we choose not to think? First, sometimes the amount of information available is so overwhelming we don't even attempt to digest any of it. Sometimes our decisions simply aren't weighty enough to warrant the effort of researching all the available information. Consciously and subconsciously, from the bombardment of information we receive, we selectively choose what we will acknowledge and what we will ignore. Whether we realize it or not, we love shortcuts to thinking. When we buy an item, we don't always take the time to research the product or read the latest consumer guide's ratings on the product. Instead, we often rely on the salesperson's advice. We might just buy the most popular brand, or we might bring a friend along for his opinion. persuasion