Business books of the year

12 December 2007

Improve your business with psychology
Yes! – 50 secrets from the science of persuasion
By Noah J Goldstein, Steve J.Martin and Robert B Cialdini
Profile Books, £8.99

Jon Ashworth

Colleen Szot, an American writer of advertising jingos, changed the line: “Operators are waiting, please call now” to “if operators are busy, please call again”. This subtle shift – implying that sales staff were so busy taking orders that you may not get through – demonstrates how minor tweaking can radically improve your prospects in business.

Szot’s handiwork is cited in Yes! which, although US-centric, adds up to an entertaining Christmas read. In 50 chapters, the co-authors provide a wealth of snippets on effective selling. Playing on one’s weakness can be an effective “reverse-sell”; in a bid to boost American sales of the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1960s, advertising copywriters came up with slogans such as “Ugly is only skin deep” and “It will stay ugly longer”. Avis, the second-largest car rental firm behind Hertz, played on its lesser status: “We’re number 2, but we try harder.”

This only works with minor weaknesses. British Airways wouldn’t get very far with “We lose more luggage than any other European carrier, but we’re trying harder.”

Randy Garner, an American social scientist, set out to find whether sticking a personalised request on a yellow Post-it note made a difference when sending out requests for information. More than 75% of those who received a request via hand-written Post-it note replied compared with 36% of those who received a covering letter only. The perception that someone had taken the trouble to personalise their request made all the difference. Fascinating, really.