hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 15 psychological tricks
to watch out for now let's begin number one playing the clock this common psychological
technique is used by countless salesmen not only does it wear their customers down but it weakens
their resolve until a no slowly turns into a yes the trick itself is extremely simple you
just keep someone in one location for as long as you can each time they try to leave you find a new
reason to keep them around you pass them on to a different salesman and then you give them another
more enticing pitch you bring in your manager or someone with authority and even if you've said
no a dozen times a salesman only needs one yes to make a sale so many salesmen will play the
clock instead of accepting the fact that you're just not interested eventually they may stall you
out they throw so many convincing details at you that you start to change your mind and you say yes
simply because you just want to leave it's not the most ethical strategy in the world but a sale
is a sale so don't let a savvy salesman manipulate you with this psychological trick
number two calculated affirmation if someone wants you to like them body language is a
powerful tool a smile or nod may convince you that you're making a great impression or that
someone is interested in what you have to say but these body language cues are easy to fabricate
especially if someone wants to get on your good side for example many people use body language to
show how intently that they're listening to you even if they really don't care what you
have to say so how can you tell the difference some people pick out one word or phrase and nod
every time you use it this psychological trick manipulates your impression of this person and
shows you that someone cares even if they don't so don't let anyone fool you with fake body language
number three mirroring mirroring is another way people use body language to their advantage
but if you're not paying close attention this psychological technique will fly under your radar
mirroring is when someone mimes your behavior to create a better impression but people also use
mirroring to make themselves seem more convincing likable or memorable if you think someone is
copying your behavior try to find the reason why do they just want to connect with you or are they
trying to make you believe something that you normally wouldn't but mirroring isn't the only
manipulative technique out there some people will try to influence your opinion by nodding their
heads as you answer or smiling every time you say something they like all these techniques use body
language to change your opinions so watch out for these powerful psychological tricks
number four emphasizing gains emphasizing gains is another way people may try to influence you
emphasizing gains means framing every deal in terms of profit are you going to make more
money are you going to live a better lifestyle the more positive things they tell you well the easier
it'll be to change your mind but don't let these gains pull the wool over your eyes pay attention
to the positives and the negatives and remember that people don't always tell you the whole truth
number five expensive decoys many salesmen use decoys to charge customers more than
they expected to spend all right let's say you want to buy a tv for around five hundred dollars
but you see one at the front of the store for two thousand dollars oh it's loaded with all kinds of
special features but it's way out of your price range you mention this to a salesman who tells
you they have a similar tv that's a thousand dollars less of course you jump at the idea
who wouldn't want to save a thousand dollars right but you didn't actually save a thousand
dollars did you in fact you went five hundred dollars over your budget you walked into the
store with a price in mind but you fell for the decoy and you spent way more than you expected
number six speedy arguments many people try to win arguments by talking quickly the goal is to give
your opponent less time to process what you're saying which makes you seem more convincing but
this psychological trick rarely works if you know what to look for when someone is rushing
don't fall for this sloppy argumentative style more often than not your opponent is rushing
because they know their argument is weak so slow the conversation down be analytical and
make sure you're going through every detail and nine times out of ten you'll win the argument
number seven implied urgency this is another common sales technique imagine you're buying a car
you express interest in a model that's waiting outside but you're not sure if it's right for
you suddenly the salesperson tells you the car is only going to last through the end of the week
out of nowhere you feel compelled to buy that car why because your brain is drawn to things
that are limited and special it wants what it can't have so giving you a deadline sparks your
interest tenfold whenever you're making a purchase make sure urgency isn't clouding your judgment
take a step back think through your decision and then make your move
number eight afternoon slump do you get tired and lethargic in the afternoons your coffee's worn off
you're exhausted after a long day at work uh and you're ready to go home naturally your brain isn't
as focused in these tired hours of the day some people will take advantage of your exhaustion at
the end of the day your resolve tends to weaken you're more susceptible to pressure and you're
less focused on the impact of your decisions so watch out for people who prey on your
impulsive decisions if someone needs you to make a decision tell them you'll handle it in the morning
number nine starting small has a friend ever asked you for money did you give it to them when
asking for favors or borrowing money people use a common trick to take advantage of their lenders
all right let's say i needed 20 bucks but instead of asking you for 20 i ask you for a hundred you
say that's way too much so i say okay could i just borrow twenty dollars then suddenly twenty
dollars doesn't seem like much at all which means you're much more likely to lend it to me
this powerful trick can be used on anything from errands to paperwork so just keep an
eye out for this misleading psychological technique number 10 reframing questions
a good salesman will continuously reframe their questions to increase the likelihood of a sale
all right here's one popular example a salesman might ask you how much are you willing to pay
instead of telling you directly how much something is worth they let you name your price and most
of the time customers overshoot the actual price so they end up paying more than they bargain for
number 11 decision trapping you can also reframe questions like this a salesman may say if i could
get this price down a hundred dollars would you be willing to buy this item right now by reframing
this question the salesman is trying to trap you into a decision they act like they're trying
to help you but they're really using your own words against you many people end up purchasing
the items simply because they feel trapped so remember that you always have the power to say no
just because they lowered the price for you hey that doesn't mean you have to make that purchase
number 12 closing in what other ways can someone get closer to you or to get on your good side they
may hover around you as often as they can unknown to you your brain caters to the most familiar
people and faces in your life so the more time you spend around someone the better you'll treat them
and the same goes for nearness if someone wants to stay in your favor they'll go out of their
way to sit closer to you and your brain will unconsciously reward them number 13
preying on fears after making a large purchase many salesmen keep pushing they've just taken a
huge chunk of your money but they still want a little more so they may take advantage of your
fears to tack on a higher price tag alright let's go back to our previous example after purchasing a
car you're rarely done spending money instead the salesman may continue to push add-ons and extras
each item is another hundred or a thousand tacked onto the original price and do they add up fast
but if you try to say no they'll remind you how much money you just spent on your car
they'll tell you how easy it is to get in an accident or to get a big scratch that you'll never
be able to fix and just like that the salesman is using your worries against you number 14
intentional confusion sometimes people say confusing things on purpose
confusion is one of many methods to manipulate other people if you're selling something or
just need a favor a confusing request may trick people into taking more than they bargained for
so don't get caught up in all those confusing details before you agree to anything make sure
you understand what you're getting yourself into and that way you're never blindsided by your own
misunderstanding number 15 displaying extremes how would someone convince you that you're wrong
they might twist your words by emphasizing the most extreme version of your perspective
whether it's political economic or philosophical extremes make any viewpoint seem ridiculous or
ill-informed this misconception turns people against their own opinions winning the argument
almost instantly but you don't have to fall for this psychological trick pay attention
to the ways people twist words because they're twisting them for a reason hey thank you for
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