As you may have seen from a previous post, I recently went sea fishing for the first time.
We had a try for Sea bass but because I used the word try you already know I didn’t catch any so I ended up going for Mackerel which are much easier catch.
I think had a touch of beginner’s luck because I landed the most out of the four of us but what I found interesting was that I did not catch them in isolation; they came in twos and threes. It’s almost as if the first one attracted others.
Social proof is a "weapon of influence" identified in Influence Science and Practice written by Robert B. Cialdini. At the beginning of the chapter on Social Proof he uses a quote "where we all think alike, no one thinks very much" by Walter Lippman.
Social Proof is one of the things we use to short cut decisions. In the book Cialdini starts off talking about canned laughter which is used to trick you that the show is funnier that it actually is. Listen out for it and understand you’re being manipulated!
Cialdini explains that we view our behaviour as correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it. So, you could argue that people are like sheep. This is supported by research from Professor Krause at University of Leeds. He found that it takes just 5% of people to influence the crowd’s direction - 95% of people will follow without even realising!
My first job was working on a fruit and vegetable stand on a market. One day I was told to stand out the front of the stall and “knock-out” the Oranges. That means sell them quick! I was given the scoop and placed the best looking Oranges in it and waived it about shouting for all I was worth.
It didn’t take long, people started coming over but the stall owner told me to keep shouting and ignore them. Within a few minutes I had a small crowd around me which started to grow. The owner started taking the money, someone else was bagging up and we sold out in three hours.
I had just had one of my many marketing lessons!
Social proof it is a common marketing tactic. Examples include testimonials, case studies and endorsements. It has been used in many successful slogans -“Whiskas, 8 out of 10 cat owners say their cat prefers it” and “Pedigree, top breeders recommend it”.
Social Proof works best when people are uncertain. So, one strategy some may use is to confuse the prospect and then use social proof to support a recommended solution. It is possible to induce a state of uncertainly in someone and anchor it –later that anchor can be fired off and then the solution presented supported with lots of social proof.
Yes, this is highly manipulative and ethical if you are doing the right thing for the prospect. And, you can now become much more aware of Social Proof being used on you. This is an interesting topic of I have discussed with some of the 200 plus firms I have worked with!
Another question I thought was interesting posted on AccountingWeb was “Employing a marketing consultant”.
The person asking the question was by their own admission narrow minded and cynical so I thought I’d pull no punches here. With this attitude I think he will struggle.
The first thing I noticed was the word "employing" - this is an interesting choice to describe the relationship. I would suggest “engaging” or “working with” is a more accurate description of a positive and successful relationship.
Now, one of the problems for marketing for accountants is the mindset and attitude. I know some people won’t like me for saying this but there is a huge amount of arrogance within the profession. And, many accountants are unwilling to invest and take risks.
I can understand it because accountants work hard to get qualified, they are probably in the top 1% of the population in terms of academic intelligence, have regular work and a key part of the training is prudence and cost cutting. But, that style of thinking is not helpful for building a successful accountancy practice.
If you are narrow minded and cynical about marketing that is your problem because it limits your options and gives you less flexibility. I remember attending the start-up and franchise exhibition at the NEC when we were researching franchising before we launched the Crunchers Bookkeeping Franchise. I overhead a potential franchisee talking to a franchisor at his stand and the franchisee was giving the franchisor a real hard time. The franchisor said “you seem to be very negative towards franchising, why you don’t do it yourself?”
One of the keys to practice development for accountants is making the shift from technician to smart marketer and losing the accountants mindset. If you are going to engage a consultant, be clear and realistic about what you expect.
Do you just want someone who will give you some leads or do you really want to work with someone who will challenge your mindsets. Someone who will help you develop a practice strategy, show you how to package and price effectively, develop processes and sales skills and pull together a coordinated promotional strategy using online and offline tactics?
However, one of the first questions for anyone who is thinking of employing a consultant is what happens if you don’t?
• How unhappy are you?
• How much pain are you in?
• Will you need to merge and accept orders from someone else?
• Can you afford to buy your way to success with expensive promotion?
• Can you buy some fees?
• Can you be patient and wait?
For me, consulting is about transfer of knowledge within an enjoyable experience. An email has just come in from a firm I am working with which says it all; can accountancy marketing be this much fun?
The answer is yes if only have a positive attitude and are willing to look at things with an open mind and work with your consultant.