In this monologue, the speaker—who has a side interest in behavioral psychology—shares a sales‑closing tactic that leverages psychological reactance. He first outlines the common practice of asking a prospect to rate their interest on a 1‑to‑10 scale and then asking what would make it a ten. He explains why this direct approach often backfires, causing the prospect to lower their rating due to a natural resistance to being told what to think. The speaker then introduces a reverse‑scale method: after the prospect gives a high number, the seller deliberately suggests a lower rating (e.g., three or four) based on observed cues, prompting the prospect to defend their higher rating and often raise it even further (to eight or nine). The technique relies on the human tendency to push back against perceived manipulation, turning that instinct into a tool for commitment. The talk concludes with a brief illustration of how to apply the method in real negotiations, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness.
Chapters
So I love behavioral psychology. That's my little hobby on the side. And I wanted to share a sales technique. I know all of us have to sell, we all have to market, we all have to sell. Also, I want to share a little behavioral technique you can use in sales. And it's a dramatically effective way for actually closing. Closing sales. There's a traditional method. Perhaps you've used a variant of this. If we were in a sales negotiation or something, and you're the prospect, I'm the vendor, I would say so. After I do my pitch, I'd say, so where do you think we stand on a 1 to 10 scale? And you come back and say, I'm feeling a six, maybe a seven. And then I've been trained to say, what do I have to do to make this a ten? And wow you. How do we get it up there together? Human tendency is when you're in a position, I'm in a different position. If I suggest you go somewhere, you're more likely to go the opposite way. That's really me, like saying, you smoke, you shouldn't smoke, you're killing yourself. And you're like, screw you. And you light one blow up in my face. Right? That's the natural human response, is to resist suggestion. It's the natural habit. Yet in the sales mode, so many of us say, well, you're only a six or seven. What do I need to do to make you feel great? It doesn't work. It actually moves people down in the scale, like, oh, here comes the big manipulation. Screw you, I'm a four. Now here's the method that does work. When a prospect goes to me, comes to me and says, and we negotiate. And I say, so where do you think you stand on a 1 to 10? They say, I think I'm a 6 or 7. My response is, that's kind of interesting. From your body language, the way you're looking at me, I was actually sensing you were at a three or four. Why did you pick a number so high? I pick a number lower than the one they set. And now their natural tendency is to push up, to go the opposite way I go. So when I say to customers, I think, from your buy language, the way we were talking, I really thought you were lower. 3 or 4. Why did you pick a number so high? They say, well, I was thinking of six or seven because of this and this and this. And they've primed themselves to go higher many times in those negotiations. They say, you know what I think about it? I think I'M more like an 8 or maybe even a 9 on proceeding with this project. It's this reverse technique. It's that simple.
