The Power of Persuasion by Robert Levine Essay

The Power of Persuasion by Robert Levine discusses the art in persuasion. The primary theme in the book is the way other people can influence others and the manner in which their tastes, preferences as well as likes and dislikes can be manipulated. The art of persuasion is all over in sectors such as retail, politics, and education. The paper discusses a personal experience with persuasion in the retail sector.

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The day I had to persuade someone was when one customer came to our offices intending to find a reasonable price for a wireless network. This happened to me at my previous job where I worked part-time. In that job, I was paid with a commission, which meant that whenever I manage to sell a wireless connection package, I was to be paid 30% of the initial price. The customer walked in and by and came straight to my desk. I was elated because that would be my first customer and if I managed to convince him into purchasing the wireless connection. We exchanged pleasantries and he asked me to give him the list of the packages we offer. In the list, 5 Mbps was $20, 10 Mbps was $35, 20 Mbps was $45, and 50 Mbps was $60. He looked through the list and said that he would like to take the 5 Mbps package for a start and that he would like our technicians to go and set up that connection that day. He said that he would like the 5 Mbps because of his kids who would like to watch movies on Netflix and download games from the internet. Based on my knowledge of the four packaging plans, I had to convince him that the 10 Mbps would be better for his connection because of the high bandwidth.

He said that he did not need the 10 Mbps package because he did not see the need to purchase it because he does not spend most of the time in the house and his wife does not use the internet often. Levine (2006, p.46) indicates that an effective testimonial in persuasion requires credibility and social proof. When speaking with the customer, I told him that the 10 Mbps package is better because it has a high bandwidth compared to the 5 Mbps package. He asked what bandwidth is and I told him that it is the maximum rate, which one can download data from the internet. I told him that the 10 Mbps package would be better because of the high bandwidth. He said that he still does not need the 10 Mbps package because it would be a waste of money yet the 5 Mbps package would still do. I told him that even if he decides to purchase the 5 Mbps package, he would call us after a month asking for an upgrade because the cheaper package would not be useful to his kids. To clarify my point in detail, I told him to consider filing a tank of water with a hose, which only puts three gallons of water in a minute. He will wait for over thirty minutes for the tank to be full and yet he can use a huge hose that can fill the tank of water within 5 minutes. I told him that the larger the bandwidth, the more data a person can pull down within a given time. I told him that even though he spends less time in the house, he would one day want to use the connection together with his wife. I explained to him that if he has one of children streaming a video on Netflix, and the other one is downloading a game on the laptop, and maybe he is checking Google for some information, he will need enough bandwidth for everyone to be happy with the connection. Besides, I added that downloading videos and streaming videos, especially on Netflix, requires a higher bandwidth, which should be 10 Mbps and above. I told him that his children would enjoy watching videos in high-definition from Netflix.

He began to change his mind and told me that he would take the 10 Mbps package as long as his children become satisfied with the connection. D'Epifanio (2015, p.10) asserts that when an individual is motivated about a particular issue, the process can produce persuasion. He was a bit skeptical about the price but I informed him that he would never be disappointed. However, I had to be honest with him that the internet speed they sign up for is not always the one that they get. So if he decides to get the 5 Mbps package, he would get varying internet speeds below the 5 Mbps package. I told him that that is always the case because their available bandwidth can be interfered with by their neighbors and other factors such as the provider's infrastructure quality and their hardware. Besides, I told him that in some cases when the network demand is low, he can get higher speeds than he signed up for. More so, I told him that when it comes to internet connections, he should always opt for the higher internet speeds because of bandwidth. I informed him that the download speed is always much better compared to the upload speed. I told him that he has an added advantage because he lives in the metro area. Also, I told him that if he takes the 10 Mbps package, and he pays on time for three consecutive months, he will get seven days free internet service.

After the long conversation, he agreed to take the 10 Mbps internet package. He came into terms that the package would be the best for his household. He paid for the package and I then connected him with the technicians to go to his house to set up the connection.

References

D'Epifanio, M. (2015). Keys to the Power of Persuasion. The imaginative potential of concrete language on message persuasiveness Retrieved from https://tesi.luiss.it/14923/2/d%27epifanio-marco-sintesi-2015.pdf

Levine, R. (2006). The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.