Persuading Through Superstition: “There Are No Accidents
Here’s a common superstition. . . We say “God bless you” when a person sneezes. Why? Well, this particular superstition started in the Middle Ages when it was thought that the devil could enter a person in unguarded moments, such as when they were in the midst of a sneeze. If someone said the magic words “God bless you” during or after the sneeze, the demonic possession could be avoided.
Do you have triskaidekaphobia? If you fear the number thirteen. . . then that’s exactly what you have. In Western culture, we’ve even gone so far as to have buildings without thirteenth floors. You can walk up one flight of stairs from twelve to fourteen.
Because we live in unstable times, people constantly look for a sense of stability and explanation. This can give us incredible advantage as it relates to persuasion.
What about something as innocuous as walking under a ladder? This dates back to early Christianity as the sides of the ladder and the ground form a triangle, the symbol of Holy Trinity.
By walking under the ladder, it was thought, there was a violation of the trinity, putting those that walked under it on the same level as the devil. I didn’t know this. But I sure have been avoiding walking under ladders since I was a kid. Perhaps it’s wise. . . on a physical level, avoiding ending up with a bucket of paint . . .but why do we believe bad luck will befall us if we do this? It’s a real stretch.
I have an acquaintance who believes all religion and spirituality is superstition. I happen to think he’s wrong, but I appreciate the perspective in that it’s just another example of how framing is a powerful tool for looking at the world around us.
Superstition is defined as ‘an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.’
Even Helen Keller’s assertion that, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature…. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” is an example of how diverse we all are, and yet, we all believe in something irrational.
With that said, how can we use the fact that we all believe in something (which may actually be an ‘irrational belief’) to persuade?
In the world’s ever increasing instability, we have the ability as persuaders to offer explanations to help them make sense out of their lives.
In the very same way, people look for reasons to support their beliefs, even nonsensical reasons, to explain their reality and to assign blame, so too can we.
One of my favorite superstitious phrases is, ‘There are no accidents’. We can use this to effectively persuade our affluent clients and prospects. For example, say our client has had problems in the past, we can use this term to indicate that that time is past and that those problems are over and that there’s a reason they’ve ended up talking to you. ‘After all, there are no accidents.’
Is ‘there are no accidents’ true and quantifiable? Of course not. But will you be called on it? Well. . . my friend the cynic might call you on it, but I seriously doubt many will.
Filed under: Business