About a month ago, I read a book called Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso. It’s a great book if you’re interested in marketing or sales or the psychology behind what makes people buy things and how impactful words can be.

One thing that I got from this is a cool hack that I’ve been playing around with it lately. It’s worked 100% of the time, and I think that this will work for lawyers in their consultations, especially because it’s worked for me.

The Psychology Behind Buying Things From People That You Like

Veloso is an advocate of the principle that you tend to buy things from people that you like. For example, I’m sure you’ve been approached by a friend or someone in your office who has a child selling girl scout cookies.

Typically, what happens is that they pass the order form around. Just recently, my daughter and her softball team were selling Super Bowl squares. They sold other things too, including shirts and bumper stickers and all kinds of stuff to support their softball team.

Most of the time people are not necessarily interested in buying a bumper sticker for a softball team, but they’re interested in helping out someone that they like. What happens is because somebody you like is asking you for something, you typically end up buying it, just to support them.

There’s some psychology behind that. People typically will buy things from people that they like. What you have to remember is the way that you make people like you is by the way that you make them feel. People rarely remember what you say, but they always remember how you made them feel.

How To Use This Principle To Get More Clients

One little hack that I’ve been using that has been working really well is when you first start talking to somebody, always give them a compliment. It doesn’t matter what it is. Compliment something about them, and that’s automatically going to put them in a good mood and make them like you right away.

When a consultation comes in, give them a compliment right off the bat. Then, when you go to talk to them later, they’re much more likely to hire you because you started off with a compliment.

Psychologically, people buy things from people they like, and they like people who compliment them. So, this is just a little psychological hack. Try this out for the next couple of consultations that you have. Immediately start with a compliment and let me know what your close rate is.