270 - Stop Losing Sales: The 7 Principles of Persuasion Every Contractor Should Know with Tara Landes

Written By Guest User

Discover how to ethically influence clients and team members using Robert Cialdini's seven principles of persuasion. Guest Tara Landes, a certified Cialdini trainer and business systems expert, breaks down these powerful psychological triggers that can transform your sales process, pricing strategy, and company culture. Learn how small, strategic changes in your communication can lead to significant improvements in customer acquisition and team engagement.

What You’ll Learn

  • The seven principles of persuasion and how they apply to your contracting business

  • How to ethically influence clients without manipulation

  • Practical ways to raise prices without losing customers

  • Strategies to retain valuable employees who might otherwise leave

  • Simple techniques to differentiate yourself from competitors


Time Stamps

  • 01:14 - Episode Intro

  • 01:42 - Guest Intro

  • 03:13 - The Basics of Influence and Persuasion

  • 06:21 - Ethical Persuasion Defined

  • 07:08 - Principle 1: Reciprocity

  • 11:31 - Principle 2: Liking

  • 13:53 - Principle 3: Unity

  • 17:24 - Principle 4: Social Proof

  • 20:05 - Principle 5: Authority

  • 21:53 - Principle 6: Consistency

  • 28:15 - Principle 7: Scarcity

  • 30:50 - Applying Scarcity in Sales

  • 33:32 - Core Motives in Persuasion

  • 35:44 - Implementing Foundational Systems with Bellrock

  • 39:53 - Addressing Toxic A-Players

  • 41:54 - Retaining Sales Talent

  • 45:16 - Raising Prices and Customer Retention

  • 48:42 - The Power of Personalized Gifts

  • 52:43 - Engaging with Bell Rock Consulting

  • 54:39 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Snippets from the Episode

  • "If you're trying to get someone to do something that isn't in their best interest, I'd call that manipulation. What we're talking about here is persuasion. If it's good for you and it's good for me, then it's ethical."— Tara Landes

  • "They did a study in restaurants. In the control group, the waiter just gave the bill. But when the waiter put mints on the tray, tips went up 3%. When they personally gave a mint to each guest, tips went up 14%. And when they walked away then came back with an extra mint, tips went through the roof—over 20% increase."— Tara Landes

  • "Instead of asking for people's opinions or feedback, ask them for advice. When you ask for an opinion, you're creating a critic. When you ask for advice, you're co-creating and you're both wanting to win."— Tara Landes

  • "A universal USP for anybody who wants to distinguish themselves is: 'We are the communication company.' And then prove it. Call them every Friday to tell them what's going on."— Martin Holland

Key Takeaways

  1. The relationship principles

  2. The uncertainty principles

  3. The motivational principles

  4. Making gifts personal and meaningful

  5. Creating paths to ownership for employee retention

  6. Activating scarcity by showing what customers stand to lose

  7. Using authority in customer introductions

Resources

More from Tara Landes

  • Founder, Bellrock Consulting

  • Website: bellrock.ca

  • Tara on LinkedIn

  • Specialty: Business foundational systems for contractors and certified Cialdini trainer

  • Services: Management training program, business systems implementation, cashflow forecasting, budgets, dashboards, job descriptions

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Ready to apply these principles in your contracting business? Visit cashflowcontractor.com to learn more about our coaching programs and resources. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with fellow contractors who want to improve their sales process and team management.

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