“On persuading with statistics and figures”

🌟 Kevin Hogan writes in 53 Principles of Persuasion: Without a doubt, the more precise your statements are, the more believable they become—especially when you use numbers and data in your arguments.

🌟 In fact, when you present statistics with detail and at the right moment, your claims become easier to believe, your position becomes stronger, and it becomes harder for the other side to challenge you.

🌟 Just remember: people don’t like vague or approximate numbers—they prefer precise information. To understand this better, imagine you’re a car salesperson introducing a fuel‑efficient vehicle to a customer.

🌟 If you simply say, “This car has low fuel consumption—around 7 to 8 liters,” it will be difficult to persuade the customer.

🌟 But if you say, “This car consumes 8.2 liters per 100 km with regular gasoline and 7.6 liters per 100 km with premium gasoline,” you can persuade the customer much more easily.

🌟 That’s why professional salespeople always carry a notebook where they record the exact date and time of all previous agreements with customers—so they can refer to them and influence the customer more effectively.

🌟 For example, imagine you previously agreed on a 4% discount, but the customer now asks for more.

🌟 To persuade this customer, you could say: “Mr. Smith, are you sure about that? Because I have notes from our phone call at 3:10 p.m. on September 14 indicating that we agreed on a 4% discount.”

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