We always need people to do something for us because of course humans are social animals. But very often, people don’t want to help us as not all our problems are their problems and it makes perfect sense.
Of course, there is no foolproof technique to force someone to do something for you and the chances of getting rejected always remain. However, in this article, I am sharing some psychological tricks that you can use on others to do favours for you which will improve your chances to not get rejected.
1. The Benjamin Franklin Effect
Strange it may sound, but if you want someone to like you, who you know doesn’t like you much, ask him/her to do a favour for you. People generally do favours. It is in our human nature. And when the favour is done, thank that person as graciously as you can. This will condition his/her mind that you are worth doing a favour and you will build a positive picture of you in his/her conscious; you are more likely to get more favours in future too.
Legend has it that the great American polymath Benjamin Franklin once wanted to win the heart of a man who he was sure of despising him. So one day he asked him for a rare book. The man gave him the book and Franklin thanked him with so much of grace that the person who didn’t want to even talk to him ended up being a very close friend of Franklin.
Centuries later, scientists decided to test this theory and they found out that the theory was pretty sound.
2. Ask for way more than you want at first
In this trick, if you want someone to do something for you, you don’t ask for the exact favour, but rather you ask for a favour so big and ridiculous that they are most likely to reject it at once. You then approach the same person again and ask for something less absurd and ridiculous or the favour you really want them to do.
The idea behind this trick is that the person who refused to do that huge favour for you in the first place will feel bad for refusing you and so the next time you approach him/her, that person is more likely to do it for you because their conscience will force them to help you out this time.
3. Ask people to do something for you when they are tired
This is an evil way of making someone do something for you by taking advantage of their exhaustion.
In this trick, you ask someone to do something for you when they are tired. The reason behind this is that when people are tired, they are not only exhausted physically but also exhausted mentally and so when you ask for favors at that time, they won’t think much and just say that they would do it tomorrow or they would do it later without even carefully considering your demand because they are too tired and don’t want to face it at that moment.
So when you later remind them of their promise, they are more likely to do what you want them to do because they feel obliged, as they have already promised to do it later.
4. Ask them to do something that they can’t refuse
This is exactly opposite to the trick mentioned in point number two where you need to ask something more than what you really want.
In this trick, you start with giving them an option that they can never refuse. And once they agree to help you out or have given their commitment, you add other favours to that existing favour, that they have given their word on. However, don’t be in hurry and make the other requests immediately. It will backfire. Wait at least one or two days before you add anything to that request.
This way, you are more likely to make someone do something for you that they would have refused in the first place if they were asked directly.
5. Give them alternate choices
Rather than asking people for a favour, in this trick, you give them two alternate choices. This way they will feel obliged to do one of them. Their brain will be trapped between the two choices and will not think much that they can actually reject both the choices. They will be busy analyzing which one of the two is easier for them to do.
You should make the fictitious choice sound like a tough deal and the one that you really want them to do like an easier option.