Priming someone based on their characteristics is all about making them prove they have them. It’s a type of qualification, where you’re qualifying the person based on their actual traits.
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The Persuasion Psychology
Behind the Technique
The goal is, as with many characteristics, make the person prove themselves. In this case, you’re doing it based on their traits. The people that most prove they have these characteristics are the closest ones to your ideal target/client.
You prime someone based on their characteristics by testing the person on them and making them state they have them.
Usage
Sub-Techniques (2 in Total)
Examples
"My dream person"
When someone says, “this is my dream person” based on only one thing they know, this is being vague. There may be many other characteristics that are not a fit, but they are only focused on these
"I'm looking for X"
Telling someone the characteristics you’re looking for is a usual priming mechanism for sellers or service providers. They pick who they want to work with
"How do you embody X?"
Very common in interview scenarios where the candidate claims to have a trait (e.g. "organized", "logical"). The interviewer will ask, “How do you have this trait?”, or “Tell me the good and bad of having it”
Other examples:
Dilbert (Scott Adams, the author, being a persuasion expert, made Dilbert vague on purpose. He doesn’t have a last name, and there’s no company name. The more details Adams would insert, the less people would relate, as they would have evidence that would not be a fit. By being vague, it fits anyone)