Utilizing the Halo Effect to win over clients
I mentioned this cognitive mind-trick in my post about 5 things every freelance designer should know about client servicing. Several people have asked me what the Halo Effect is so to save you all the trouble of Googling the term, I will explain it here and expand on how you can use it to your advantage when dealing with clients.
The Halo Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when positive feelings about a person’s character are unknowingly transferred to other unrelated characteristics. The effect is to evaluate an individual high on many traits because of the belief that the individual ranks high on one trait. Simply put, if you can demonstrate excellence in one character trait (appearance is a widely used example), people will assume that other aspects of your character are also of high value (ie: honesty, performance).
Edward Thorndike was one of the first psychologists to support the halo effect with empirical research in 1920. He asked commanding officers in the US army to rate their soldiers in various categories covering intelligence, physique, leadership, and character. The results showed a high cross-correlation between all positive and negative characteristics. Thorndike came to the conclusion that when evaluating other individuals, humans do not treat each category in isolation; instead we tend to judge a person as generally good or bad across all categories of measurement based merely on a few standout traits.
So needless to say, first impressions are extremely important when trying to establish your initial “good” rating with a client. Next time you go to a new business meeting, dress to impress and take the initiative to introduce your own portfolio and services first. This allows you to instantly demonstrate your expertise and hopefully will give your client more confidence in your overall capabilities.
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True that, but not only does your looks and personality matter. I find it extends to the look and feel of your business cards, your website and even the layout and format of your portfolio or service. A PDF is much better than a powerpoint or god forbid, scattered jpgs. And solid, thick, nicely designed namecards leave a better impression than the thin $30 variety. As tempting as it is, don’t skimp on anything you are handing out to potential clients.
Comment by Sean — May 9, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Right on Sean - your points are very relevant to a post I have in mind for the future about the importance of branding yourself…stay tuned
Comment by Adrian — May 9, 2009 @ 6:03 pm
[...] is great, but don’t do it at the expense of losing clients. It’s a cruel world, but the Halo Effect does come into play when trying to attract new [...]
Pingback by | The Corpus Callosum — May 11, 2009 @ 11:40 pm
[...] Ma presents Utilize psychology insight halo effect to win over clients posted at The Corpus [...]
Pingback by Selling to Zebras Blog » Blog Archive » Complex Sales and Selling Strategies – July 20, 2009 (Third Edition) — July 25, 2009 @ 12:57 am
Psychology is one of the most interesting branches of science because there are so many unknowns.”:`
Comment by Kyle Griffin — May 24, 2010 @ 12:21 pm