Ask for help.
“I hope you can help me out” or “I need some assistance” are requests that can go a long way. Most people have an innate desire to be helpful to others in some way.
Use a Justification Statement.
This is the key that will unlock the most useful information. Some examples are:
“I want to be sure that I’m talking to the right person there…”
“I’m going to be speaking with your VP of Sales, and want to be sure that I have accurate information…”
“So that I’m better prepared when I talk to your CIO, I have a few questions you probably could answer…”
Dr. Robert Cialdini — widely considered as one of the foremost experts on persuasion and influence— discusses the theory behind the success of these Justification Statements I suggest in his classic book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
Cialdini cites an experiment conducted by Harvard bahamas telegram data social psychologist Ellen Langer where students let others cut in line in front of them at the copy machine simply because they provided a reason for their request—“because I’m in a rush.”
I recommend that you take the time to create your own Justification Statement — your “because” reason — and use it regularly.
Ask questions. You can ask about the basic, factual material for which you might not have information yet. But don’t limit yourself. The quality and quantity of information people will share with you if you just ask might surprise you. This depends both on what you sell, and the level of person with whom you’re speaking. In general, the higher up you go, the better the quality of information.
Prepare your own script for social engineering using the process above. Be sure you have a justification statement you are comfortable with.
Brainstorm for the questions you will ask at all levels of an organization, and write them out.
Use your newly-found intel to personalize and customize your emails, voice mails and call openings so that you can be more relevant and targeted with your value messaging.Years ago, a wise mentor of mine shared these words: “When you change how you look at things, the things you look at will change.”