Get to Yes: Three conversion lessons learned from FBI hostage negotiation

(This article was originally published in the MarketingExperiments email newsletter.)

“When it comes to data, simplify. Become an essentialist. Get beneath the data to the essence. Look for patterns. Patterns transform info into wisdom.”

— Flint McGlaughlin, Managing Director, MECLABS Institute

Not too long ago, the aunt of a prominent Haitian political figure was kidnapped and held for a $150,000 ransom demand. Hostage negotiator Chris Voss managed to convince the kidnappers to release the hostage for just $1471 dollars and a CD player. It’s a pretty incredible (true) story.

So how did he do it?

In this video, Flint McGlaughlin explains Voss(s) secret, pointing out three lessons that business owners, marketers — and anyone else who needs to negotiate a deal — can learn to increase conversion.

Remember, the goal of a webpage is to win a yes. A sale is simply a big yes. It is the sum total of a series of smaller yes(s) the customer makes while interacting with your business.

Just as Voss knew that one small “no” in the negotiation process could put the safety of the hostage in danger, we should be aware that a single “no” anywhere in the customer journey process can jeapardize the sale.

Watch the video to get the macro YES.

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