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The Two Kinds of Persuasion Tactics

Before we talk about the different persuasion triggers we’ll share in this course, let’s first talk about the two different categories of techniques… or what one researcher has called the “two separate pathways to persuasion”.

Thanks to millions of years of evolution, these are hardwired into our neuro-chermical brain systems. 

The first category—called Alpha—are related to detecting, assessing and approaching new opportunities that will help us. 

The second category of triggers—called Omega—are related to sensing, evaluating and avoiding dangers that might harm or even kill us.

Alpha persuasion triggers increase the attractiveness of your offer. They make you or your offer more “approachable” and “desirable” to your prospects.

While Omega tactics decrease your prospect’s resistance to your offer. When used effectively, these triggers remove the objections, hesitations, and perceived dangers that prospects want to avoid.

Researchers talk about these two different kinds of techniques as the Approach and Avoidance Model. Alpha tactics increase the likelihood of prospects moving toward or approaching you (or your offer), while Omega tactics decrease the likelihood prospects want to avoid or move away from you or your offer.

Imagine you’re 16 years old…

Alpha is like your shiny new Honda motorcycle that impresses all the cool kids at school and makes you more approachable and attractive to your classmates at school.

Omega is like your reliable antiperspirant and deodorant. Slap that baby on and you’re decreasing the likelihood that prospects (or anyone in the near vicinity) will move away from you. 

Both are critically important if you want to be persuasive in your copy and/or have friends in real life.

If you only use alpha techniques in your copy, your prospect’s interest in your offer will increase… they may be salivating and filled with desire, but you run the risk of not addressing the objections—the resistance they feel—that ultimately keeps them from saying “yes.”

And, if you only use omega techniques in your copy, you won’t be able to grab and hold your prospect’s attention to begin with.

To better understand how Alpha and Omega techniques work, it might be helpful to think about a couple of examples.

Imagine that Hollywood has released a new movie. The cast doesn’t have any A-List stars. And Keanu turned down the script.Sure, the script is exceptional, but it was written by an unknown writer. And while the director is proficient, she’s relatively new and hasn’t directed any other movies you’ve heard of.

Now imagine that you are on the marketing team responsible for promoting the film. How do you get people in the theater to watch a film by an unknown screenwriter and director?

You might start by creating a trailer that teases the plot and previews a few of the best scenes to create curiosity among theater-goers.

You might create ads that include positive reviews by well-known film critics that movie lovers trust.

And you might send the actors on a road show to meet with the Jimmy Fallons of the world and other influencers and newscasters, so you can show how likeable the actors are.

Creating curiosity, using social proof and creating liking are all good alpha strategies that make the offer—in this case the movie—more attractive.

In addition to that, you might offer a two for one ticket deal that reduces the cost of going to the movie. You could arrange free transportation to the theater… or provide free parking, or on-site babysitters, or maybe a free bucket of popcorn with the ticket.

You could even offer a money-back guarantee to anyone who sees the movie and doesn’t like it. 

Guarantees, 2-for-1 deals, and perks like free parking are Omega tactics. That is they are designed to reduce the resistance to going to the movie in the first place.

Let’s take a look at an example from the copywriting world. This guarantee is from a package written by Parris Lampropoulos for a natural health subscription called Real Cures. In addition to the newsletter, subscribers get 17 free special reports all related to natural health. Here’s the guarantee from the doctor who owns the business:

Notice how this isn’t just a money back guarantee. The copy is specifically written to remove all risk. There is no cut-off. You can get back every penny. The refund will be prompt and courteous. No questions asked. 

If the prospect is skeptical about the value or effectiveness of offer, this guarantee—an omega persuasion tactic—removes that objection and makes it easier for the buyer to say, “yes.”

So that’s Alpha and Omega.

We’ll get deeper into Alpha tactics in modules 2, 3 and 4. And we tackle Omega persuasion tactics in Module 5 so you’ll become an expert at resolving objections and eliminating the resistance that keeps prospects from saying yes to your offers.