A master class in persuasion from an unlikely place Walk down a suburban street, and you might stumble across a following sign. It’s probably messy with poor formatting and inconsistent font size. Here’s one that I saw in Houston. Source One line stuck out to me. It reads, “Window cleaning in progress.” I love this board because it showcases something that most marketers forget. K&C Window Cleaning doesn’t try to persuade you with flashing slogans or in-your-face claims. They’re far more subtle, and that subtly makes them more effective. While ads are about influence, no one wants to be sold to. Instead, this sign uses psychology to get people thinking, “Other people are using the service, so maybe it’s time to clean my windows.” The idea feels organic and nothing feels forced. Table of Contents We follow the actions of others We don’t like to feel forced We follow the actions of others Back in 2008, the legendary researcher Robert Cialdini ran a notorious study. Set up over 80 days in a mid-priced hotel in the American Southwest, the three researchers ran tests in 190 rooms. Their goal was to encourage visitors to reuse their towels. Inside the room, they tested different signs with over 1,058 guests. First, they tested a standard environmental message saying, “Help save the environment.” Guests said this message would be most likely to persuade them. But the researchers also tested a message that read “most guests reuse their towels.”...