Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter for reluctant salespeople.

Most people don’t need to be convinced - they need permission. Today's article is about why persuading the unpersuadable is a waste of energy, and what to do instead.

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The Danger of Persuading the Unpersuadable

Years ago, when I was working alongside the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford, BJ Fogg told me not to try to persuade the unpersuadable, but to find what people want and make it easier for them to say “yes.”

I've carried that with me ever since, and it informs a lot of the work that I do.

I picked up Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Chef recently, perhaps my favorite of his books because it is a book about learning. It is the least well-performing of Tim’s books, and I began to think about why.

The 4-Hour Chef's main argument is that non-cooks can learn how to cook. It teaches the principles of meta-learning through the metaphor of teaching people how to cook.

The problem is that non-cooks do not want to learn how to cook! I enjoy cookbooks. Most people do not. Non-cooks aren’t likely to pick up a cookbook – even if it would enable them to make better food.

The argument behind the Snafu newsletter and my upcoming Snafu Conference is that non-salespeople already possess the skills needed to sell, get more work, and advocate for themselves.

We’re already doing non-sales selling every day.

But the problem here, too, is that non-salespeople don't want to be salespeople. The cultural stereotype of a salesperson is bad. Anyone who does not consider themselves a salesperson likely avoids sales because of the stigma associated with the stereotype.

My task with Snafu, then, is not to persuade non-salespeople how to sell, but rather how to harness skills they already have and apply those to non-sales selling.

Whether with Snafu, The 4-Hour Chef, or any other efforts of persuasion, the goal should be to help people do what they already want to do. Make it easier for your audience to say “yes.”

It is that simple – and also that difficult.

3 Things I’ve Loved This Week

Books I’m Listening To

​Nero Wolfe on Spotify

​Nero Wolfe is a fictional, eccentric detective who lives in New York.

Growing up, I listened to a lot of Nero Wolfe. I’d bring a boombox connected by an extension cord from the house, and play cassette tapes of these detective stories.

I just discovered that most of the 30+ Nero Wolfe novels are included in my Spotify subscription, and I’ve been enjoying re-listening to them.

AI Tool I’m Exploring

​Oboe.com​

Oboe is a new AI tool to make AI courses – written or in podcast form – about any topic you might like.

I’ve asked Oboe to create a course for me on sales for non-sales people and on Darija (Moroccan Arabic) so that I can speak my fiancee’s native language.

The podcasts still feel AI-generated and Oboe is less good at highly specific tasks like “teach me Darija in the style of Michel Thomas” but the courses are thorough and interesting.

A useful tool and I’m interested to see how it develops.

“Car” I’m Learning About

​Aptera EV​

I’ve driven a Prius since about 2016, and keep wondering when I’ll make the change over to a full electric vehicle.

The Aptera caught my attention when my electrician (who drives a fully electric Ford F-150) started raving about it.

To be honest, I’m likely to upgrade to a newer Prius Prime before buying an Aptera, but I love following the innovation that’s being done to rethink cars.

Want more?

Until next week,
Robin