You must have heard this type of rhetoric before! After almost two years of campaigning, we have heard more negative rhetoric than ever. And we will hear more in the coming elections for many more years. It’s not going away. The question is, “Does is work?” The answer is…
YES. That’s why we use it. But, there is a caveat. Finding the flaws in the “competition” can be effective, as long as there is only one competitor and the flaws are huge.
DISCLAIMER- THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT TAKE A STANCE ON THE CAMPAIGNING OF EITHER CANDIDATE NOR ON THE ETHICS OF NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING IN GENERAL. THIS IS TO SHOW HOW NEGATIVITY, IN THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT, CAN INFLUENCE THOSE AROUND YOU.
There are many ways to get someone to “pick” you, whether in a political campaign, a sales event, deal making or in your personal life. We can show our value, we can use guilt or we can show the horrors of not picking us. Negative campaigning is a form of showing the horror. All can and do work, but here are the issues with negative campaigning.
1 – It works well when there is only one other option. Examples:
You are the obvious choice in a sales event, so it’s you or no one.
There are only two choices at a movie theater at your time slot.
The two party political system.
2 – The negativity MUST be harsh AND/OR personal, otherwise it isn’t heard.
If the prospect doesn’t pick you she may lose her job.
If you see movie A, you’ll never see movie B in the theater because it’s the last day showing.
If Candidate X wins, your family will be directly affected negatively.
In the case of a sales event, if there are many vendors available and you are able to show the flaws of the current vendor, (as many sales trainers teach), you have only proven that the current guy is no good - NOT that you are good. The prospect will probably link the negativity to you (feel badly about you), take your advice and go with someone else.
However, if you are the only competitor (either you’ve been vetted through proposals or RFPs, OR you are the only one who currently provides the service, OR you are the obvious choice for some other reason), then showing the flaws in the current vendor WILL shift opinion in your favor. In fact, if the flaws are major, it will help alleviate hesitation and speed up the selection process.
Example 1: “Bob, your competition has used your current vendor, ACME, and because of the lack of XYZ technology, he has been caught in this economy and is going out of business. If you don’t get XYZ technology now, you may follow him.”
If you are the only other option, this is VERY powerful.
In the case of a personal situation, if there are many options at the theater and you show the flaws of your partner’s selection, she will surely NOT just agree to your movie. She may actually purposefully chose another movie that neither of you will be happy with!
However, if you are already at the theater, unwilling to travel someplace else and ONLY two movies are playing at this time, then showing the flaws in her original choice WILL shift opinion in your favor. In fact, if the only other option is to go home, your odds have just gone up even further.
Example 2: “Sue, the last time we saw a movie with Jane Doe in it, the movie was so bad that we got upset and went right home. The night was ruined! Do we really want to see a movie with her in it again?”
Again, if the movie you want to see is the only other option, this is VERY powerful.
In the case of a political campaign with many choices (most primaries, for example), if you are able to show the flaws of one candidate, you have only proven that one candidate is no good, but NOT that you are good. The populace will probably link the negativity to you (feel badly about you) and vote for someone else.
However, if there are only two choices (most general elections, for example), then showing the flaws of the opponent WILL help shift opinion in your favor. In fact, if the flaws are major AND personal, it may cause parts of the electorate to ignore ALL other aspects of the election!
Example 3: “Phil, the last time Candidate Y was in charge of anything, there was terrible corruption. Wasted money, investigations, embarrassed employees and the entire budget was broken. Not just that, he cheats on his wife and his taxes. Can we trust a man like that? Who would put their trust in him?”
Yes, when there is only one other option, this is VERY powerful.
In each of these cases, the prospect has to choose the lesser of two evils.
NOTE: We must realize that this is NOT the only way to influence someone. Nor is it the only aspect that influences people. MANY other items will influence the prospect; this is just one (of many) powerful tactics. In addition, this does not ensure that you will get your way. It adds to your odds and helps stack the deck in your favor. Any good influence process must use many tactics and strategies.
So, if you find yourself in any of these situations, understand that “negative campaigning” can work for you OR may be used ON YOU!
Hopefully this helps you to see it.
Good luck!
Larry
