Ever heard this one?: Know who the easiest person to sell is?

A salesman, supposedly. But I’m not so sure that’s right. I guess it depends on what the salesman is buying, right?

I know when I sold life insurance I bought a hell of a lot of insurance. And when I was a financial planner I invested heavily in mutual funds.

And if you could peek into my office right now, you’d see I’m practically wall to wall packed in here with information products, books, and all sorts of media about marketing, selling, psychology, and all that good stuff.

So maybe that old adage about how “the easiest person to sell is a salesperson,” has some wings to it.

I’m always fascinated by things that are properly planned to take advantage of known human behavioral habits, especially when it comes to selling.

For instance, the other day I stopped to fill up my car with gas at a station on the other side of town. I’m not usually driving by this station, mostly because I use the other “main road” into and out of town, but listen to what happened.

I pull into the bay, grab my credit card out of my wallet, and slide it into the pump’s electronic swipe register. I grab the pump and automatically go to push the button to the farthest left to get the el cheapo gas.

I’m just about to push the thing — on “automatic” — when I see at the last minute, that this isn’t the el cheapo gas. No siree.

These guys have gone and switched the whole thing up. On these pumps, the most expensive gas is presented first, on the far left. Each successive button to the right, then gives you a cheaper option.

I’d bet anything that most people automatically do what I did, and reach for the button furthest to the left, because that’s the habit we all have (and by “we,” I mean those folks who put inexpensive gas into their cars). I’d also bet that most people don’t even notice what’s going on, until it’s too late — if at all.

To me, this is smart marketing. Why not play right into the hands of how people are going to behave?

After all, they didn’t do anything wrong — the gas is clearly labeled on each pump, as are the gas prices.

I remember years ago, when I was a small boy. We were on vacation, driving from New York City to Florida. My parents were heavy smokers then, and the thought of buying inexpensive cigarettes in North Carolina tobacco country, was very attractive to them.

They stopped into an old country gas station — this is back in the days when the attendant would come out and fill up your tank — and asked how much the stogies were.

The fellow told them, “30 cents each, 3 for a dollar.” Well, they were so used to getting a bargain when you buy multiples of something, and they were so overwhelmed that cigarettes were less than half of what they were paying for them back home, they wound up getting the “3 for a dollar” deal, without even thinking about it.

A couple of hours later, I remember them discussing this in the car, about how they were blind-sided about the whole deal.

See, that’s just taking advantage of human nature as well. Fair play, as long as you’re not hiding anything and you’re giving full disclosure.

Anyway, what’s your take on all of this?

Do you think things like this are seductive? Or, do you think they’re sleazy?

Post your opinion on my blog and let me know: http://blog.kingofcopy.com

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Discover the more ways to leverage human nature in “4 Steps To Making A Small Fortune Using A Non-Launch Launch In A Very Conventional Business” in this month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter. Take your free 30-day test-drive of Seductive Selling, and check out the goofy Video to see the 15 bonuses you get with your free trial at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

And for all the King’s products, go to http://www.kingofcopy.com/products

Comments? Leave them here on my blog — I want to know what you’re thinking: