I think you’ll agree…

Good Evening,

I think you’ll agree…

This is one of my favorite NLP phrases to use in conversations. Particularly in deescalating situations.

Here is how it works. Suppose there is an unhappy customer you are trying to help.

Customer: “I am angry about the thing that happened! I can’t believe you would do that thing! What sort of operation are you running here???”

You: “I understand your concerns. And if you’ll give me the chance I will work with you to sort this out in a way that is fair to everyone. I think you’ll agree that we are both adults and can find a solution to this.”

Customer: “I agree, and I apologize for losing my temper, I appreciate your help”.

(This is admittedly a simplified version but it is also based on a real event)

See there is some science behind this… people are predispositioned to agree and by saying “I think you’ll agree” you are not only giving them permission to agree, you are doing it in a way that makes them think it was their idea and makes it ok for them to agree, thus leading them to calm down.

It works well in sales too.

Try it out for yourself, I think you’ll agree it is really powerful. 🙂

Best,
CMW