This word gets more "yes" (& it's not pushy) [🐝U]

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Remember being a kid & asking “why” a million times a day?
You didn’t want orders … you wanted reasons.

& if you were anything like me, you were crossing your arms, straightening your back & standing your ground … waiting for an answer.

& honestly, nothing’s changed (except it’s usually not so obvious)

We don’t just want information.
We want reasons.
& nothing delivers that faster than this 1 word…

The power of “because”

Good reasons work better than bad
& bad reasons work better than no reasons.

& no word delivers a reason faster than “because”.

I know, this sounds too simple, doesn’t it?

But scientists have actually tested how adding “because” makes people say “yes”

The Copy Machine Study looked at trying to cut in line at a photocopy machine.

It tested 3 versions of the “ask” to cut in line.
1- Just the request: “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
2 - The request with a “real” reason: “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”
3 - The request with a “fake” reason: “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?”

Even though #3 makes no sense … everyone there has to make copies too, it scored just as well as #2’s “rush” reason

1 - 60% said yes with just the ask
2 - 94% said yes with a “real” reason
3 - 93% said yes with the “fake” reason

Your clients are a lot like the folks in that copy line.

They don’t just want to know what you offer …
They need to know why it matters to them.

That’s not to say you should give your clients a fake or bad reason.
Just remember to make it relevant to them.

Think of your audience as 2 or 3-year-old kids constantly asking why

They have a problem & want to learn about solutions
Using “because” answers their “why” so they can make the connection.

The same rule applies when you use scarcity & urgency.

Fake scarcity backfires. Readers can smell the smoke.

scarcity → limit on quantities
Printed copies of books have limits (ebooks don’t)

urgency → limit on time
a live event has a time limit on registration (pre-recorded don’t)

Whether it’s urgency, scarcity, or just explaining your offer … reasons matter.

& that brings us to where we first learned this lesson ...

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“Because I said so!”

Remember asking your parents why until they snapped back with “because I said so!”

That didn’t help you fully understand anything but your parents’ patience level.

Kids need “because” to connect the dots in learning.
As adults, we’re not that different … we’re still learning, improving our skills, getting clients (& keeping them)

The difference is, unlike our parents, AI never runs out of patience.
We can keep asking “why” over & over & over again
& it keeps giving us reasons.

Which brings me to the point:
As “patient” as AI is with our questions, it isn’t magic. It’s a tool

& like any tool, what you get out of it depends on who’s using it (& how)

It’s not the tool … it’s how you use it

Imagine putting a Ferrari next to a Honda Civic on a racetrack.
You’re first instinct is to giggle because there’s no contest … the Ferrari’s going to win

But what if I put a 16-year-old in the Ferrari & gave the Civic to Michael Schumacher?

Still think the Ferrari wins the race?

Right now, AI is the Ferrari. But if you’re the 16-year-old behind the wheel, you’re likely to crash & burn at the first corner.

The pros win not because of the car, but because they know how to drive it.

The same’s true with AI. It’s not about the tool, it’s about the skill in using it.

Use AI to help you improve your skill set so you never worry about all those doom-&-gloom reports on how AI’s stealing your job.

My AI workflow

Every issue of this newsletter (& other writing projects) goes through before publishing.

& just in case I missed giving it enough direction, I ask it to tell me if there’s anything else it needs beforehand.

Note: AI doesn’t write anything for me. It pressure-tests my writing.
It gives me ideas when I’m stuck (usually with transitions from 1 point to another). It offers recommendations & tells me why they’d work (for the project & the audience)

→ did I give enough reasons?
→ are they clear (& relevant)?

Because at the end of the day, whether it’s urgency, scarcity, your core offer, or even a “like” … what matters is this: people still want to know why

& when you’re ready, run it all through a free custom HumanizeGPT by Marcus Sheridan

I don’t always agree with the recommendations but, reading them helps me see different perspectives & interpretations of the words I’m using.

The “because” bottom line

Tools don’t replace skills … they amplify them … when used properly.
& “because” is 1 of the simplest, most power words you can use.
It helps us learn & gives us reasons to say “yes”

So here’s your mission (should you choose to accept it) …

The next time you’re writing an email, proposal, or even a LinkedIn post, try this:
Don’t just tell people what
Show them why it matters to them
Add 1 sentence that starts with because

Because … that’s what gets them to say “yes” (without being pushy)

Reply to this email & let me know what happened.

Make it a great “why-filled“ week … because you deserve more ‘yes’ in your business!
EG

PS:

Here’s 1 way you can use AI to help you find your next client.

Your network is hiring. You just don’t know it yet.

Indy AI by Contra helps you find opportunities through your existing network. It connects to LinkedIn and X, then quietly surfaces warm opportunities. No cold outreach. No job boards. No feed fatigue. Just opportunities that find you.

Let work find you

PPS:
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