Lessons Learned from a Jamaican Hustler

All we wanted to do was find some hearing aid batteries.

We did that, but we had a bonus adventure, and I learned a few persuasion techniques from a savvy street hustler in Jamaica.

Last month, one of the last ports on a cruise with my husband, Kim, was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. After a relaxing morning at a secluded beach, we searched for a drug store selling hearing aid batteries. Not so easy. The first drugstore we walked to didn’t have them. As we searched on our phones for another drugstore, a local man approached us, asking if he could help us. He was missing a few teeth, but he was friendly and directed us to a drugstore with hearing aid batteries. He didn’t just direct us; he walked us there, introducing himself as “Dino” (pronounced “Dee-know”). My husband offered Dino some money in gratitude, but he said, “No. No . . . keep your money. How about I take you on a little tour?”

Sure, why not? We had a couple of hours before we had to be back on the ship.

In the next hour, as we walked around, Dino showed us various sights, from a hotel where a James Bond movie was filmed, to a bobsled like one used in the movie Cool Runnings, to local plants. At one point, he stopped and plucked a flower for my hair. Although I was a little bit concerned, especially when we were in an area with no other people, that we could be walking into a trap, I decided to enjoy the adventure.

Near the end of our “impromptu tour,” he walked us near where our ship was docked, noting our concern about getting back on time. He mentioned that we might have expected to pay $50 each for a private tour (that was much more than we might have expected!) and suggested payment of only $30 each for the tour. My husband gave him $50 in total. It was money well spent for an unplanned adventure.

As I reflected on the experience, I appreciated some communication/persuasion techniques that Dino used:

1. Observed a need (He observed that we had a need when we were looking at maps on our phones).
   
2. Offered a solution (after confirming what exactly our need was, he told us how he could help).
   
3. Made sure our need was met (He didn’t just point the way. He walked us to the drug store).
   
4. Made us like him (People like to spend time with and buy from people they like).
   
5. Read the situation well for what he might “upsell” (We were American tourists with some time to kill).
   
6. Didn’t rush the sale. (He refused our offer to pay. We were in his debt, and the tour made us further in his debt, practically guaranteeing we would ultimately pay him more).
   
7. Made us feel special (that flower for my hair was a charming touch).
   
8. Positioned his value (he positioned his price as less than we might expect).

As you are persuading people to buy your product, your service, or your ideas, how might you use some of Dino’s persuasion techniques?