The Persuaders Reading Answers with Explanations

IELTS Reading Passage: The Persuaders

Paragraph- A

We have long lived in an age where powerful images, catchy soundbites, and too-good-to-miss offers bombard us from every quarter. All around us, the persuaders are at work. Occasionally, their methods are unsubtle -the planting kiss on a baby’s head by a wannabe political leader, or a liquidation sale in a shop that has been “closing down” for well over a year, but generally, the persuaders know what they are about and are highly capable. Be they politicians, supermarket chains, salespeople, or advertisers, they know exactly what to do to sell us their images, ideas, or produce. When it comes to persuasion, these giants rule supreme. They employ the most skilled image-makers and use the best psychological tricks to guarantee that even the most cautious among us are open to manipulation.

Paragraph- B

We spend more time in them than we mean to, we buy 75 percent of our food from them, and end up with products that we did not realize we wanted. Right from the start, supermarkets have been ahead of the game. For example, when Sainsbury introduced shopping baskets into its 1950s stores, it was a stroke of marketing genius. Now, shoppers could browse and pick up items they previously would have ignored. Soon after came trolleys, and just as new roads attract more traffic, the same applied to trolley space. Professor Merlin Stone, IBM Professor of Relationship Marketing at Bristol Business School, says aisles are laid out to maximize profits. Stores pander to our money-rich, time-poor lifestyle. Low turnover products — clothes and electrical goods- are stocked at the back while high turnover items command a position at the front.

Paragraph- C

Stone believes supermarkets work hard to “stall” us because the more time we spend in them, the more we buy. Thus, great efforts are made to make the environment pleasant. Stores play music to relax us, and some even pipe air from the in-store bakery around the shop. In the USA, fake aromas are sometimes used. The smell is both the most evocative and subliminal sense. In experiments, pleasant smells are effective in increasing our spending. A casino that fragranced only half its premises saw profit soar in the aroma-filled areas. The other success story from the supermarkets’ perspective is the loyalty card. Punters may assume that they are being rewarded for their fidelity, but all the while they are trading information about their shopping habits. Loyal shoppers could be paying 30% more by sticking to their favourite shops for essential cosmetics.

Paragraph- D

Research has shown that 75 percent of profit comes from just 30 percent of customers. Ultimately, reward cards could be used to identify and better accommodate these “elite” shoppers. It could also be used to make adverts more relevant to individual consumers, rather like Spielberg’s futuristic thriller Minority Report, in which Tom Cruise’s character is bombarded with interactive personalised ads. If this sounds far-fetched, the data-gathering revolution has already seen the introduction of radio-frequency identification to electronically tag products to see who is buying what. RFID means they can follow the product into people’s homes.

Paragraph- E

No matter how savvy we think we are to their ploys, the ad industry still wins. Adverts focus on what products do or on how they make us feel. Researcher Laurette Dube, in the Journal of Advertising Research, says when attitudes are based on “cognitive foundations” (logical reasoning), advertisers use informative appeals. This works for products with a little emotional draw but high functionality, such as bleach. Where attitude is based on effect (i.e, emotions), ad teams try to tap into our feelings. Researchers at the University of Florida recently concluded that our emotional responses to adverts dominate over “cognition”.

Paragraph- F

Advertisers play on our need to be safe (commercials for insurance), to belong (make a customer feel they are in the group, fashion ads), and for self-esteem (aspirational adverts). With time and space at a premium, celebrities are often used as a quick way of meeting these needs, either because the celeb epitomizes success or because they seem familiar and so make the product seem “safe”. A survey of 4,000 campaigns found ads with celebs were 10 percent more effective than those without. Humour also stimulates a rapid emotional response. Heiman Chung, writing in the International Journal of Advertising, found that funny ads were remembered for longer than straight ones. Combine humour with sexual imagery – as in Wonderbra’s “Hello Boys” ads- and you are on to a winner.

Paragraph- G

Slice-of-life ads are another tried and tested method- they paint a picture of life as you would like it, but still, one that feels familiar. Abhilasha Mehta, in the Journal of Advertising Research, noted that the more one’s self-image tallies with the brand being advertised, the stronger the commercial. Ad makers also use behaviorist theories, recognizing that the more sensation we receive from an object, the better we know it. If an advert for a chocolate bar fails to cause salivation, it has probably failed. No wonder advertisements have been dubbed the “nervous system of the business world”.

Paragraph- H

Probably all of us could make a sale if the product was something we truly believed in, but professional salespeople are in a different league best of them can always sell different items to suitable customers at the best time. They do this by using very basic psychological techniques. Stripped to its simplest level, selling works by heightening the buyer’s perception of how much they need a product or service. Buyers normally have certain requirements by which they will judge the suitability of a product. The seller, therefore, attempts to tease out what these conditions are and then explains how their products’ benefits can meet these requirements.

Paragraph- I

Richard Hession, author of Be a Great Salesperson, says it is human nature to prefer to speak rather than listen, and good salespeople pander to this. They ask punters about their needs and offer to work with them to achieve their objectives. As a result, the buyer feels they are receiving a “consultation” rather than a sales pitch. All the while, the salesperson presents with a demeanour that takes it for granted that the sale will be made. Never will the words “if you buy” be used, but rather “when you buy”.

Paragraph- J

Dr Rob Yeung, a senior consultant at business psychologists Kiddy and Partner, says most salespeople will build up a level of rapport by asking questions about hobbies, family, and lifestyle. This has the double benefit of making the salesperson likable while furnishing him or her with more information about the client’s wants. Yeung says effective salespeople try as far as possible to match their style of presenting themselves to how the buyer comes across. If the buyer cracks jokes, the salespeople will respond in kind. If the buyer wants detail, the seller provides them, if they are more interested in the feel of the product, the seller will focus on this. At its most extreme, appearing empathetic can even include the salesperson attempting to “mirror” the buyer's language of the buyer.

Paragraph- K

Whatever the method used, all salespeople work towards one aim: “closing the deal”. In fact, they will be looking for “closing signals” through their dealings with potential clients. Once again, the process works by assuming success. The buyer is not asked “Are you interested?” as this can invite a negative response. Instead, the seller takes it for granted that the deal is effectively done: when the salesman asks you for a convenient delivery date or asks what colour you want, you will probably respond accordingly. Only afterwards might you wonder why you proved such a pushover.

Questions for This Passage: The Persuaders

Questions 1-3

Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D.

1. What is the supermarket’s purpose of using “basket” in paragraph B?

A. Create a convenient atmosphere of supermarket

B. Make customers spend more time shopping

C. Relieve pressure on the supermarket’s traffic

D. More than half items bought need to be carried

2. What is the quality of the best salesman possessed according to this passage?

A. Sell the right product to the right person

B. Clearly state the instructions for one product

C. Show professional background

D. Persuade customers to buy the product they sell

3. What’s the opinion of Richard Hession?

A. Pretend to be nice instead of selling goods

B. Prefer to speak a lot to customers

C. Help buyers to conclude their demands for ideal items

D. Shows great interpersonal skills

Questions 4-9

The reading passage has 7 paragraphs A-K. Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write your answers in boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet.

NB. You may use any letter more than once.

4. How do supermarkets distract consumers

5. How to build a close relationship between salespeople and buyers

6. People would be impressed by the humorous advertisement

7. Methods for salespeople to get the order

8. How questions work for salespeople

9. Different customer groups bring different profits

Questions 10-14

Complete the notes below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.

Trolleys are designed for the increasing traffic in the supermarket. The width of 10 __________ in supermarkets is broadened in order to generate the most profits. Research from 11 ___________ satisfying aromas can motivate people to buy more products. Besides the effort of creating a comfortable surrounding, 12 ___________ is another card that supermarkets play to reward their regular customers. For example, loyal customers spend 30% more in their loved shops for everyday necessary 13 ___________ . Clothes shops use advertisements to make the buyer think they are belonging to part of a 14 ___________ research from 4,000 campaigns reflect that humorous advertisements received more emotional respect.