“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” – Elwyn Brooks White, Born Jul. 11, 1899.

The modern influencer is an engineer of prejudice.

Common parlance gives the word “prejudice” a negative connotation, as though all pre-judgments are inaccurate.

But it doesn't have to be so. Providing people with quality, accurate opinions – ones that you've researched and reasoned – is an incredibly valuable service.

If you can give someone the power to pre-judge a situation to their own advantage, giving them a slight edge over others who are waiting for “the facts”…

…you can basically name your price within their means.

Because as the man says, prejudice saves them time. Time wasted looking, digging, practicing, working, etc. It gives them the hard fought knowledge and experience, but without the need to put in their own effort.

And the whole trick is making sure you're helping them make accurate, profitable judgments that let them come out ahead.

So think about what you do. Think about what you sell. If you want to convince more people to hire you or buy from you, think about situations they have where they require judgment.

Judgment YOU have – born of study and experience, knowledge and skill.

How can you give them a shortcut so that they can have a VALID, INFORMED opinion on the subject…

…by BORROWING yours.

How does your product or service allow them to do this?

For example: say you have a maid service. To create a positive use of prejudice, you may teach your customer how to judge if a stainless steel appliance has been properly cleaned. No scratches from an abrasive material. Proper cleaning products used. No oily residue left behind. Etc.

It gives the client something to look for – to satisfy themselves that an excellent job has been done well enough to meet their demanding judgment.

Of course, you can use it in a negative way also. You can tell a potential client any of a number of “gotchas” to identify when a poor job has been done. Hidden places that dust and debris can hide. Signs that shortcuts have been taken, and damage may even have been done to furnishings and appliances.

Now, I'm guessing. I don't know jack about the maid business. Or even cleaning. But I pay someone to do it. And if they told me how to have an opinion about how well someone's house has been cleaned(or not), you can bet I would.