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Sullivan Nod is a subtle sales technique used to encourage customers to purchase a particular item through subconscious suggestion. It was developed by Tom Sullivan and is commonly used in the food industry, but also in other industries. The technique involves a slight nod when reciting a list of items, with the desired item being the one nodded at. Studies show it works best with lists of five or fewer items and can also work over the phone.
Sullivan Nod is a sales technique designed to encourage people to purchase a particular item with the power of subconscious suggestion. It is most commonly used in the food industry, although it appears in other industries as well, ranging from boutiques to car lots. When well executed, a Sullivan Nod is so subtle that the consumer doesn’t even notice it, making it a challenging thing to watch out for.
This technique was developed by Tom Sullivan, a consultant who works in the restaurant business. Sullivan designed the technique as a way to boost sales of appetizers, drinks and other items that can quickly add to the overall price of a tag at a restaurant. This makes Sullivan Nod popular with waiters and waitresses who want to raise their tags for higher tips, and it’s also common with bartenders, who sometimes receive bonuses for selling more high-end booze.
The mechanism of a Sullivan Nod is quite simple. When someone recites a list of items, they nod slightly, around 10-15 degrees, when a particularly desirable item is reached. The nod should be subtle enough not to stand out, while remaining visible to the consumer. According to Sullivan, customers respond to the nod about 65% of the time, buying the indicated item regardless of its cost.
Studies of Sullivan Nod have shown that it works best with lists of five or fewer items. For example, a bartender might respond to a request for a scotch with, “Do you want brand X, Y, M, or Z?” If the M-brand was the desired brand, he or she would nod slightly when she reached for it, and if the customer was suggestible, the response might be “why, M-brand, of course!”
Sullivan says his sales technique also works over the phone with room service orders, suggesting that tone of voice may also play a factor in the subconscious suggestion. If you work in the service or sales industry, you might want to try Sullivan Nod for yourself. If you’d like to be scientific about it, see if you can get other waiters or bar staff to participate in a controlled study, with some of you using Sullivan Nod on various shifts while others didn’t, and comparing notes at the end of a month about.
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