The 7 Second Rule: what Is It, And How Does It Affect You?

Wide Impact
By: Dr. Salam Slim Saad

When you’re in a business situation, it’s very important to decide fast. If you think too much about it, someone else might take the opportunity. 

The 7-second rule is a rule that insists that you should decide within 7 seconds on whether you want to do something or not. It was created and made famous by Stanford psychologist Dr. Clifford Nass but was popularized by Thomas Corley in his book Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals.

The Stanford psychologist Dr. Clifford Nass who wanted to find out how long it took people to make decisions on whether they liked something based solely on its appearance. He discovered that when people were given 7 seconds or less to decide their opinion, they were more likely to base it on gut instinct rather than analysis or logic.

The 7-Second Rule was first popularized by Thomas Corley in his book Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals. Corley surveyed 233 wealthy individuals and 128 poor individuals over three years, from March 2004 to March 2007, found that there are 1,440 minutes per day, and this is one thing we all have in common, where all humans are all equal in time. Most people, rich or poor, spend about 1,200 minutes of their time on the following activities: work, commuting, family, sleeping, eating, bathing, bathroom, personal hygiene, and dressing. the way a person uses the rest 240 minutes a day, is what set us apart, and the way rich persons use these 240 minutes is what make them different. In this book Thomas Corley stated that , once you start a routine, you get into the habit of doing it, and that thinking and acting fast is a routine to be acquired, and from there he talks about the in a 7 The 7-Second Rule.

How long is seven Seconds

To see how short those 7 seconds are, count the 7 seconds…1…2…3…4…5…6…7.

Seven seconds is not a very long time. It’s the amount of time it takes for the average person to stand up from their chair, walk across the room and open a window or door. It’s less than half of the time it takes for your blood pressure to rise after touching a hot stove. It’s only slightly longer than it takes to give someone CPR after they’ve stopped breathing. 

What is The 7-second rule

The 7-second rule is a way of quickly making decisions with imperfect information and coping with the unexpected. We all have our own process, but the basic idea is that you make up your mind immediately when there’s no time to really think about it. 

In today’s marketplace, the 7-Second Rule has become a powerful tool for marketers, salespeople and communicators alike. It’s about getting your message across quickly and effectively — whether it’s through a 30-second elevator pitch, a 60-second commercial or a digital campaign that lasts just 7 seconds.

There’s a lot of advice out there about how to make fast decisions, but the 7-Second Rule is the most well-known. It says that you can make a good decision in seven seconds, as long as you follow these four steps:

  1. Identify your options
  2. Eliminate the bad ones
  3. Choose one quickly
  4. Make it happen

where the 7-Second Rule is being used

the 7-Second Rule states that any time you’re faced with an opportunity or something that will require a yes or no answer, you have seven seconds to decide.

There are some components to this rule

The 7-Second Rule for Sales: this rule is known as the “instant gratification” rule because it relies on the idea that people want things now—not tomorrow or next week, but now. If you want them to buy from you today, then you need to give them what they want right away.

The 7-Second Rule for social media: the concept is simple: if you can’t make an impact in 7 seconds or less, you’ve lost your audience.

The 7-Second Rule in messages: If a message can be communicated in less than seven seconds then it should not be written down because it will take too long for people to read it. Instead, it is recommended speaking directly with the person face-to-face or sending them an email or text message.

The 7-Second Rule in Conversation: If you’re having a conversation with someone in person, or even over the phone, taking seven seconds to process your thoughts and collect your words before speaking keeps you from saying things you don’t mean and/or can’t take back.

The 7-Second Rule In an email? Same idea; it’s just a little harder because we’re not all face-to-face. Therefore, it’s important to take seven seconds after reading an email before responding. It’s also good practice to take a second before hitting “send” on that text message. You may have no problem typing out your feelings in a text and sending it right off, but that same emotional tone might be a lot less appropriate in a professional conversation via email or in person.

The 7-Second Rule is a marketing: technique that can be used to help you sell more. It’s based on the notion that people have an attention span of only seven seconds, so if you can make your message short enough, you can capture the attention of your audience and get them to buy. This is why it’s important for businesses to present only the most important aspects of their products or services in their advertisements or websites — anything else will distract the consumer from making an informed decision.     

The 7-Second Rule of First Impression: You’ve probably heard of the “30-second rule,” which says that it takes 30 seconds to make a first impression. But what if I told you there’s a way to make it happen in just 7 seconds?

That’s right: a study by scholars at Princeton University found that the average person makes a first impression within 7 seconds of seeing someone for the first time, and some research suggests a tenth of a second is all it takes to start determining traits like trustworthiness.

So what does that mean for you? It means that you need to be able to quickly convey who you are, what your company does and how it can help people—all within 7 seconds. And this should not only be true when meeting someone face-to-face; it should also apply online and when connecting with prospects on social media.

Whatever the situation, whether you intend to use this tactic for business or personal life, I hope there is a lesson here everyone can learn from. In the future, we all have to work faster, think smarter, and execute with more precision. 

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