Vinod Mehta’s Googly

Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-chief of Outlook recalls (Delhi Diary, October 17, 2011) how he managed to get a full-length interview with Mansur Ali  Khan Pataudi - Tiger Pataudi - in 1974. It has some interesting lessons in persuasion.

Mehta had just taken over the fledgling men’s magazine Debonair as its editor-in-chief.  He was desperate to get a Playboy-type interview that would make the centrepiece of his launch issue. He knocked on many doors; none opened.

He tried to telephone Tiger Pataudi.  But the folks around the star cricketer wouldn’t put him through. Desperate, Mehta “wrote him a begging letter.” What made the begging persuasive was his admiring reference to Pataudi’s extraordinary performance on the cricket field. Mehta wrote that he had seen him score a century in both the innings against Yorkshire. He pointedly referred to the way Pataudi had battered Fred Trueman.

Photo credit: http://photogallery.outlookindia.com

The letter was magical. Mehta got an immediate reply and an invitation to Pataudi’s flat in Mumbai.

The story doesn’t end there. Mehta knew that Pataudi was fond of 555 cigarettes.  Mehta also knew that for someone like Tiger Pataudi, getting 555 was no big deal even in the Socialist 1970s. Still, Mehta “carried a tin” of Tiger’s favourite cigarettes.

Once he had a full-length interview with the cricketing great, Mehta says he had “much less difficulty persuading the great and the good to cooperate.”

Let’s look at the lessons.

First, no one is above persuasion. Heroes who are idolised by millions of people are human beings. They have human feelings. Even those who easily detect flattery and detest it have difficulty resisting the power of genuine admiration. If we study our targets well and frame our proposals appropriately, we should be able to persuade them. But we often give up even before trying. Or we use a frame that is convenient for us rather than appropriate for the target.

Second, gestures touch us. Mehta knew the value of maintaining relationships. The gift of 555 cigarettes after the interview is a testimony to the editor’s ability in this department. A great deal of persuasion is born out of relationships. Maintain them through gestures that touch the heart of the targets.

Third, Mehta used his big catch to persuade others, who were earlier unwilling to do anything for his venture.

None of the techniques of persuasion Mehta employed were extraordinary. What is extraordinary is the way he used ordinary techniques to persuade a star.