Madeleine Morgan of Growu writes:
Do you find any of these situations frustrating?
- You’ve got great ideas but other people are rejecting them
- You’ve a difficult family member or colleague to manage and they’re resisting your attempts to get them to change their bad habits
- You’ve got to get things done but other people are not being team players
- You’re selling a great product or service but people are not buying them at the prices you want
If you do, this week’s success tip will increase your chances of persuading others to say ‘Yes!’…as long as what you want is also in their best interests.
5 Top Tips for Getting to Yes
You are likely to sabotage your efforts at persuasion if you say:
- Idea
e.g. We can do X - Request
e.g. Please, go and tidy your room.
e.g. Please be at the meeting at 11 a.m. - Sale
e.g. Would you like to buy….?
The above comments are weak because there’s no reason or benefit given to the other person for why they should go along with what you want.
There is no guaranteed way to get others to say, ‘Yes!’ every time but you can increase your chances if you follow the Bronze Rule of Persuasion and include benefits that are important to them
e.g.
- Idea…benefit
- If we arrive early enough we can eat before we go in to see the film and have a good catch up on each other’s news.
- If we improve the visual content of the website, we’ll attract more buyers who like good visuals
If you want to be even more persuasive you’ll need to follow the Silver Rule of Persuasion and say benefits first.
This is because people tend to make judgements in nano seconds about whether something is good for them or not and so if you put forward the idea or request first, they may have already made up their minds against it before you get to the benefit.
So say, benefit…request
e.g.
- We are making changes in the business that affect you. So that you can have your say in how those changes are made, we would like you to attend the meeting at 11 a.m.
But…it doesn’t stop there. You can become super-persuasive if you follow the Golden Rule of Persuasion and combine benefits and choices. This encourages the other person to focus on what way they will agree with you rather than whether they will agree. For instance:
- We can help you increase your sales by 37% by redesigning your website. (Benefit) What next steps would you like to take? We can either do the whole redesign at once or we could do it in phases, starting with the home page. (Choices)
- We are making changes in the business that affect you. So that you can have your say in how those changes are made, we would like you to attend the meeting. Would it be better for you to meet at 11am or 3pm?
- So that I can help you get your project finished by close of play, I just need five minutes to run through a few questions.Have you got time now, or shall I come back in an hour?”
Wait! There is still a Platinum Rule of Persuasion to follow. When the other person says ‘Yes’ to one of your options, stop talking!
And yes, there’s an even more precious rule of persuasion, the Californium (the most precious metal of all) Rule of Persuasion and that is…prepare and rehearse your case before you say anything.(Image removed)
What’s your next step to becoming more successful in your personal, business and career?
Discover some choices below.
Special Offers and Dates for Your Diary
- Free Confidential Coaching Discovery Session
Is creating a more rewarding personal, career or business life a must for you in 2015? If your answer is yes check out this 121 coaching opportunity. I have1 Free Coaching Discovery sessions left to give away in March.
During that 60 minute session, we’ll:
- discuss where you are with your life, career or business and any challenges you face
- uncover hidden barriers to your success.
- get clear about the life, career or business you’d like to enjoy
- Accountability Club Business Growth Programme Launching Thursday May 7
Are you frustrated by the slow growth of your business? Is your business experiencing growing pains? Would you like to make more money and have more fun growing your business? Then the Accountability Club Business Growth Programme could be just what your business needs…there are only 5 places left so hurry and grab the opportunity. Click here for more details - The Successful Managers’ Toolkit Workshop 16 April 2015
It’s tough being a team leader, manager or supervisor. During this one-day Successful Managers’ Toolkit workshop, you’ll discover how to overcome the challenges and make your role much easier and rewarding to perform. www.successformanagers.co.uk or email madeleine@growu.co.uk for more details.
Quotes of the Week about Persuasion
- “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” Desmond Tutu
- “To be persuasive we must be believable;
to be believable we must be creditable;
to be credible we must be truthful.” Edward R Murrow - “When you give people a choice, they believe they have power.” A. J. Darkholme
- “If you don’t have the confidence to ask, you will never have the confidence to convince.” Amit Kalantri
_______________________________________________