How Are You Persuasive?

You've heard it: "I could never be in sales."

Monitor your conversations for a day. How often are your really trying to convince someone to see things your way? For some reason it's OK to persuade but icky to sell. (You might change your mind about the sales thing if you looked into the financial compensation of successful sales people).

Let's Talk Persuasion: 3 Different Ways

We use proprietary assessments to help people clarify speficic talents. One of the things we've discovered is that there are three distinct ways people can be gifted at persuasion:

1. Negotiating. This is an above-average ability to discern the needs and desires of two people--or groups--and orchestrate agreement between them. If this is a talent of yours, people will see you actively seeking to assist people in conflict. Those with this talent can quickly garner the credibility needed to help resolve issues. Do you inherently "jump in" when you see the need for resolution? Are you successful more often than not?

2. Selling. This is just what it implies. People with this specific talent excel at introducing a product or concept and then going for "the close," whether it's money or a commitment. Are you always thinking about better ways to get a commitment. . .now?!

3. Promoting. Think about someone whose enthusiasm and excitement is infectious. As a result, with multiple exposures and relationship, other people are willing to try out a new idea and look at new ways of seeing things. The "close" is a fait accompli. There's no reason to say "will that be cash or charge?" The organic nature of the process leads to implementation or closure. Do people accept your ideas because of your genuine enthusiasm and willingness to spread your enthusiasm over a period of time? Do you view yourself as an educator who brings about change?

One of the above is your gift. Acknowledge it, learn more about it, use it often, and don't let anyone talk you into doing it differently. The world and the workplace need to be influenced by people with sound ideas and positive motives. How will you exercise your persuasive talent today?

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My colleague Ed Ryan and I are headed to Pittsburgh to work with a group of experienced steel industry sales folks to add advanced influence & persuasion skills to their behavior repertoire. Looking forward to it.

In the meantime, a quick reminder that @kevineikenberry continues to tally the votes for Best Leadership Blog of 2010. Be sure to weigh in and if you enjoy All Things Workplace, we appreciate your vote. All of the blogs are first-class and are "must adds" to your leadership reading list.

photo attribution: www.potential2success.com

Comments

[Robyn McMaster]

Steve, you make an excellent point here that so many say, "I could never be in sales." Whenever we say that we can't do something our brain picks that up and we actually diminish our ability to do it. You show three very good ways how that might happen. Thanks for your thoughtful post.

[Andrzej]

I find myself being a person that "could never be in sales" - for a reason. Most cases when I saw what i would have to sell, it was crap with no real value and mostly unneeded to "potential clients". Sorry, I'm not interested in pushing people such things, and from my perspective - most products and techniques are used for that.

[William Seidman]

Thanks for the interesting post. I was reflecting on how this might apply to leadership. While at times, leaders have to negotiate others' disputes, I don't think that such mediation is a primary criteria for being a leader. Similarly, I think that leaders that "sell" very often find that their team stops buying.

We have worked extensively with the recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, particularly as they apply to transformational leadership. Much of what we find to be important in leadership is contained in your idea of "promoting" (though even that term seems too "sales" to describe what we see). We definitely see the contagious effect of energy and enthusiasm on leadership.

However, you suggest that people probably can't learn this if it is not their natural style. We have good success in many corporate environments in getting people from all parts of the organization to find their personal "promoting" capability and use it to provide important leadership. Almost everyone we meet and work with can develop their ability to promote.

[Vt]

Thank you for focusing in the big problem : I am not gifted at persuasion.!!!!
An interesting news angle to correct that.
The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation. - Corrie Ten Boom

What these professionals give to me ? I am working hard but I am not successful.

[Steve B]

This is a great post that ties into what Robert Louis Stevenson said. "Everyone lives by selling something:leaders are always selling something - an idea, change, themselves or even their example"

[Ten Boom]

Persuasion is the act of getting a sentient being other than yourself to adopt a particular belief or pursue a particular action. - Ten Boom
Thank you so much for your post Steve. I learned a lot from your post. Very precise and straight to the point. I am looking forward to your next post. so, lets be persuasive?

[Steve Roesler]

Ten Boom

Thanks for adding to the conversation; look forward to seeing you again soon.