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The art of persuasion is an invaluable tool in business

Shelter Chieza Change Management
I have a colleague who is very sharp and eloquent to the point that you can never win any argument with him.
I later discovered that this was a skill he had perfected and would use even during personal negotiation with family members.
He always won when it came to friends, arguments at work and even in business.
His success hinged on his negotiation and persuasion skills through which he manipulated people into co-operating, listening and agreeing with him.

The art of convincing is an invaluable resource in most businesses today more so if you are operating in a service industry.
It is also critical because of the changing environment where customer tastes are changing and one has to be on top of their game to clinch a sale.

To win arguments and or win someone over you need to convince those opposed to you to change their minds, and this requires skills, knowledge and experience.
Persuasion has been described as a powerful art and a skill that you can learn by understanding the background, knowledge, weaknesses and desires of your target.

Take the job of a salesperson who is trying to convince a prospective customer to buy what he or she is selling.
It’s not an easy job, these days there is always another day, another salesperson, and another thing to spend money on.

Every salesman should be equipped with more information than the buyer, skills in the art of convincing, and the power of scarcity.
The fundis and rookies in salesmanship know how valuable it is to be equipped with this skill.

However some of the salespersons you see in our shops have absolutely no idea what would be happening.
Those selling the most complicated product imaginable have no idea what they are selling.

Imagine a travel consultant who has never travelled before in their life is trying to explain to you an itinerary and how busy the airports are, or which seat is best.
A salesperson toolbox must be more equipped with an ability to convince.

On its own, convincing is too weak to close a deal.
It’s all about meeting your customers’ needs, identifying possible solutions, and seeking them out.

I have always alluded to customers coming first in all business transactions.
So the most counter-productive thing that a salesperson can do is to try to convince a prospective customer to buy something that’s not in their best interest.

The salesperson who does this not only burns that customer but also ruins the potential for long-term prospects of the company and themselves.
The greater and more thorough a person’s knowledge about the topic the harder it will be to sway him or her from their position.

So the second major obstacle to convincing people is their level of knowledge about the topic, and your own.
You need to devise different tactics dependent on your own knowledge, what they think you know and how much they really know.

You need to find these things out and devise tactics to handle them.
Some people doubt almost everything and everyone, and they love to sit on the fence and are immovable in discussions and resist any change.

They are likely to remain sceptical and will be hard to convince to take one side or the other.
You will need to find a tiny speckle in there sceptical armour so that they can be convinced to adopt a small idea or position in a way that does not threaten their overall non-commitment.

They are likely to hang-out and request endless arguments from all sorts of perspectives and angles.
You need to be prepared for this and find ways of making progress.

The more confident and assertive you sound when discussing your beliefs an arguments, the greater your chances of winning an argument.
Always use a confident and strong tone of voice and you will start getting the person to doubt their own beliefs.

You need to convince the person that you know more about the topic otherwise you will find convincing very difficult.
Sew a seed in their subconscious mind that you have authority and should be listened to.

You need to do your homework and have all the documentation and solid facts available to back you up.
The more concise and focused your evidence is the easier it will be to undermine their knowledge-base and convince them to see things from your point of view.

The best way to program the subconscious mind is by repetition: the more you repeat a statement the more it will work to shake an existing belief provided that.
The more you firmly believe in an idea the more convincing and confident your arguments will sound.

Always maintain consistency in your arguments and repeat yourself to strengthen the ties and reinforce the commitment.
People listen and agree with those who have authority and can clearly demonstrate it.

Always cite your previous experience and expertise when offering information, advice or trying to convince others, but do it subtly and make sure you have back-up information available.

Copying is the greatest form of flattery for them.
If they speak clearly, slowly and precisely, try to do something similar.

This is often referred to as mirroring.
People will feel subconsciously much more comfortable and at ease with you if your mirror them in some way.

Don’t make it obvious that you are copying them but do it subtly.
It is human nature worldwide to give a gift in return when given a gift.

So think of what you can give away such as a free sample of your product or service and this can be great for your business..
Perhaps tying these tricks can lead you to becoming a master of persuasion.

Till next week, may God richly bless you.

Shelter Chieza is an advisor in management issues. She can be contacted at [email protected]