Guitar Sales
Image by Commack Guitars

I first began learning persuasive skills when I was 15.

I worked in a guitar store and sold, you guessed it, guitars. Rarely did someone walk in and say, “I’ll take it.” I typically had to do a little convincing to get them to buy. No wait, not just convince them to buy, the owner wanted me to sell them the most expensive guitar they could afford.

At the time, he was the entrepreneur, not me.

Since then, I’ve learned the value of being a persuasive person and how it relates to business. Whether it be content sales or face-to-face sales, there is an art to persuasion and there are key
components to the trade.

My 5 keys to being a persuasive person consists of being observant, knowledgeable, listening, timing, and making use of storytelling.

In hindsight, I clinched the sale and sold guitars more often when I used a combination, if not all, of these keys. Think about it for a moment. Can you see how?

Persuasion sometimes sounds like a bad word. Something you shouldn’t do. Something dark and
mischievous.

No - that’s wrong.

Persuasion is not bad. That’s
manipulation. If being a good persuasive person and learning the art well was bad, then pretty much every debater (presidents included) are bad.

Let’s look at some synonyms of those two words:

Synonyms
Persuasion Manipulation
  • Influence
  • Point of view
  • Advice
  • Urging
  • Conduct
  • Control
  • Direct
  • Engineer
  • Exploit
  • Con
  • Deceive

Make sense?

If you’re a business owner and especially if you are in face-to-face sales, spend a little time learning how to be a persuasive person. Depending on what you do you don’t have to be a pro. But
for some professions it is a requirement, such as a real estate investor.

My 7 Tips To Sharpen Those Persuasive Skills

  1. Like anything else in this world: practice, practice, practice! Practice on friends without them knowing what you’re doing.
    • Convince them why a tie looks better on them than a button up without a tie.
    • Convince a coworker your way is the best way.
    • Start up a conversation with someone you know has a different point of view than you and try to convince them you are right.
    • Convince your spouse they should do all the house work. Ok, maybe there
      are limits to persuasion!
  2. Be an authority. In everyday life, remember how you are projecting yourself at all times. The more creditable you are, the better influence you can have over someone (and the higher status gives you a bit of an edge).
    • Solve people’s problems when the opportunity arises.
    • Increase your credibility when you can. Without coming across as a pompous ass, let people know what you have done; what you have accomplished; how you know what you know.
    • Build trust.
    • Maki, over at doshdosh, gives us some insights on how to become an authority in your niche.
  3. If you’re trying to persuade someone, don’t undermine your authority.
    Some say you should express any doubts you have about your position because it makes you look reasonable and open-minded.I disagree with that logic.

    Now your argument will seem shaky and the other person may gain the advantage.
    For example, do you ever watch a presidential debate where one of the candidates expresses doubts in what they are saying? I think not! How would that look?

  4. Never insult the person you are trying to persuade. This will only cause them to raise an ironclad wall for protection and nothing you say will get through. They’ll just think you are a jerk.
  5. Whenever possible, try to keep it simple. A confused mind always says no. This is also a negotiating skill I use in real estate. There are creative (and legal) ways to make profits in real estate but if you try putting a deal together that’s too complicated for the seller to understand, they will automatically say no.
  6. Provide analogies if you see your point isn’t getting across or accepted.
  7. Try not to repeat the same thing over and over again. If you feel this person hasn’t seen your point of view yet, say it in a different way and don’t just repeat it. Repeating something again and again is a waste of time. If it didn’t click the first time, it won’t click the 8th time unless it is told in a different way. In a way they can relate to.Ah, relate. That’s what you want them to be able to do!

As final note on persuasion, remember to be honest and ethical with what you are doing. Persuasion is fine, manipulation is not. People who manipulate other people are viewed by others as a jerk. And if you are
labeled as a jerk, your business will likely suffer. Word travels well these days. What do you want that word to be?

Now, if you’re looking for web hosting and need to get online, dig around through our
website. I write all the content and am continuing to tweak it here and there.

How are my content persuasive skills? Do you think I do a good job of convincing entrepreneurs (especially new ones) that this is a great site to host their website
(web design coming soon)?

Any suggestions or thoughts on this persuasive series post?

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