Influencing... Part 1 of 4

Have you ever wondered how some people just seem to have a knack of being able to persuade you to do something? (like stay for just one more drink!!!)…  

If you want to either learn how to influence and persuade people or maybe to just be more aware of people trying to influence you, then keep reading as there are 4 styles you need to be aware of.

I've split this blog into 4 parts so that I can keep to my usual short and hopefully sweet style! This is part one with the next three to follow..

In each part I'll share the style and then bring it to life for you… I've given the same example for each one to show that you really can use any of the 4 styles depending on who you're trying to influence… I've used an example that I'm faced with day in, day out in my job but you really can spin it for absolutely anything.

Persuading


This type of influencing is called persuading…  This is a good one to use when you are seen as the expert and you have some facts to back up what you want… Normally you will have some information or fact that the other person will find compelling and it's best used when both parties are objective and rational with neither of you being too emotional about the subject.

I find this the easiest to understand and put into practice as it is very straight forward…

There are just two steps…
  1. Propose
  2. Reason

Propose by putting forward an idea, suggestion or recommendation

Then reason by giving facts, logic or an argument to back up your proposal… I always like the power of 3 so even better if you have 3 reasons why your proposal works…

So, putting this into an example….

(Propose) - I believe we should sign off this customer promotion today.

(Reason) - We've done a trial and seen a 20% increase in sales, it's at a price point that is compelling in the market and the business case shows that it's highly profitable.

Or putting a cocktails spin on it rather than coaching!!

(Propose) - I think you should stay for one more drink.

(Reason) - You'll still be able to make the last train home, we've had loads of fun so far and you still haven't told me about…

So that's one down and three to go... Follow my Facebook page by clicking here to make sure you don't miss the next instalment!!

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