Comments on: How persuasive are you?

By: Dan, Orlando, Florida

Dan, Orlando, Florida — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:22:18 +0000

It is so easy. In order for a person to trust you, they have to like you. In order for them to like you, they need to believe that you care about them.
That is all.
You don’t have to fake it; care for your customers, and they will trust you. Make it a habit, and success will come to you.

By: Khanja,Germany Berlin

Khanja,Germany Berlin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:23:39 +0000

e okul and metin2 says: Poples don't how to listen ...

By: Rajendra Talele, Bangalore, India

Rajendra Talele, Bangalore, India — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:54:35 +0000

In my opinion persuasion is the situation dependant, and you can not adopt same style for all the levels. It is not only your boss, or client, some time you would require to pursue yourself. Some time depending on situation you are require to change your tone or wordings. In my opinion we all are good persuader in our own world, however, when we require entering in another world, we would require to understand the basic of another world. It is matter of learning, and the people with intention to learn will be sure a great persuader.

By: Honeywell Alberto, NE PH

Honeywell Alberto, NE PH — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:09:06 +0000

I was in the sales business long enough to realized that.. being persuasive takes a lot of guts and knowledge, as to how you will react to people that will take you down the moment they catch your weaknesses.. so, NEVER give them a chance to say something unless they realized what you’re intention with them.. otherwise, it will be a long objections and discussion.. be specific.. and try different approach.. If you are talking to different people.. talk as you are one of them.. (i.e if you are talking to a lawyer… talk like a lawyer). I hope this makes sense..

By: John, Monroe, WI

John, Monroe, WI — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:50:43 +0000

I think it’s important not to get bogged down with method. I find that when the sale becomes secondary to the relationship, it suddenly becomes less difficult to close. It’s not uncommon for me to sell a job at a significantly higher cost than my competitor, simply because I’ve taken an interest in what values my customer is keying on.

By: Gary May, UK

Gary May, UK — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:39:02 +0000

Ok, first up; This is a biased comment because of what i do and my understanding of Influence & Persuasion.

I completely agree with Kurt Mortensen and what he said about admitting and exposing faults and imperfections.

It’s funny how many readings start their comments with, “I have been in sales for 20+ years”, here lies the biggest problem of all.

If 20 sales trainers trained 100 people in their careers then within 5 (sales team) generations there would be 5.2million ’sales trained’ people of which most never stayed in sales. Most now occupy positions such as, CEO, CTO, CFO etc etc.

A SALES STALEMATE!!!

Technology, economy and environment have all changed yet, sales techniques haven’t. Now some of you will say, “what about Solution Selling, S.P.I.N selling!!”

Yeah, same old, same old dressed up in fashionable words!

Kurt Mortensen, Dr.Kevin Hogan, Dave Lakhani, Dr Eric Knowles & Gary May is where the future of selling can be found.

1 Question…..

WHEN HAVE YOU EVER LIKED THE FEELING OF BEING ‘CLOSED’!!!!

But your customers do right????

Exactly

By: Patrice St. Louis , Mo.

Patrice St. Louis , Mo. — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:53:33 +0000

I am a sales associate at a department store. I have discovered that eye contact and emphasis on certain words play a key role in persuading customers to see my point of view.

By: sree

sree — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:59:20 +0000

I always find it better to put myself on other’s foot. be a listener first and then speaker.

By: Ken Albuquerque NM

Ken Albuquerque NM — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:19:55 +0000

I understand how you might feel that way, I used to feel that way myself, until I found out that…. this works wonders in handling objections

By: Geo Washington, AL

Geo Washington, AL — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:36:35 +0000

This young man is going in the right direction. He needs a little more experience before he is ready for the big time. However, he is right that everything rises and falls on leadership which is basically boiled down to influence. It is interesting that leadership is a learned skill and it has a simple foundation–it is about selflessness and putting others first. But, it’s hard to teach because people try to make the simple complicated and the complicated simple.

By: Phil, Naperville, IL

Phil, Naperville, IL — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:01:09 +0000

I have been successful in sales for over 20 years and I scored a 10 out of 60 on the test. Some of the answers to the test do not stand up to reality from what I have seen.

Take the first question: when you start telling people what they are going to miss, the knee jerk reaction is – well, I guess I will just have to live without it. The right answer IMHO is to build value until there is discomfort between what they currently have and what they could have.

I do not see how someone can write a book about selling unless they have actually been out there doing it.

I also disagree with the earlier post on using the word NO. Prospects will test you to see if you are just saying yes to everything. No can help to establish credibility.

By: Sean Murphy, Fairfax, Va

Sean Murphy, Fairfax, Va — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:44:50 +0000

Kurt Mortensen makes a great point: admitting a personal weakness or imperfection disarms the other. It’s simple humility which opens up the other person, whereas pride, eg., trying to control the behavior or opinion of another causes what psychologist call ‘reactance’–the refusal to accept a reasonable argument because of the manner in which it is presented. When we respect the dignity and free will of another, when we affirm and empathize with the other, we are much more persuasive, and likeable.

As a small business owner, I find communication to be a significant factor in employee performance and trust, even if there isn’t an exigency. For example, letting them know that it is ok to tell the truth about why they were late, rather than making up a story. Additionally, positive reinforcement is stronger than correction, eg., giving them a raise for reliability and promptness.

By: Meg, Columbus, Ohio

Meg, Columbus, Ohio — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:30:37 +0000

I have 25 years as a Sales Professional and Sales Trainer. It is my opinion that the biggest problem people face in optimum communications is that they don’t know how to listen — really listen. I believe it was Zig Ziglar who said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Actively listening to a customer is key in demonstrating that you are concerned with identifying and meeting his needs.

By: Bob Kingsbury, Canada

Bob Kingsbury, Canada — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:05:46 +0000

The worst people mistake made is the use of the “N” word. Saying “No” at any time during a persuasion session, especially at the early stages, is usually suicide.

Best to go with some response like “Hmmm, that’s an interesting way of looking at it; let’s explore the pros and cons”. That way you can get to rejection together without insulting anyone.

Finally, always remember that saying “No” usually comes out as whiny, insulting, patronizing etc.