The Power of
Influence
In the last PROSALESGUY
BLOG, we acknowledged the Art of Persuasion in
every day life, whether it be personally or professionally.
No matter what application, the ability to influence
opinion is vital to getting things
accomplished. Those who have the persuasion skills of great
salespeople seem to get their ideas implemented and become spheres
of influence.
Here are the
8 Skills in Winning People to your Side...
1. Asking Questions
2. Active Listening
3. Paraphrasing
4. Summarizing their Perspective
5. Asking for Permission to Express Your
Feelings
6. The 3 P's - Personality, Passion and
Purpose
7. Collaboration by Working Together
8. Asking for a Commitment - Being on the Same
Page & Moving Forward
Asking
Questions
Being truly persuasive is not being intimidating, forceful or a
talkoholic. It's more the
opposite. The ability to ask questions is one of the
greatest skills in acquiring knowledge & education. The
person who asks the questions controls the communication and has
the opportunity to gain great insight to the perspective of the
other party.
Be Sincere
& Authentic
You are not asking questions to pretend you care with no regard
to the answers. After all, you are trying to learn something
about the other person; what makes them feel the way they do?
What the basis of their thinking based on feelings, previous
experiences & opinion from other credible sources? No
matter what their perspective, they are entitled to their feelings,
whether you agree with them or not. No one
really cares what you think right now - including
you!
Open Ended
Questions
These are questions that don't encourage a short answer.
They are designed to open people up to talk about
their opinions & emotions behind
their way of thinking. You will learn their sense of decision
making and what motivates them to do what they do. There
always is a motivating reason why people think & act the way
they do. Imagine if you can read their blueprint to predict
future reaction to situations & events?
Tact &
Diplomacy
Obviously, you need people's trust in relationship to ask high
level open ended questions. This is where your ability in
being tactful & diplomatic can make you or break you.
Think of how the other person would appreciate the question being
asked to encourage them to open up. This can be tough if the
two of you have differently personalities. Remember, the new
golden rule - Do unto others as they would prefer done
unto themselves.
Examples
Asking the question sincerely "So I can get a better
understanding of your perspective, could you take a few minutes to
tell me where you are coming from?
Compared to "Look. We obviously, we have different
opinions. Go ahead. Tell me how you
feel..."
If you don't show the true desire to want to communicate, then
don't expect anyone else to go there. Robert Kiyosaki
has a great quote - Communication is not what's said
or written - but what is heard & received.
Closed Ended
Questions
Just like they sound, they usually get short answers - yes, no,
or a couple of quick words. Does this make sense? Am I
explaining it well to you? These questions are important as well,
as they confirm quick response answers to keep the communication on
track.
Keep this in mind. Great questioning is a combination of
both open ended and closed ended questions. You are already
doing this in everyday conversation. Concentrate on asking
more open ended questions to gain insight to the other's person
opinion.
Listening
This is why you are asking questions. You want to hear the
answers by intently listening to
what WORDS are
being USED &
what EMOTIONS are
being FELT. Listen for what's not being
said. Showing the physical signs of ACTIVE listening include
a smile on your face, nodding your head, & showing
engagement. This can also be tough if your opinion differs
from the other person. To smile while listening to something
that you disagree with is no easy feat. It takes stamina and
focus. Remember when Listening, it's not your job to agree or
disagree - it's
toacknowledge & understand.
In the next PROSALESGUY
BLOG, we'll cover the
great skills
of Paraphrasing & Summarizing
their Perspective.
I Need your
Feedback
Please do take a few minutes to offer your opinion on the
content being covered. It's super important that I give you
valuable information that you can use in practical
application.
Thanks for reading!
Dave Warawa - PROSALESGUY