Who Do You Think You Are? (6)

Last time we talked about engaging our unique personality to market our services. We looked into the qualities of a persuasive person. Today we shall continue by looking at three other qualities of the persuasive marketer using our unique style.

We easily dismiss people trying to persuade us when we have no emotional stake in their argument. Really persuasive people know this, so they will be likeable and look for common ground to help establish emotional bonds. For the I personality, who is naturally influencing, impressionable, interactive and involved, this pose no problem at all, for the Supportive S personality connection with others is also easy but you must remember that the supportive S personality needs time to process change. For the D’s and C’s Personalities they will need to show empathy, they must learn to manage their impatience and wait for their prospective customer to connect with them. Truly persuasive people know they must connect with you to win the deal.

For example a D who is naturally determined and demanding must learn that when selling to a S personality who is calm and easy going he as a D will need to slower his pace and focus on the priorities of the client the S if the D goes on in his naturally tendencies a negative effect that will immediately affect the level of trust the S place on him is trigged. You’ll persuade people much more easily if they are open and aligned with your desires.

Really persuasive people understand that there is no sense wasting time arguing facts. The high C needs to understand this. Most of the world does not function in black and white. To be effective in persuasion you must value strong opinions, respect and acknowledge that others are entitled to their opinions. This makes it harder for you to fully dismiss their point of view. When persuading others to buy from us we must reinforce their credibility on facts and opinions rather than dismiss them outright.  This guarantee trust and common ground to leverage on.

To sell effectively with style, we must offer satisfaction smart persuaders know that they don’t have to win every little battle to win the deal. They are more than willing to sacrifice when it helps the overall cause. They are ready to find the easiest path to yes. Often that is simply to give you what you want whenever possible. Instead of arguing the point, give ground where you can and hold your ground only when it is necessary. We must choose being successful over being right.

Finally, we must know when to Shut-up. Successful persuaders get that you don’t win the battle by constantly berating people with an unending verbal barrage. Wearing people down is not an effective strategy. They carefully support their arguments and check in with questions that will help to close the conversation. Then they step back. Urgency and immediacy are often the enemies of real persuasion. It’s possible to close a less significant sale through urgency, but deep ideas require time and thought to take root.

Great persuaders bring you along in your own time. And they give you the space and time to carefully consider their position. They know that nothing is more powerful than your persuading yourself on their behalf. That almost never occurs in the presence of the persuader. The next time you want to persuade someone of something truly important, follow the tips above, make your case, and walk away. If they don’t come around, you were probably wasting your effort in the first place. Next time we will continue our discussion by looking at guide to read people, if you do not know your style take our personality test now and discover you. See you at the Top.

•Modupe Eka is a consultant, trainer of the D.I.S.C model of human behaviour, a graduate of  English language, with teaching background, she is a Public speaker and by practice a counsellor and an expert in relationship and communication she runs seminars and workshop for cooperate and private institutions on topics as sexual health, parent/child  relationship and cooperate/ effective team building. She has organized and runs various youth empowerment programs.  Together with her team they have done extensive work with many Redeemed Christian Church of God parishes within the Lagos environs.

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