The 12 Triggers of Persuasion - Selling Skills
Every time you interact with a customer you are constantly making either deposits or withdrawals into their emotional bank account. Similar to real bank accounts, at any given time every relationship has a balance . . . either you have a good relationship (healthy doses of deposits) or you don’t (too many withdrawals). The difference is in the currency. We make deposits & withdrawals into our relationships with our behavior.
Stephen Covey once said “we judge ourselves based on our intent, yet we judge others on their actions”. Therefore, others judge us based on our actions because they do not know our intent. The 12 Triggers of Persuasion™ provide you with the most persuasive behaviors. It’s how we do what we do – when we need to persuade. We call them triggers because they trigger the emotions . . . these behaviors are specifically designed to trigger the 6 Compliance Principles™.
1) Recognize Shared Similarities: we like people that are like us, that share our values, backgrounds, or common cause . . . this is our comfort zone. Seek out and talk about common interest whether business or social. You want to make sure that the other person is dealing with someone they can identify with. Opposite: to be disagreeable with another’s opinions, perceptions, or values. Counterfeit: to say that you agree with issues, values or perceptions that you don’t agree with. Insincerity to a value or position.
What to Do and Say
- Dress similar to the person you want to identify with.
- Mirror the other’s verbal cadence and disposition.
- Never argue against their predispositions.
- Avoid controversial issues.
- Look for something to agree on.
- Acknowledge their reality.
2) Declare Your Intent: be open and honest. Don’t make people guess at your agenda, speak it plainly. Being transparent with your intent builds credibility. Opposite: making others guess your motives or agenda. Counterfeit: not informing of the primary intent, rather misleading someone to another, trivial pursuit. Misleading someone to your true intentions is usually worse than not telling them at all.
What to Do and Say
- Check your intent to insure that it is good for all parties.
- “My intent is . . . “
- “Let me begin by telling you why I wanted to meet with you . . . “
- “The end objective is to achieve . . . “
- “If I were you I would be wondering (obvious concern) . . .”
- “My intention is to better understand if we are your best source.”
3) Appeal to Visual: a picture is worth a thousand words. We process images much quicker than words – show the visual and they will get it at-a-glance. Pictures, demonstrations and props help to convey our message accurately and memorably. Opposite: to continue to only utilize the narrative without incorporating the visual. Counterfeit: showing graphs or charts that cannot be instantly recognized.
What to Do and Say
- Show images that easily communicate your message.
- Utilize props to help convey your story.
- Before and after images.
- Leave plenty of white space, do not create clutter.
- Demonstrate how your product or service works.
To receive the other 9 triggers, just click on the button “12 Triggers of Persuasion™” & we will email them to you for free.