Have you ever wondered how our ancient leaders built armies and led them into battle, fighting for causes they may never live to see? Ever wondered how Abraham Lincoln put an end to the American civil war? Well, it’s simple. They were great at persuading people towards their goal. So, why would you, an entrepreneur need this skill?
The ability to effectively communicate and change a person’s view about something is one of the most important skills an entrepreneur can possibly have, simply because an entrepreneur is an agent of change! You are bringing forth a new product or service, a novelty, and inviting others to buy into this novelty that they have not experienced before. Customers do not blindly trust and purchase your product. Investors do not fund companies that can’t convince them of their soundness and potential. You have to carefully persuade such stakeholders, and this is where your skill of persuasion becomes important. Let’s look at a few tips that could help you become more persuasive.
- Be confident and enthusiastic: A study published by researchers at the University of Leicester has reiterated the findings by Price & Stone (2004) that people assume that a more confident interlocutor makes more categorically correct judgments and is more knowledgeable. If you go up to them with no enthusiasm or confidence, the customers are going to know that even you may not believe in your product. Why would they even buy it then?
- Become more influential: You should be able to provide reasons for them to believe that you are qualified to say what you say. There’s a reason doctors wear ties and white coats, and policemen wear a badge – those are visible signs of their authority and credibility. Without that credibility or the influential power, you would hardly persuade anyone. The remedy would be to build up a profile of strength that has power and visibility in the domain. Can something about what your wear, or what you say early on in a conversation help establish your influence? It might be your experience in the subject at hand, or your qualifications as they pertain to the conversation – rather than just coming across as pure boasting, of course! It might also be a straightforward demonstration of your skill – again, there’s a reason many Western shoot-out scenes start with the gun-slingers demonstrating their skill with their pistols, or martial arts combatants show off various moves – trying to settle the argument before the shooting or fighting even starts.
- Understand the person you are trying to persuade: Before you try to overwhelm your audience with information, check if he/she is even remotely interested in your product. If not, there is no point in wasting your time. Try to understand the mood he or she is in and try an angle that suits their moods and interests. An empathetic assessment of your audience will guide you to adapt your approach and persuade with just the right tone.
- Articulate properly without rushing it: Take your time, give the customer time, let the customer convince themselves for you. This is one of the strongest type of persuasion. Persuasion is a subtle art after all. Choose your words carefully and use as many visual aids as necessary. Give them practical examples on what you advise them to do as well as on the consequences of not following your advice. Adopt a calm approach, as studies have shown you are more likely to convince a person by being measured and reasonable. If they are not convinced after trying all these measures and a reasonable back-and forth discussion, it is unlikely that they can be convinced easily.
You will not be able to convince everyone with what you have to say – that’s just not how the world works. But at work, in academia, and even around the coffee table and kitchen table, using the strategies above should help you get through to your audience better.