Career
The Magic Formula For Persuasionby Larry Mersereau
Ask for a raise, close a sale, get your kids to go to bed on time. They all call for the same skill.
Next time you have to present a convincing argument, try planning with this simple outline. I call it the Magic Formula For Persuasion. I use it for everything from advertising copy and layout to sales scripts. It works in your personal life too. If something's important enough to ask for, it's important enough to invest some time preparing for the negotiation!
Step 1.) Get their attention.
Be aware that your prospective consort has both an inner dialog going on in their head, plus thousands of external distractions competing for their cognisance. If you hope to get anywhere, you have to cut through that clutter and get their undivided attention.
You do that by opening with a line/headline/announcement that addresses their favorite topic. How do you know what their favorite topic is? It's the same for everyone: Themselves! The first words out of your mouth or into your promotional copy should be about the prospect.
Most people make the mistake of talking about themselves, their organization or their product. In stead of "Boss, I need a raise," try starting with "Would you like to hear how we could boost productivity by 27%?" I guarantee, you'll get more attention.
Step 2.) Make A Promise
Promise them a benefit - something that will make their life better (not yours). Can you help them look better, feel better, make more money? What's in it for THEM?
You may do this in the attention step, or it may follow. But it has to happen early in the conversation or copy. If you don't engage them with a benefit that is of special interest to them, you'll lose what attention you've gained very quickly.
In the attention example above, we promised the boss a 27% increase in productivity. It's important that the promise you make be something you really can deliver, and it must be something the prospect will believe can be done. Even if you really can deliver, you lose them if they don't believe it's realistic.
Don't pull promises out of your hat, and don't ever make promises you can't keep. You only have to let them down once, and you'll never get another chance.
Step 3.) Prove you can deliver.
Back your promise up with solid proof that you can make it happen. Say you're a hotel sales manager working with a meeting planner. You've completed the attention step with a promise of a glitch-free meeting. Now prove you can do it.
A few ways to prove your claim;
Back the promise with testimonial quotes from past clients you've done it for.
Quote statistics from a reliable source that establish your track record.
Offer a guarantee - if you don't deliver, they don't lose anything.
The idea here is to take away the risk - remove all doubts that might keep them from saying "yes." The less the individual you are dealing with knows about you, the stronger your proof has to be.
If you're selling to a prospect who has never heard of you before, you have to offer iron-clad proof for all of your claims, and give them an absolutely risk-free guarantee. In fact, you should consider offering "better-than-risk-free guarantee." You give them a free, additional item with the purchased item. It they're unhappy for any reason, they return the purchased item for a full (prompt and cheerful) refund, and keep the extra item as a gift - a "thank you for giving us a try."
4.) Make a proposition.
Offer to enter into an exchange relationship. That means a fair exchange of value for value, where both parties come away better off as a result. Your spouse gets the vacation destination he/she wanted, but you get to bring your golf clubs. Everybody wins!
When you're in a selling or marketing situation, you want to give your prospect exceptional value compared to dollar amount you're asking them to give up. The value added extras you throw in don't necessarily have to cost you a lot, they just have to be valuable to the prospect. That precious gift you include in your package may be an overstocked item you were about to write off anyway. As long as it has value to the buyer, it adds to the value of your proposition.
It's good to know what the other party can easily part with, too. When negotiating any agreement, you want to know what you can reasonably hope to extract from the other side. If you know they don't have a budget for what you're proposing, what else can they offer? I just made a deal with a client that had little cash, but had access to a free cruise. I happened to be in the market for a vacation at the time(and the cruise line was one I was already considering), so we were able to put the deal together. The cruise didn't cost them a dime, so they saved thousands of dollars. And, I'm going on a cruise that I would have bought with the cash anyway. Everybody wins!
What can you serve up that is far more valuable to them than whatever it is you're asking them to give up? Would your kids go to bed on time tonight if you promised them ice cream for breakfast tomorrow?
5.) Action Get it in writing, or get immediate action. Once there is an agreement, unless both parties deliver their side of the deal on the spot, protect everyone with a written agreement. The raise in exchange for the 27%, the booking for the glitch-free guarantee, and the bed-time for ice cream should all be formal agreements. The more formal, the more likely both sides will perform.
By the way, the sooner the written agreement is presented, the more likely it is to be signed. Deals and details are soon forgotten, and you may have to start all over again if you're not ready with this step at the moment of truth.
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Larry Mersereau is a professional keynote speaker and business development workshop presenter. Find out everything there is to know about him at www.success-strategist.com, or call 409 751-6120 and request a media kit.
