6 Things Really Persuasive People Do

Persuasion is a skill that needs to be developed. Truly persuasive people recognize and understand their power and use it sparingly and knowingly, when they know they can accomplish what they are going for. Aggresive persuaders are like telemarketers that constantly try to convince you of something to the point where you lose all interest and are turned off by their approach. When you are trying to persuade a member to join your club, you have to be able to defend your arguments. Why should they join? How will they benefit?  What can your club offer them? Having a purpose behind your reasons for persuasion can instantly make you more credible.

 

Listening is the key to moving the conversation forward. As the person who will be doing the persuading, you already know what your arguments are, and you know why you are persuading the person in front of you. Effective persuasion comes from being able to capitalize on consensus. By listening and focusing on the person in front of you, you are able to gauge how receptive they are to your points and to the subject at hand. By listening for objections, persuasive people are able to make their points more effectively . Finally, by listening for moments of agreements, persuasive people are able to customize their arguments to the person they are convincing. 

 

When you are trying to persuade people to join your club who have no prior connections with your club or its members, it becomes very difficult to convince them. The reason is because it is easy for us to dismiss people when we have no relationship with them or any emotional stake in their argument. In order to be truly persuasive, you have to be listening for those shared objectives and common grounds so you can begin to build a connection and relationship. Connections don't have to be limited to relationships, you can also create connections based on emotions and interests. It isn't necessary for the person you are talking to, to know you or any member of your club - learn more about their interests and form a relationship based on similar interests.

 

Patience is a virtue. Persuasive people understand that their arguments might not lead to a decision today but they know that their goal is to find the easiest path to get that 'yes'. As such, you have to be able to persuade the person in front of you that they will be satisfied upon joining your club. When a person sees how satisfied other members in your club are, their interest level will rise as well.

 

Present them with your club's achievements, past projects and success stories. Present them with how your club has benefited the lives of others. By being able to show your past accomplishments, you are increasing the credibility of your club in the prospects mind and are one step closer in encouraging them to join.

 

Successful persuasion is not about winning every time. It's one of the reasons why we get so turned off by people who try to convince us of something aggressively. If listening is important, knowing when to be quiet is just as important. Effective persuaders know when they have made their point and when it's time to end the conversation. Every one needs time to think and reflect on the points presented to them. Allow your prospective members some time to think about whether they want to join your club or not, and follow up with them in a few weeks. Urgency and immediacy don't result in the best decisions, so it's important to just make your points and back away. Given time to reflect on your arguments, if made effectively, you can achieve what you set to do.

Adapted from Inc.com Article: 7 Things Really Persuasive People Do

 
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