Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could have everything our own way? As Career minded women we all like it when people listen to us, believe us and understand us, and we all like it when we don’t have to nag whenever we want stuff done. Although, the world would be a much crazier and dangerous place if everybody did exactly as they were told!
But with all that being said, it’s great to have influence over people and to be able to get what you want… to a certain extent. This skill is always useful, no matter who you are or what job you have. It will make you a better Career Girl, make you greater at communication and to persuade others without being manipulative.
One little reason
A little study showed that in a queue where people were waiting to use the photocopier when one woman asked if she could skip the line because she had 50 pages to copy, sixty percent allowed her to cut in line. But when she asked could she skip the line because she had a deadline, compliance shot up to 94 percent with the addition of a reason.
Listen attentively
When we`re trying to persuade someone we forget to listen to them. You should listen to what they say and even how they act to make them accept your position easily. Try to be more serious when talking about business, but when the subject matter less serious, try to be funny and inspiring.
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours
I actually do this one myself already, and it usually always works! If you do a favor for someone in advance, they’re more likely to do you a favor back and I find they’re more likely to listen to you also.
Choose the appropriate time
It’s all about good timing. If the person is already in a huffy mood, or they’re way too busy, it’s most likely things won’t go your way. Choose the moment when your persuadee is in high spirits because then they’ll most likely appreciate your request and believe in your words.
Prepare the arguments
If you want to persuade the person to do something good for both of you then make sure you’ve listed all the advantages. Say you want to persuade your friend to go to this really awesome new festival next month, I’m sure they will want to hear all the pros and why they should go. Asking someone to simply go somewhere is kind of meh, asking someone to go somewhere and telling them all the great reasons why is 100 times more persuasive!
Give examples
One of the best ways to get someone to do what you want is to give a good example from your own life. If you want your partner to go shopping with you, do not manipulate, instead, give them a few examples of your favorite stores and explain why you want to visit them. Or, if you want your co-worker to accomplish their task on time, tell them how easily you did the same task yesterday.
Dress for Success
You need to dress to impress. It’s a fact that the way we dress influences how others view us. Big time! Dress smartly and appropriately and make sure your shoes are well polished. The way you look often depends on who you`re going to persuade so pay attention to your attire before rushing out the door.
Mirroring and mimicry
Increased success in negotiations may be as simple as crossing your legs at the same time your persuadee does. Imitating another person’s posture, mannerisms and even tone of voice creates rapport. It can happen accidentally, but we can be super cunning and do it on purpose to get what we want. Mwahaha! Whenever we’re comfortable with another person, we naturally become in-synch. When they take a drink, you take a drink.
Of course, there’s a fine line between mirroring and mockery, so don’t even think about mimicking the person’s accent. That will just foil your plan, and ruin the other person’s day.
Confidence Is Key
Self-confidence is a tricky thing. If you don’t feel confident, then try to look confident. Many successful people fake their confidence until it’s real. Believe in your words yourself if you`re going to make someone believe in them too.
Don’t Give Up
People can be so fickle, so even if they say yes at first, they might just change their mind. So be prepared to have a backup plan.
Shower the person with the facts and arguments and show them how it might be great to roll with your idea.
The art of persuasion may seem to be difficult to master at first but you should just remember one simple rule: the person you`re trying to persuade to do something for you should be interested in doing it for themselves.
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