There’s a lot of talk about persuasion – books, lectures, research, webinars, sales training, you name it.
But if you’re a good egg and you need to sell your work, you don’t need to convince or persuade – and in fact, you shouldn’t.
Why?
Because "persuade" and "convince" are code for:
I'm right, you're wrong, and you need to see my point of view
And nobody likes to be made wrong.
Instead, use perspective-taking.
Put yourself in their shoes, try and see the world through their eyes.
Ask questions that invite your buyer to share what the situation, problem, options, concerns look like, to them.
In the conversation you will automatically develop a shared POV, together, which automatically gets your buyer to see your point of view while you get to see theirs, and then all you need to do is ask:
"Does this make sense? Do you like what you see? Do you want it? Are you ok with the price? Should we move forward with this?"
Zero persuading or convincing required.
Persuading is an uphill battle. But taking the buyer’s perspective and having a conversation however, is a helpful and joyful experience, for the both of you.
You get to choose which kind of experience the two of you will share in.