7 persuasion techniques that have stood the test of time

We are forever trying to get people to do the things we want.

There’s a reason for this. That’s how business gets conducted – not to mention politics, marriage, friendship and relationships of just about any sort.

If we want to be more effective at convincing people to see things our way, we need to keep in mind time-tested persuasion techniques that get the task accomplished. It’s not that most of us haven’t learned what makes people persuasive, it’s just that we tend to forget what we know. And … we get so busy rushing to get assignments accomplished we often don’t take the time required to stack the deck in our favor.

So here’s a cheat sheet. By keeping these persuasion techniques at hand we can put them into practice the next time we write a sales letter or speech.

Repetition. Effective communication doesn’t come easily. If we don’t repeat our key message or main point at least a few times it probably will not be received. That’s just how the human mind works. It’s busy processing a lot of visual, auditory and extrasensory information, which means a lot can’t help but get filtered out. Sometimes our eyes are working harder than our ears (not good during a speech), or the ears are working harder than the eyes (not good while reading a piece of writing). Repeat yourself. Do it in slightly or dramatically different language each time, as long as the message is consistent and unequivocal.

Tell them why. No rationale, no action. It’s really that simple. If we don’t clearly explain our point of view or proposed action, if we don’t supply the logic, people are unlikely to follow our lead. People need to understand why they should take the action or point of view we’re espousing. The politician says vote for me because I’ll cut your taxes. The investment advisor says stuff your money into this financial instrument because it will yield big dividends. The nutritionist says eat leafy green vegetables to live a healthy life.

Consistency. Our logic won’t hold together if all the components of our message are not consistent. We’ll sound shifty. We’ll lose credibility. We’ll sound like a person who’s still trying to clarify his or her own thoughts. By contrast, when we’re consistent and offer our readers or listeners solid-state-logic we convey integrity.

Testimonials. One of the most powerful tools in sales and marketing is the testimonial. Testimonials are referrals or endorsements from your customers or associates and serve as statements that attest to your competence, professionalism and ability to deliver a strong product or service. We enhance our own credibility – or the worthiness of our product or service – when we can point to other credible people who can testify to the value of what we’re saying or selling. Our testimonials are especially effective when they come from high-caliber people our audience will finds trustworthy and discerning.

Comparisons. One of the best ways to help people understand a new or esoteric concept is to use an effective comparison. Let’s take “the cloud” as an example. Everyone seems to be talking about it these days, though it’s an internet concept many don’t understand. What exactly is “the cloud”? A simple comparison would be the banking system. We used to store our money at home, in a mattress or under a floorboard (the equivalent of storing information, images and video on the hard-drive of our computer). But when banks came along we could store our money there, off site and in a safe and insured environment. In time, technology made it possible for us to access our money from any bank ATM in the world, or to spend it anywhere in the world using a credit or debit card (the equivalent of logging onto the internet on any computer in the world to access our email, text files, photos, bank accounts, etc.). The banking system is the monetary equivalent of “the cloud,” the difference being that the cloud deals with information, images and video rather than money.

Anticipate and address objections. People don’t necessarily state their objections or misgivings. They often don’t have an immediate or convenient way for doing so, especially if we’re communicating in writing. That’s why it’s important that we anticipate our audience’s objections and reservations, then address them straightaway. Once we clear those issues away, our other persuasion techniques can better assert themselves.

Storytelling. The most powerful persuasion tool we possess is effective storytelling. Once you’ve appealed to logic, you must appeal to the emotions, because people are far more persuaded by emotion than logic. There are many products that make a compelling logical case for being purchased. In the end, however, people buy based on emotional considerations. Houses and cars are two poignant examples. Those are the two biggest purchases most people make in their lifetimes, yet nobody buys a house or car based solely on specifications. You must feel right in that house or car. They must jibe with your self-image. People are unlikely to respond emotionally to lists of features and benefits and other data, or to remember them. But a relevant well-told story appeals to the emotions and can stay with a person for a lifetime.

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