Reviewed Date: October 23rd, 2021
Persuading people to accept your offer, purchase your product, or agree is a hard task. People naturally have walls built around them to shoo away any kind of persuasion that makes its way to them. To be a persuader is to let down the walls first. To do that, we need to mirror the opponent.
The biggest mistake persuaders make is making the conversation a one-way street. Rather than establishing a common ground, the persuader talks about the offer endlessly like a radio. This would only result in more resistance. The more the resistance, the less likely we are to close the deal.
Of all things, encourage the opponent to speak. Let the person talk about his/her feelings and emotions. This is where we need to curb the temptation to talk. Understanding the feelings and emotions of the opponent is crucial, as they give answers about why they resisted the offer in the first place.
It is important to label the opponent’s emotions back to him/her. This gives the impression that we are empathizing and aware of where the person is coming from. As the conversation progresses, give the illusion of control to the opponent. By this, people would feel they are the ones who make the decisions.
As many people are skeptical when it comes to agreeing with offers, we might face resistance. But we shouldn’t give up; we need to ask calibrated questions. In other words, open-ended questions reveal more about what the opponent is thinking. Use the answers, understand where resistance is originating, and make the deal by presenting the offer in a way that the opponent does not resist anymore.
Remember that all these have to be done with utmost sincerity. If the opponent sees the red flags, that’s the end of the conversation.
I loved this book. I highly recommend checking this out if you are interested in marketing and persuasion.
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