This chapter reveals the secrets of how to sell your message. You will learn how to adapt your technique so your ideas are accepted by the four different personality types.In this chapter:Speakers are often sales people. They need to persuade their audience, they need them to buy their ideas, support their proposal and take action.

How do you get people to ‘buy’ your information, product, ideas or solution?Without realising it, many of us attempt to influence in the way we like to be persuaded, using my strategy and values instead of the other person’s strategy. This is a bit like fishing with chicken vindaloo. I like chicken vindaloo, but I’m not likely to catch many fish using it as bait! The person who is persuaded by logic is likely to present in a logical, structured way.

Logic Does Not Always Persuade

Reason is probably the most common persuasion tactic among business people: putting forward a rational, logical case. However, reason alone for some people is not sufficient. Decision-making is not always rational and objective. People can see the logic of a proposal but their heart will tell them something different.

The Secret Of Selling

The man who invented the vacuum cleaner went bankrupt. He sold the patent to a Mr Hoover who brought his newfangled electric broom to department store buyers. They turned it down. There was no need for this contraption. People bought inexpensive brooms to clean floors and rugs. Who would want to spend more money for an electrical gadget that did the same job?

A want was created by a clever marketing person. Mr Hoover’s sales force went into homes spilling dirt on rugs and whisking them clean with his new vacuum cleaner. It wasn’t long before every home had to have one.

Creating The Need

If you create a need, people will buy. It is easier to sell fences after a storm. It is easy to sell pills when someone has a headache. Make it easy for people to buy your ideas by creating a need first.

People selling burglar alarms may grow the need by talking about the number of recent break-ins in the neighbourhood and only then mentioning their product and what it can do for the householder.

Growing The Need

Grow the need if you don’t want to appear ‘pushy’ or to be giving a hard sell. Talk in visual ways about:

You introduce the need for change by showing why the present situation should not continue. Express this as vividly as you can and tease out the consequences. In this way you will grow the need for change. It is like digging the hole in which you will plant your idea or proposal.

See yourself as a want-creator rather than a need-filler. You are not so much selling a solution as creating the need. The stronger you create the need, the more people will want to buy your ideas.

Influencing Is Complex

Here are some other factors to consider in getting agreement:Build rapport.
Establish trust.
Demonstrate your credibility.
Show you care.
Talk benefits.
Tell them what they lose by not buying.
Appeal to feelings, values and beliefs.

Persuading The Personality Types

Go-Getters

You raise their interest level if you emphasise benefits to them rather than features. Zoom in on bottom-line results with brief benefit statements. Talk increased productivity, saved time, profits and efficiency. Emphasise ‘hassle-free’ service rather than personal loyalty.

Show how you can take them to the next level and be leaders in their field rather than be second best with competitors taking the advantage.

Some Points To Consider

To create rapport with and to persuade go-getters you should:

Go-getter presenters often lose rapport with other types by overstating benefits and countering objections too forcefully. They are inclined to push too early for the close and to show impatience with indecision.