There must be many times when you wish you had been able to put your point of view across more successfully. As a professional salesperson it was essential for me to be able to make a persuasive presentation that would overcome the objections that are inevitable whenever you want to persuade someone to a new point of view. This is a valuable skill that can be learned especially when you know the method that top salesmen use, whether consciously or not.
First a good salesperson will be well prepared, he/she will not be dependent upon the 'Gift of the Gab' to make the sale. So how can you prepare to make an important presentation or argument that you need to succeed?
1) Write down all the negative facts of the situation that you want to change emphasizing how badly they impact on the parties concerned. This is called 'creating dissonance' or disturbing the prospect, It is necessary because often the person is not aware of the problem. The more dissonance you can create the more the other person will see the need to change the situation.
2) Write down all the points (objections) that you can think of, that you know or suspect the other person will throw at you, in support of their own point of view.
3) Find all the answers you can to those objections, write them down and rehearse them until you are word perfect.
4) Write down all the benefits that will come from your solution, again rehearse saying these benefits using all the emotive words you can think of.
5) Write down all the points you can find that will prove your answers to their objections are valid.
6) Have a plan of action that will be as easy as possible to start the process of change, ie:- the first small step.
So that is your preparation, exactly as a professional does it!
Next comes the presentation!
Start by building up dissonance in the other persons mind by stating emotively all the problems with the current situation. Then introduce all the objections yourself, before the other person has time to think of them. Provide the best answer to each objection giving as much proof as you have for each. As you provide the proof make sure the other person has accepted it before you move on, so that that objection will not arise again.
Now is the time to move into presenting your solution and all the benefits that will arise from making the change/s you are proposing. Finally suggest the first action to be taken towards the change, make it as small and as easy as possible for the other person to accept. Once that first action is agreed and taken, the others will follow more easily.
