Persuasive Ability

Persuasive ability is a trait every marketer seeks to master. However, there is one thing which will persuade people every time and if this one element is missing… you will NEVER persuade them! What is it? It is the expression of genuine interest in them! It is being a good listener, truly hearing and trying to understand them so you know what you can do to help them. People do not want to feel as though they are on a shady used car lot with some salesperson getting ready to devour them like a buzzard.

One of my mentors, Dennis Yu, has been telling me this for quite some time. I have seen him live it out. First of all, he showed a genuine interest in me… as a person.. not just as someone who was going to do business with him. I have watched him over and over taking an active interest in potential business partners, employees, employees’ families, clients and just about everyone he meets. One of my other mentors, Jeff Behrendt, lives this out as well. Both of these guys, are astute business men, but they know how to balance a sense of genuine human touch with the bottom line.

A famous psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler said, “It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has he greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring.”

Jesus even addressed this issue when he said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

An interest in other people must be sincere and not contrived. People in our communities have needs. Small business owners have needs. We should be sincerely interested in meeting their need and we should convey this interest.

So, if you want to be truly successful in marketing or any other relationship, then express a true interest in others and by all means, while you are doing that… SMILE.. because a genuine smile goes a long way toward showing your sincerity and humanity.

References: Alfred Adler in the book, “What Life Should Mean to You”
Jesus: Mark 12:28-31 New American Standard Version of the Holy Bible

Tags: marketing, people, persuasion, small business

This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2009 at 2:31 pm and is filed under marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.