How to convince people to listen to your ideas and do business with you? Check out this practical guide with simple tips to help you convince more people.
If you're a business developer, you've been frustrated at least once when your manager or prospects don't listen to you.
Maybe you had the best idea, but your manager doesn't take you seriously so they don't take it into account.
Or maybe you're convinced that your solution can help your client, but they don't really pay attention to you.
What can you do to be more convincing and earn the respect of your stakeholders?
Developing the power of convincing will help you move forward in all aspects of life. Once you construct and style a solid argument, you can convince anyone.
This works both in private life and in business. It’s all about using a smart combination of communication skills and leadership abilities to gain the support of others for your ideas or proposals.
Convincing people is an important aspect of business development activities. You need to be convincing to your customers, clients, and stakeholders.
The way you communicate with them will affect their decisions. If your communication style isn’t assertive, you will fail to see results.
So, how do we use our communication skills to convince people? There are many different tactics.
However, the first and most important thing is your confidence. If you’re not confident, people won’t consider you trustworthy. So, you won’t manage to persuade them.
If you’re confident, you will appear more powerful to others. Also, your arguments will sound more convincing. If you don’t feel confident, pretend you are.
Play the confident person that everybody is willing to support. People are drawn to assertive behaviors.
Once you build your confidence, start using the following tactics to become a master of convincing people.
- Make a good argument to convince people
Make sure to articulate well the main point you’re trying to make. Continue by gathering supporting evidence to back it up. Use specific examples and evidence. Try to use relevant details.
Also, remember to stay logical in your communication style. Try to make your argument as logical as possible.
You can also use anecdotes during your conversation. This will help you make sure your point of view comes across well.
With that being said, it’s important to remember to not engage in assumptions about others’ viewpoints.
Find out the facts first. Be factual.
A key skill here is to learn how to be an active listener.
You and the other person might have completely different points of view. It’s important to recognize your similarities and differences in this case.
Both can be useful here. The more similarities you share with the other party, the higher the chance of a mutual agreement.
So, make sound arguments by remaining objective throughout the conversation. This will lead to a useful and productive encounter in the end.
For example, if you would like your manager to finance your business development course, focus on how the course will help you increase KPIs.
Bring up numbers and explain how it contributes to the overall company goals.
- Convince people by caring about them
Extensive talking about your viewpoint doesn’t always win an argument or convince people. Instead, make sure that you listen actively.
That’s the best way of creating a productive mutual discussion. It may not seem like a successful way to be convincing.
But, you have to understand what challenges, struggles, issues, and other things are bothering them.
Being an active listener sends a signal to the other party that they have your attention. You can use this in your favor.
The conversation becomes reciprocal and useful. It gives you an opportunity to choose your words wisely so that they are valuable to others.
Then, you should try and practice open-ended questions. This will broaden the conversation and increase the likelihood of your ideas being received well. It will also help build trust in your relationship.
A relevant tip here is to nod often to show that you’re listening. This shows that you are engaged and interested in what they’re saying.
Further, speak only when it is the right time to say something. Wait for the other person to finish their thoughts.
Once they make their point, you can continue to share your opinions.
So, be patient and don’t interrupt them while they’re talking.
– Make it valuable for the other person
What you bring to the table has to be attractive to the other person. This is how you can win in a conversation.
That can be difficult sometimes. But, under the right circumstances, things may work out in your favor.
In order to make your idea valuable for the other person, get to know them. Spot their objections and aspirations. If you know what the other person wants, there are high chances that you’ll be able to come to mutual terms.
Once you’ve identified their beliefs and point of view, rephrase your argument in a way that the other person sees its value.
Finally, do something for the other person. Being helpful to others can help you in the long term. People will remember your kind actions and may be willing to return the favor later on.
This will serve as a stepping stone for your success. Also, it will help you build mutual trust, which is very important.
– Be patient and persistent in your convincing process
In order to gain the other person’s trust, you have to be patient and persistent. If you don’t manage to convince someone about something on the first try, try again. If it still doesn’t go your way, don’t argue, plead, or beg.
Instead, let the situation go, remind yourself to be patient, and try again at a better moment. You don’t lose when you remain calm and patient.
It is unlikely that the person will simply forget about your arguments and ideas. But, sometimes, people work at their own pace. Some need more time to make a decision. Others may be much quicker.
However, by remaining patient and persistent, you give yourself a second chance at success. Take enough time between unsuccessful attempts.
Learn from your mistakes. Eventually, people might come to an agreement with you later in the process.
Persistence is a key skill in business development. That's why we dedicate an entire module to building the right mindset in our certification program.
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To sum up…
Convincing people can be a complicated process. Importantly, you are dealing with many different personalities and viewpoints. You must learn how to develop the right approach. With the right attitude and strategy, you can convince others to agree with you.
So, be a good listener, speak when necessary, and show kindness along the process. Showing egoism may prove to be damaging. Remember, the idea is to arrive at a mutual point with the other party. You need to ensure that they favor your argument. This aids you in meeting your business objectives while being respectful.
Usually, nobody is very convincing on their first try. Convincing people is a skill that can be sharpened and improved over time. The more you learn to improve your mistakes, the more successful you’ll be in convincing others. Remember the fact that practice makes perfect!
By becoming more convincing, you can also increase the likelihood of you becoming a high potential employee. You will equip yourself with the right skills to succeed in your business development role.
So, are you ready to learn how to convince people? Join our business development course and become a skilled business development pro!
