Mastering the art of visual persuasion

My very good friend Angela was recently sharing some excellent advice she'd been given on how working environment and surrounding visual stimulii can be used to influence and focus our thinking. Thinking about what she had said I started to connect with several situations which seem to illustrate this.  Like creative agencies who dedicate a work room to a client and dress it entirely with client-related images. Like Derren Brown's famous red BMX bike conversation where peripheral images were seen to play a big part in influencing thought. 

And then of course numerous other examples came to mind going back over many years. Reminding me that we have always known about visual communication but without really understanding it or making full use of it.
With an interest triggered off by my NLP training I've avidly researched the whole topic of subconscious thought and the power of visual stimulus. This has revealed some fascinating facts. Certainly fascinating enough to impress this unsophisticated mind!  But the notion that our minds are busily thinking without us realising it I find fascinating. The notion that visual stimulii will influence that thinking I also find fascinating. And the notion that the less we are consciously aware of that stimulii then the greater we will be influenced by it...I find really fascinating!  This of course is what the masters of visual communication recognise....as they visually communicate in a subtle unobtrusive way.
I smile inwardly when I meet many newly trained NLP'ers. They enthusiatically and as a result rather obviously apply their mirroring techniques....and of course it doesn't work!  But when with time and practice it is done elegantly and almost inconspicuously... it does work! And this "inconspicuous elegance" is the secret element that....
Distinguishes the body language of great persuaders and gains them instant rapport!
Generates the "charisma" in great presenters and wins them audience approval!
Adds the "magic" in visual presentation design that makes it compelling!

For more free tips and articles on persuasive communication visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Why people are hard to sell to!

How much thought do you give to the words you use when pitching for business or when selling your ideas to a colleague. Go on be honest!    How often do you enthuse with total gusto but choose reasons and express your argument in terms that you would find convincing. In other words sell it as it would have been successfully sold to you.  I was reminded of this by some recent research into group motivations to tackle a particular task. The quick summary of this research was that in any cross section of people you will find half of them regarding completion of the task as the key driver whilst the other half would be motivated by getting fun out of it.

I work with a couple of guys who illustrate this difference very clearly. Present an idea for them to consider and you get two reactions. One is more interested in how it might improve control, or reduce costs. He asks a lot of questions. The other is more interested in how it might deliver marketing advantages or added value.  He tells me how he sees it working. One likes to carefully read through back-up information and maybe even create an excel spread sheet before making up his mind. Give his partner the supporting papers and he will push them aside with instant boredom. He wants to talk about it and hear how it will work.
And that is the reality of selling and persuasion. People are different. How we would go about deciding on a particular idea is not how others will do it. Roughly speaking, 3 out of 4 people will by varying degrees of difference have their own reasons and their own ways of deciding.
So don't rush to present what you want to hear. Take some time to listen and learn what it is that they want to hear.

For more helpful tips and advice on how to influence and persuade others visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

The key to a successful sales pitch

I was chatting with a Creative Marketing pal today about his current success rate with new business pitches. Despite coming up with some terrific responses he just wasn't winning the pitch.  We chewed over the usual factors that arise in these conversations...Price...the client testing out the market!  But eventually he admitted that when asking for some feedback he was told that he hadn't really answered the brief.  That kind of response is of course abhorrent to any professional creative! "Well they moved the goal posts didn't they!" was his first explanation.  Followed by "They didn't really know what they wanted anyway...and they asked us to come up with ideas!"  "That must make it really tough for you when working up a responsel" I inquiringly suggested, anxious not to offend creative sensitivity.  He explained at length just how difficult and then listened attentively to my observations - That enthusiasm alone will never close a sale if your best shots are just fired off hopefully at an unknown target.  That building agreement can only happen when you know that your solutions are right on target with the prospect's needs. That only then can you present those best shots with that vital smile and nod of the head, as you use that magic closing phrase "and this will give us (their key need) which we know is important to you isn't it?   

This then allowed me to nicely loop back to the brief and to talk about the crucial need to question, probe and qualify the brief. We talked about the need to create rapport as a precursor to qualifying needs and he promised to read the blog post How to really listen and influence people.  And in the end we agreed that:

• Buying decisions are of course based on practical requirements or needs which will be prioritised in some way. But they are also and ultimately based on wants and desires. This kind of criteria are rarely articulated in the brief.  Sometimes they are not even fully clarified in the buyer's mind until the final proposals are considered.
• Decision makers do not readilly share these inner criteria. They need to be encouraged by an attentive and empathetic listener who can comfortably ask questions like:
•  "What are you looking to achieve?"
• "Why is that important to you?""
• And what ultimately does that mean to you?"
•  Suppliers who create that rapport and ask those questions will be seen by Decision Makers as the Pitch Team who "really got to understand what we wanted!" And as the Team that when presenting solutions, hit the target and closed by saying ".....and that is what you are really looking for isn't it!"  ....Not forgetting the nod and the smile!!

Bob Howard-Spink is a Partner in Persuadability. For more tips and help on improving your persuasive business messages visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Why is it that some people just don't trust our advice?

Beep! ...Beeep!! ...Beeeeeeep!!! The increasing annoyance was enough to get my attention as I stood waiting to cross the inner ring road to the town centre. But when I looked around I didn't recognise the car twenty odd yards away. However it was pretty clear that the driver wanted my attention as she frantically beckoned me towards her.  I walked back over...intrigued by this interest in me?   "I need to get back onto the A43 for Northampton" she hurriedly explained, "....and the signs were not clear!"   I offered her an ironic "Good morning!" wondering what "unclear" signs could possibly have lead her into this cul-de-sac car park for the nearby church.

"No problem!" I said. "You just need to get back out onto the ring road, carry on heading south and you'll pick up the A43 and Northampton signs." I waited for the thank you. "But I need to be in Northampton for a meeting at 10 o'clock!" she replied in an agitated state that quickly worsened to irritated when she asked "Where am I now?"   By now I am thinking that a little bit of graciousness wouldn't go amiss! I said "you're on the north side of town and you just need to carry on heading south!"   "Shall I ask somebody who knows the way?" was the unbelieveable comeback!! "Is he going there?" she asked, pointing to a bemused cabby about to park up for a smoke.
"I know the way! Just go back out of this road into this traffic and follow the ring road round"
"How do I get out of here?"  I think the cabby must have seen the look of disbelief on my face!!! I showed her how to reverse into a space, and then carefully explained how she would be driving "in front of that lamp post and getting in behind these cars that are passing us!!!!!"
As it happened I knew the cabby from way back. So as the lady drove off we inevitably got into stereotypical bloke mode....talking about women and their navigation instincts. But as I continued walking into town I thought more about the conversation with the lost driver. Why didn't she have confidence in my ability to help her? Why did she seem incapable of listening?  Of course the answer was she couldn't trust the advice of somebody who didn't seem to appreciate her predicament. She had a real problem. She was lost and late. And there was himself saying "no problem!" There was no empathy...and no rapport.
The joke on me was we that we talk about this all the time in training. We call it Pacing and Leading. The need to empathise with a person's state. In this case to share concern for being lost...for being late. Not just talk about it, but show it as well....matching state and feelings. Then when state and feelings are in rapport to offer credible advice on how to get out of the situation we are in. I'll remember next time.
So when somebody is really worked up over something, be they a lost motorist or an angry customer.  Let them see from voice, body language and remarks that there is empathy for their agitated state....then they will believe that you want to help them and can help them.

For more tips and advice on how to communicate and influence others visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Why we should think before we present!

"I went shopping for things they didn't have!"  was the wonderful bit of Irishness uttered by my partner's mother after a visit to the supermarket.  "Well that was a waste of time wasn't it!" I ironically and perhaps unkindly observed.

Of course we all grasped what she meant and we were teasing. But it is another reminder of how the meaning of words is so easily misinterpreted. And another opportunity for me to have a quick rant about the importance of preparation when it comes to presenting.

It is the case though that the meaning of what others hear often differs from the meaning of what we say. As well as that. How many times have you made a presentation only to think afterwards..."I wish now that I had said it this way!"

We spend a lot of time putting together written documents such as a business proposal. We wouldn't dream of submitting it without reading it through and making those inevitable tweaks. Yet we're so often happy to "busk" a presentation.

 And yes, you are probably guessing where I'm heading with this? Rehearsal! There really isn't a good enough excuse for not properly rehearsing those important presentations. There are several options to go with:

1. From the old favourite and the simplest...standing in front of the bathroom mirror.
2. To the "High tech" options of voice recording software. Free downloads are out there and the additional benefit of this method is that you can listen to your presentation and see how it synchronises with your speaker support slides.
3. Or as a 3rd option, why not ask a colleague to present to you. You will see things with greater objectivity because somebody else is delivering the message. It is also especially useful if you can sit and listen with the assumed mindset of the prospective audience and feel how the message impacts on you.

Whatever method you choose. It has got to be worth listening to yourself before you speak, we don't want to go shopping for things they haven't got, do we! 

  Bob Howard-Spink is a Partner in Persuadability. For more tips and advice on improving the presentation of your business messages visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/ 

   

What I really meant to say was!

Stopping to ask somebody for directions this morning I was reminded how often we find this simple request so difficult. Most of us probably think afterwards "No, what I should have said was.......!"    My all time favourite example of comic-direction came from a chap who said "go down this road and turn right where the old cinema used to be!!!!!!" 
Of course he understood perfectly what he meant.  "Where the cinema used to be" made complete sense in his world.
It's surprising how often we sit in conferences and listen to presenters who seem to suffer that same problem. To them, the meaning of what they say is quite clear. Unfortunately they haven't heard what they are saying to realise that it is not that clear at all.   Just one of the numerous consequences of inadequate presentation planning!
Let's be honest. We presenters hate the planning part of presenting. Sometimes it is genuine lack of time. Sometimes we just want to avoid it, prefering to "keep it fresh and spontaneous???"

I saw it in a conference that I attended recently. The audience were left unclear about key messages as presenters fell into the familiar traps: - too much time on too many of the issues and nothing on the actions, or not enough time on the issues and too much on unjustified actions.
If any of this has a familiar ring to it why not make a start on the first good habit...clarifying your presentation objectives.
After all you only have about 15 minutes of good attention and 20 minutes maximum, so ask these questions:
What broadly speaking would I like to achieve with the audience?
1. Do I want them to simply appreciate and understand a wide range of issues or opportunities and therefore I should plan for that?
2. Or, do I want them to understand the more important issues/opportunities and recognise the actions/solutions that could be taken, and prepare for that?
3. Or, do I want them to really understand the key issues and commit to agreed actions? Is this what I should plan for?


Bob Howard-Spink is a partner in Persuadability. For more tips and advice on improving the persuasiveness of your business messages visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

How to really listen and influence people.

"Males have more personality than females!"  Well that's a "fighting talk" headline if ever I read one! But it's how an article on recent research by The University of Exeter on male and female behaviour was introduced. Further reading of the article did reveal however that it wasn't an ego boost for blokes! What they were actually saying is that males, be they birds, animals or humans, display a consistent set of behaviours that have evolved in connection with sexual selection. Apparently we chaps are just naturally disposed to be assertive, protective or eager to display resourcefulness because that's how a potential mate will select us. Females, it is suggested, have no such pre-occupations and display varied behaviours.
I did see some connection here with a view that I have formed over the years, that women find it easier than men to adapt their behavioural style, and are thus more able to establish rapport with others and become effective listeners.  A controversial view to express in male dominant workshops!! .... but worth saying to pursue the debate that rapport is an essential precursor to persuasion and agreement.
Pretty much everyone objects to being sold to! On the other hand when we feel that somebody sees things our way...has the same sort of values as we do...then we instinctly trust their opinions. We find it easy to open up and express our thoughts and feelings with somebody who seems to share those same thoughts and feelings.

That is what rapport achieves and there are many habits and skills we can develop that enable us to create rapport.  Without doubt, the best one to start working on is your ability to adapt your behaviour when you listen. Remember, the aim is to be an encouraging listener:  Look like you're listening. Don't interrupt. Nod and smile. Mirror their body language and emotional state, but do this subtly!! Match their conversational pace and pitch. Get into the habit of saying "Do you know..you're right...that's a good point!" Make less statements and ask more questions. Show an interest in why people say what they do and why things are important to them. Avoid overtly disagreeing.

Adapting your behaviour to be in tune with somebody is the most subtle and elegant way to show likemindedness. When you achieve that you are three-quarters of the way to achieving consensus and agreement.


Bob Howard-Spink is a partner in Persuadability. For more about influence and persuasion and for general tips and advice on improving your business messages visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/