What motivates people

What really motivates people?
A  former Sales Director boss of mine would answer that question by saying "my mother in law knows if I'm doing well, by the car that's parked on my drive." 

  His answer corresponds well with the findings of a recent study by researchers at the University of Warwick and Cardiff University. Looking at the motivational effect of income, they found that satisfaction was much more strongly related to the ranked position of the person's income compared to their demographic peers. Put simply money only makes people happier if it improves their social rank. Something like keeping up with the Joneses!
"Are salespeople motivated to sell more by commission and bonus?" is a question that I have encountered countless times over the years. Interestingly, the people who say yes tend not to be in sales or working for performance-geared income.
Personally I'm from the Maslow Hiearchy of Needs School and believe that money is no more than an enabling currency for the things that influence and persuade us. Maslow's theory demonstrates that social acceptance followed by recognition are the powerful motivators for getting us to achieve more than is basic and essential. Something that I have observed working with thousands of people over the years. It explains the findings in the Warwick Study and it explains Keith's need to impress his mother in law. It also explains why I was chuffed to bits when The Golden Strip Greenville South Carolina Branch of Toastmasters recognised me and reproduced one of my articles in their newsletter!!
To my mind there is also an issue in reverse here. Because it also tells us that price is never the real reason for losing out on a sale.

We simply failed to identify the "Maslow Motivators" that underpinned our prospect's buying criteria and match them with the respective values of our proposal.
So if you've been losing out too much on price (you think) then read up on your Maslow, sharpen up on your rapport building and questioning skills... and watch how things improve.
Then you can get that better car and impress your mother-in-law!!

For more tips and advice on improving your persuasiveness please visit us at http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Persuasive language

I can't claim to be a fan of Top Gear. It's probably because I work with petrol heads who "rev on" relentlessly about the programme, and anything they like I'm inclined not to like....Just because! So I don't watch Jeremy Clarkson on the box. But reading his books and articles is something else.

 To my mind they are a masterclass in storytelling and how to use metaphors to powerfully communicate your meaning. Consider these gems:

"The air conditioning in a Lambo used to be an asthmatic sitting in the dashboard blowing at you through a straw."
Illustrating the lack of power of a Boxster: "It couldn't pull a greased stick out of a pig's bottom"
"Much more of a hoot to drive than you might imagine. Think of it if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under her tweed pants. I do, and it helps."
Apart from being very funny what metaphors do so very cleverly is to occupy your thinking with an image or a story. The funnier or more absurb the story the more you are engrossed by it. Which is the very reason why metaphors are such a powerful way of getting your ideas across. Of persuading people. Here is why...
When you try to make a point....or to sell an idea, whoever is on the receiving end has an immediate reaction. They think about it! More than that.... they think very deeply about it. Not just consciously but unconsciously too! 
They run it by their belief system to see how they feel about it. And they get this feeling...call it intuition. And no surprise! That is often a negative intuition and they reject your idea!
Metaphors have this very useful tendancy to occupy and divert thought away from that questioning belief system. Leading it into the subconscious...and here things are a lot more relaxed. Ideas are considered in a much more creative and imaginative way.

Metaphors are just one example of persuasive language. A way of speaking that takes account of how words communicate at different levels of consciousness. Some people call it hypnotic language...and perhaps you want to emulate Derren Brown's Mind Control?  Matching Jeremy Clarkson's mastery of metaphor would be a pretty good aim too! But certainly if you are looking to improve your persuasiveness then take a close look at persuasive language.   

Visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/ for more tips and articles on persuasion and public speaking.

Persuasive language patterns through the years!!

"Interest... Quality... Sample... Code... Merchandise the Advertising... Sell the Display... Quote the return...  Describe the shipper... Suggest the order!"
Thus went the Kraft 9 point selling pattern that as new sales recruits we were taught back in 1972. It was the company way for selling into the trade great brands like Dairylea, Philadelphia and Cracker Barrell. And it worked a treat when persuading store managers to buy in the range, to gives us prime facings and stock cover in the dairy cabinet, and to agree the extra space and merchandising support we wanted during promotional activity.
We didn't question it a lot at the time because it worked. It worked because it assembled the sales presentation into a logical and compelling sequence which by itself was persuasive. And because we knew it worked it "empowered" us to chat the presentation through in a conversational and presupposing manner that seemed destined to gain agreement.

Later on as Sales Training Manager I would teach the 9 Point Pattern to new sales people. It was easy because the pattern was "wired in." I could demonstrate any sales pitch at will. Yes! OK! I was a show off!
Today's recollection of why the selling pattern worked is of course made with retrospective understanding. Back then I wouldn't have been talking about "conversational hypnosis" or "persuasive language patterns" or "sleight of mouth!" NLP hadn't arrived. It would be a few decades before I would be trained in it and start to apply the techniques in persuasion and presentation training..
Persuasion patterns feature strongly in presentation training. We discuss how they support the presenter and "hypnotize" the audience. I talk about the Kraft 9 Point Pattern as an example of one that has endured in my subconscious for 40 years. With just a small amount of prompting I happily demonstrate it. Usually to spontaneous applause. Yes...I'm still showing off!!

Bob Howard-Spink is a partner in Persuadability. For tips and advice on adding compelling words and images to your messages visit us at http://persuadability.co.uk/

Winning business - Getting the Rapport right!

I think all of us involved in business and management recognise that rapport is an essential part of the persuasion process. Although over the years I have come across lots of different interpretations of what rapport is. From younger salespeople who saw "getting on well with the customer" as a reason never to push for more business or higher prices. To the "old sweats" who asked for bigger entertainment budgets each year to keep their favourite customers happy. And who legitamized their selling strategy with the old maxim "people buy from people they like!"

They would be very interested in a recent study carried out at Ohio State University and summarised in  escience news.  This concludes amongst other things that buying a prospective client a nice lunch could backfire on you. It seems that there are many amongst us who if predisposed not to trust somebody will become even less trusting after attempts to jolly us along!
Of course the expression "people buy from people they like" was always a misrepresentation. Yes we are unlikely to buy from somebody we dislike! But like is not meant to be taken in the context of friendship...but in likemindedness.
People are more likely to buy from people who are like them. In other words people who look at things in the same kind of way. Who seem to share similar values. Who go about making choices in much the same manner and for similar reasons. Who genuinely seem interested in how we think and feel. Who even seem to relax and chat in the same kind of way.
That is true rapport. The kind of subtle rapport and likemindedness that prompts the instinctive belief  "if you think it's right...then I do too!"
So sharpen up your body language, listening and questioning skills, and save the entertainment budget for a thank-you lunch once you're doing the business.

Bob Howard-Spink is a partner in Persuadability. For tips and advice on how to present your business messages more persuasively visit us at http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Story Telling with passion to win hearts and minds

A couple of posts ago I talked about how stories can so powerfully communicate a message. There was one ingredient of story telling that I forgot to mention...Passion!  I was reminded of the oversight yesterday when I watched a brilliant presentation by Chilean author and activist Isabel Allende. With a list of best sellers to her name written over many years her other great passion is The Isabel Allende Foundation. It primarily supports organizations that help women and children in need, by providing education, healthcare, protection and the means to empowerment

lorri Barron (c) 2009

The dual topics of Isabel's presentation were passion and eradicating the abuse of woman across the world. Isabel introduced herself by saying "I tell stories." And she proceeded to tell with passion the stories of two woman and the abuse they had suffered at the hands of men.

I will admit that having stumbled upon a presentation on feminism that was going to take 20 minutes to watch I did not expect to see it through to a conclusion! The reason I did see it through and then wanted to quickly share the presentation with others was....I was completely hooked!

Isabel beautifully demonstrated the story tellers art with elements that I would recognise afterwards. A central character (the hero), a place and time, a challenging situation, an outcome and a conclusion.

But for me what made this a story telling masterclass was her use of passion and emotion to make you experience the situations she spoke of. And how did she do that?

She began with humour. The emotions "ice breaker" that enabled the audience to connect with their feelings.

Using self-directed irony she endeared herself with a story that included personal comparison with the magnificent Sophia Loren. In the process, offering a subtle metaphoric reminder of how the world popularly views women.

This set up the dramatic contrast of the harrowing stories of her real heroes. Told to an audience who had been subconciously primed to feel the pain and the shame of the stories they heard.

With her stories told, Isabel brought the audience back to "feel good" state with concluding humour and a further reference to Sophia Loren's legendary breasts. Anchoring the metaphor maybe? 

And finally...with the message embedded...the final stirring call for action! 

I viewed the presentation at http://www.ted.com/.  Ideas worth spreading is their mission.

I certainly was compelled to share Isabel's idea. 

For more tips and advice on adding persuadability to your message visit us at http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

why can't you see what I'm saying?

If you haven't had a look at Linkedin then give it a try. I'm a great believer in the value of business networking, and if there is a relevant group that I can attend without getting up at dawn then I'm definitely up for that.    One feature of Linkedin which I particularly rate is "Groups." Likeminded members regularly post questions of interest, inviting other members to comment.  There is a bit of a risk that you post a question and nobody responds. That must be a bit crushing....especially in the gregarious Sales group that I belong to. On the other hand you can suddenly find yourself to be an "industry luminary" when you post a question and everybody wants to express an opinion on it.
We have one such question at the moment.   "Have you seen anything genuinely new from a sales trainer recently or is training now simply a commodity differentiated purely on price and service level?" ......Seems a straightforward enough question?

Of course the responses (110 so far ) were always going to be interesting!  We Sales Trainers are passionate about our profession. We encounter sceptics and critics in the marketplace and winning them over comes with the territory. Which is probably why we need the comfort and reassurance of consensus amongst our peers. However as passionate professionals we do tend to argue our case in what you might describe as an explanatory and assertive manner. I begin well enough...offering my first concise explanation. In this case discussing amongst other things, the importance of rapport, empathy and listening skills. When my response fails to gain the nod of approval from a peer I blame it on brevity...and go in again with a more expansive explanation. Followed by another even more expansive explanation. By now my interest in the comments of others has declined. Besides, they are so lengthy I find it difficult to grasp the point.

Only the fittest survive to this stage. I drop out of the debate, convinced that it is the poorer without me. After a while I reflect back on arguments about  rapport and empathy. "Hmmm!....Practice what you preach" seems good advice....but it was great fun! 

Then a couple of hours later I happen upon a quotation that had been posted by a Linkedin member.... 

"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding...but delights in airing his own opinions!"

I'm just off to revisit those responses...particularly the ones that seemed to contradict with  my opinions!  

For more thoughts, tips and advice on persuasive communication visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Tell a story and get your audience to really understand

There are some great new programmes currently on TV. And for me BBC 2 takes all the "medal positions" with "Empire of the Seas" with Dan Snow, "How Earth Made us." with Prof. Iain Stewart, and Virtual Revolution with Dr Aleks Krotoski. As well as fantastic television imagery what makes these programmes so compelling is the presenter. Clearly the show producers have chosen them because of their terrific understanding of the subject. Also because they are highly engaging presenters. And I'm sure there is also a reason somewhere in there which connects with widening the appeal of the programme. Something clearly lost on the computer geeks complaining in their Guardian blog posts about the "dreamy shots of Dr Aleks walking across a concourse!"
The other thing that makes them such compelling presenters is that they all tell stories.

Dan explained how a combination of totally overwhelming naval supremacy and a visionary approach to finance drove Britain's acquisition of an empire. Prof. Iain showed why the trade winds circle the earth and how they effectively blew Columbus to America and then blew him back again. Dr Aleks beguiled us with the origins of the internet, both technical and cultural, empowering me with an informed view on the arguments for freedom of information.
Their stories are told around familiar elements: 

• Central character or hero. 
• Location and Time.
• Some kind of challenge.
• Solution or Outcome. 
• Something unexpected or special about that outcome.  
• A conclusion.

When we listen to stories we allow our more open, imaginative, and creative right brain in on the conversation. What we hear we act out in our minds....setting the story within our own map of the world. We experience it and because of that we better understand it.
When planning your next presentation see for yourself how easily the storytelling format can be applied to your message. And see also how much you will enjoy telling that story to your audience as they experience your message.
Remember what Confucius said - What I hear I forget. What I see I remember. What I do I understand.   .....he'd have been great on TV too!

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