16th December, 2014
By Modupe Eka
Selling With Style
Sometimes you absolutely have to make your point. Today we will look at how to sell our ideas or services, effectively with our unique personality style. While many people do not like to sell, most of us find ourselves having to persuade someone at one time or the other. Persuasion is not just for salespeople and their prospects, in fact in everything we do in life at some point we need to use our persuasion skills by implication we are always selling.
You may try to persuade an employee to perform better, or perhaps you want to persuade your boss to adopt your brilliant idea, it maybe your friend or your child that you need to engage with your persuasion skill. Often the most effective persuaders are your kids. Somehow they come by it naturally while you the adult, has to work hard to find the persuasive path to success.
Truly persuasive people understand their power and use it sparingly and knowingly. They understand that most conversations do not require trying to get someone to do or accept something. Aggressive pushers turn us off, and put most people on the defensive.
It’s the person who rarely asks or argues that ultimately gets consideration when they strongly advocate an idea, especially when they do it with power and persistence. Simply put, they pick their battles. Do you want to persuade more? Then argue and advocate less often. Instead, listen….and listen …..Then listen some more!
People who know how to persuade also know that just pushing your own argument will get you nowhere. They certainly are able to articulate their position in a convincing way, but that is only half the equation. They are actively listening when in persuasion mode.
First, they are listening to assess how receptive you are to their point of view. Second, they are listening for your specific objections, which they know they’ll have to resolve .Last they are listening for moments of agreements so they can capitalize on consensus. Amazingly persuasive people are constantly listening to you and not themselves.
They already know what they are saying. You can’t persuade effectively if you don’t know the other side of the argument. Never forget what we know will make us grow, but what we do not understand will cause us to groan.
Now that we have examined the qualities of skilled persuaders let look at the basic priorities of the different personalities when they decide to sell or buy. The High D personality’s issue is power, he will decide in order to solve problems and his focus is to attain his goal.
When trying to persuade a D to close a deal, you must emphasize the strength they will enjoy from your product. Remember he loves choice challenge and control being aggressive will provoke a conflict and you will lose the sale.
The I personality is naturally a persuasive person, who loves results, recognition, approval and popularity to sell to them you must emphasize enjoyment and people success. Stress the recognition they can achieve with your product, remember he need an audience to thrive so listen and listen then listen more. If you are a D be friendly and less business like.
Selling to and Persuading an S personality style must originate from trust. To her it is more important how you say it than what you say! Their priority for predictability means that they will need reassurance that your product has some of the same benefits of other products they know. Emphasize team support look at reliability and minimize challenges and very important be personable.
Remember understanding your own unique personality is the starting point If you can learn the secret of knowing how you are wired, that is to know why you behave the way you do, how to see things from different perspective, that is, to understand the other person through their own unique personality, then your persuasion skills will not only broaden, your ability to influence others will also improve finally, you will make many more sales than before and in your personal life you will be more tolerant of other people.
The key is to develop understanding of you. Wiseup personality test is 95% accurate and will give you useful insight into who you are. Take our test today- www.wiseupfoundation.net. See you at the Top.
•Modupe Eka is a consultant, trainer of the D.I.S.C model of human behaviour, a graduate of English language, with teaching background, she is a Public speaker and by practice a counsellor and an expert in relationship and communication she runs seminars and workshop for cooperate and private institutions on topics as sexual health, parent/child relationship and cooperate/ effective team building. She has organized and runs various youth empowerment programs. Together with her team they have done extensive work with many Redeemed Christian Church of God parishes within the Lagos environs.
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