Product Showcases

The Art of Persuasion

"Persuasion is often more effectual than force."
  ---Aesop

Good salesmanship is about getting someone to buy your product or service...duh! It's an easy concept, but one that is misunderstood by many in business, and sign industry businesses are no exception. Sales boils down to convincing others that you offer a great product. But it's the convincing part that confuses many sales people and those who want to be in sales. Whether the word convincing or converting or swaying is used, it is still a form of persuasion, and that's where the rub is.

Somewhere in history, the word persuasion has received a bad rap. It conjures up feelings of being taken or duped in some way. None of us want to feel as if we've been had by a persuasive car salesman. We don't like to find out that the power company persuaded the government to raise our rates. If we feel like we received a great deal, then that is okay, and if the car salesman sold us a car that was overpriced or the power company sold the government on raising rates, that is different.

"Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion."
  --- Aristotle

When selling to our customers, it's a good idea that we keep in mind that we are persuading them to take some kind of action-buy our sign product or service. The art of persuasion is akin to the art of selling. Of course, it takes skill, but it also requires a knack of knowing people. When we understand our customer, we have a better chance of persuading them to make a purchase. As with most things in business, the first step is building solid relationships, and that begins with always working with integrity and a character that is obvious to everyone we meet.

"A drunk driver is very dangerous. So is a drunk backseat driver if he's persuasive."
  --- Demetri Martin

We all can learn to be more persuasive. It takes practice as well as patience, but it is worth the effort. One quick Google of books on being persuasive will bring up more than one can read in a lifetime. I suggest starting with some of the classic titles like, "The Power Persuasion," "I'm Right, You're Wrong, Now What?" and "Influence." Some are geared more toward the psychology aspect of persuasion, some toward sales, and some combine both. All are worth reading and adding to your company library.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful."
  --- Edward R. Murrow

We've all heard the saying, "No one knows how much you know until they know how much you care." If you already have a foundation of working with trust, honesty, respect, and integrity, you're on your way to being a person who can successfully persuade others. Persuasion is a form of communication that lets prospects and customers know all the ins and outs of the great products and services you offer that provide solutions for others. It is a gentle way to bring others into your tribe of believers. It is the pure form of selling and should be practiced on a regular basis.

"If you can't be persuasive to get people to believe your crazy idea, you can just go ahead and build it."
  --- Jim McKelvey