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Creating Win-Win Situations: Position

January 1, 2008 by admin  
Filed under Negotiation, Persuasion, Sales

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(16401) Dave Lakhani says:

The first part of the persuasion process is to position yourself and your audience. This positioning will consist of three different elements:

1. Develop and project your desired persona
2. Ensure that your audience matches your presentation abilities
3. Deliver your story in an engaging manner

Position 1: Develop and project your desired persona

Before you attempt to persuade anyone to do anything, stop and make sure that you have properly developed your persona first. Your persona will be the sum total of:

  • The way you dress and the quality of the clothing you wear
  • Your personal grooming standards
  • Your perceived status as an expert
  • The quality of your presentation skills

    Your persona will be shining through right from the very first time you meet a person so make sure you are doing the things that will appeal to people in a positive, authoritative way. Ideally, you want the people you’re speaking with to look at you as the one person who can help them solve the problem that is holding them back.

    Your intentions also form an integral part of your persona. If you’re attempting to manipulate the situation, people will pick up on that. The key differences between someone attempting to manipulate and someone attempting to persaude are:

  • Manipulators are inwardly focused. They attempt to generate outcomes that are good for themslves alone. Manipulators have no qualms about using time sensitivity or the potential for loss to apply pressue for a decision to be made quickly. Manipulation is always a short-term strategy only, as once these tactics have been exposed for what they are, they lose their effectiveness.
  • Persuaders, by contrast, are outwardly focused. Persuaders are attempting to create an environment that lets everyone win. In the pursuit of win-win solutions, common ground and beliefs will be explored vigorously and thoroughly. The persuasion process is based on learning what the other person needs and then identifying the best product at the best price to fill that need.

    Persuaders have a positive persona because they are perceived as problem solvers. Manipulators, by contrast, have a negative persona because of the fact that they’re only interested in forcing through their ideas regardless of the merits of the situation or otherwise.

    Position 2: Ensure your audience matches your presentation abilities

    In practical terms, this means spending your time tying to persuade people who can make decisions rather than those who cannot. Many unsuccessful salespeople spend long hours persuading those in the organization who are the easiest to appraoch and influence but who ultimately have no authority to take action. As a result, nothing ever happens.

    In positioning your audience, not only do you have to ensure that you’re talking to the right people, but also:

  • You have to make sure your timing is right
  • You have to meet in a place where people will be free of distractions and likely to be receptive to your message
  • You have to do some background research and understand where your listeners are coming from
  • You have to provide some background information that will provide a context for your presentation

    Position 3: Deliver your story in an engaging manner

    You’ll always be far more successful in persuading others if you deliver your story in manageable chunks rather than in one long brain dump. Delivering your story in chunks also allows you to customize your story to the needs and interests of your audience. You can integrate examples and other tie-ins that are relevant rather than theoretical.

    An engaging delivery also incorporates frequent opportunities for feedback to be given. In this way, you progressively check to make sure that your story is being well received and understood.

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