Persuasion skills are among the most important skills that enable you to achieve your goals and overcome obstacles, and they have a significant positive impact on your personal, social, and professional life. Persuasion skills have become one of the requirements of the labor market, to provide employees with the ability to persuade customers, to buy a specific product or service, or to solve their problems. So, how do you acquire persuasion skills?

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What are persuasion skills?

Persuasion skills are a set of skills that make you able to change the views, ideas, or behaviors of an individual or a group of individuals, towards a particular group of people or ideas. These skills can be used in the job market to get a customer to agree to a deal, buy a specific product or service, view content, or listen to your advertising campaign, for example.

Persuasion skills are not only verbal, but they can also appear in writing, and we can see them clearly in advertising texts that prompt the individual to learn more about them. Persuasion skills can play an important role in marketing, especially e-marketing, as it enables the advertiser to deliver his message and persuade the individual to make a decision or movement regarding his product, content, or service, thus reaching a larger number of people.

Persuasion skills are not to force individuals to do what they do not want, but rather to make what you want appropriate and appropriate for them, that is, to unify the point of view for the public interest.

What do persuasion skills include?

Persuasion skills include a group of important skills and behaviors that an individual needs in the labor market, which he can acquire and develop over time. Among the most important of these skills and behaviors are:

  • Good Communication: Good communication is the foundation of everything. If you can express yourself in language that is clear and close to the listener, it will be easier to convince them of your idea. Thus, you will create an atmosphere of mutual respect and good listening for both parties, leading to the required persuasion.
  • Emotional Intelligence: Having good emotional intelligence helps you understand the feelings of the person in front of you, so you can choose your words, tone of voice, and body language to suit the person in front of you. You can calm him down if he's angry, or you can ignite his excitement if you feel he's bored, for example.
  • Negotiation: Negotiation is an essential part of persuasion skills, as you must explain and show the mutual benefit to the counterparty. Because the man by nature does not want to participate in what does not bring benefit. Do not start by talking about the benefit that you will get, but first talk about all the benefits and positives that the customer will get once they buy your product or service, or follow your point of view.
  • Logical thinking: You must use facts and logic, to be able to convince the individual of your point of view, and to support your idea with evidence and facts, which help the other person to adopt and agree with your idea. For example, when you are trying to sell a product, you must mention the benefits of the product, and why people should buy it, and you can support your product with the opinions of those who bought it in the past.
  • Good listening: Giving the individual the opportunity to speak and explain his thoughts and what is going on inside his mind helps him to listen to you as well, makes the dialogue more useful, and makes the opposite party trust you more and appreciate your listening to him, which makes him respect you enough, to allow you to speak as well.

How do you use persuasion skills?

Persuasion skills, like other skills, need to be trained and developed by the individuals themselves. A little effort and work enable you to master this type of skill. There is no specific rule on how to build the skill of persuasion, but there are certain tricks and steps that the individual can follow to get what he wants. How can you be persuasive?

First: Always show commitment to your skills and abilities

People only take advice from those they are most sure of. Keep your success and never give up, always choose and say what is right for you. For example, if you have a programming skill, and you want to offer it to others to get it as a service. Know your ability well and mention it and do not underestimate it. Be confident in your skill and tell the customer with confidence that you can carry out what is required.

Another example of how to present your ideas, if you have a product you want to sell, and a buyer asks you about its effectiveness, avoid saying words that suggest hesitation or doubt, such as: I think or maybe. Be confident in your product and never say words of uncertainty. Hesitation and lack of confidence in yourself and your sources may raise hesitation in the same client as well. Be clear and aware of what you have and present it with credibility and confidence.

Second: focus on your communication style

Style plays a major role in convincing the other party of what you want to offer, so developing your style is one of the most important steps that help you acquire and develop persuasion skills appropriately. Among the most important points that you need to focus on in your style:

1. Tone of voice

Have you paid attention to those who offer their products before? Did you notice their speed in talking? There is a scientifically proven method mentioned in one of the researches on the effect of tone of voice and speed of speech on the opinion of the opposite party. For example: increase the speed of your speech if you feel that your idea or offer is rejected, or reduce the speed of your speech if you feel that the opposite party will agree to your offer.

This is because speaking quickly if the other party is not convinced of your idea, the speed of speech will not allow him to balance or think at length about the points that are not agreed upon. On the other hand, speaking slowly when the counterparty agrees with you allows him to measure and think about the points you offered that are useful to him and you.

2. Body language

Mastering body language helps you identify every trick to attract the attention of others and don't forget to identify poses that show you as a self-confident person. Like smiling naturally in front of others, it makes you more confident. Also, keep your arms open and make eye contact when you're trying to persuade someone. This will make you appear serious and confident with your ideas.

3. Always use the individual's name

The subconscious mind responds when hearing the name of the same person and becomes more ready to understand the speech. Always use the name of the opposite party, as this makes him more alert to your speech and attracts his attention to what you are going to say. This is the simplest of persuasion skills, despite their simplicity.

4. Choosing the method of communication according to the nature of the other party

One of the most important things that help you develop persuasive skills is realizing that the way you communicate differs from person to person. Personal communication with people you know well is better than formal methods, and vice versa. If you did not have prior contact with the person, pave the way for that through an official message via e-mail, for example, as this makes him more likely to communicate and be convinced of what you have.

Third: be reasonable in your offer

Always focus on the rationale of your offer, making it realistic and true to the truth, without giving them any false promises. If certain problems or negatives arise, do not try to deny them or lie about them, as it makes it easier for your customers to get to the truth. Instead, focus on learning how to use your persuasion skills to respond to these points, and turn the matter to your advantage.

Also, be sure to anticipate customer questions as much as possible, so that you can do your best, and think about the best and appropriate way to respond to them, which makes you appear more knowledgeable and confident in your offer, and thus attracts their interest. Also, make your offer to discuss and clarify solutions to customers' problems to increase their convictions, while including their questions as part of your offer.

Fourth: Learn to search well for the other party

Simply knowing the details of who you're talking to increases your chance of finding a middle ground and a mutual benefit. Try to study the counterparty as much as possible. Know their likes and dislikes; This will make you more aware of what you have to say, and thus target what they like to convince them of your idea, that is, make them adopt your idea because they really want to, not because you want to.

Know if the person you're trying to convince is someone who buys into facts and numerical statistics, or if it's a social person who gets convinced when they get to know you more clearly. Also, respect the privacy of the target person. If he is an introverted or withdrawn person, avoid treating him closely, as this makes him uncomfortable, which makes it difficult to persuade.

Fifth: Practice persuasive writing

As mentioned before, persuasion skills are not only oral but also written. Write your ideas and offer them on a piece of paper and read it over and over again. Notice your mistakes and put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Ask yourself: Does the person want to buy/follow my idea/service/product?

Also learn to craft content in different ways, by developing presentations to showcase your ideas, or writing emails with strong content. All of these are persuasive writing methods that you can use to convince the other party of your ideas.

Sixth: Use the “mirror” technique.

The mirror technique is simply mimicking the actions and movements of the interviewee during a conversation. Mimic the opposite party's body movements, but subtly while presenting your idea. You can follow this technique by focusing closely on the person in front of you, noticing their movements and body language, and listening carefully to what they are saying.

The reason behind the effectiveness of this technique is that the mirror technique allows you to indirectly enter the subconscious mind of the opposite person and make him feel comfortable with you. Moreover, this method makes the person feel that you resemble him and this is our nature as human beings, we love those who look like us.

How do you get the word “yes” from those who receive your offers?

These principles are derived from the research and books of Robert Cialdini, a university professor specializing in psychology. His book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is one of the best-selling books in the world. Here are 6 simple, inexpensive, and proven principles:

1. Reciprocity Reciprocity

When you visit a new restaurant or try a new service, you will often find the waiter giving you a small sweet piece, or the owner of the service offering you a free drink. This is what we are talking about. By giving the customer a gift, even a small one, you increase the likelihood that he will buy your product or use it to serve you by a high percentage. In a study conducted on the example of a waiter, when a customer gives one piece of sweets, the tip increases by 3% usual, when he gives two pieces of sweets, not as expected, the tip increases by 6%, but in fact, it increases by 14%.

Not only that, when the waiter leaves the table and suddenly stops to turn to the customer and nicely tells him that there is a gift for them that will be presented with the meal, what happens to the tip? Tip increases by 23%. Therefore, it is not important what your gift or favor is, but rather how you present it. So make sure when you give your gift that it is personal and unexpected.

2. Scarcity

Have you ever encountered a dairy company's announcement, for example, telling you that its products will not be available this month due to factory maintenance reasons, and you found yourself rushing to any market to buy enough of these products? It certainly happened to you or someone you know. This principle is called the principle of “scarcity.” The products here have not changed, their quality has not improved, and their quantity has not increased, but rather decreased!

People simply want more than the few things they have. The product or service that we deal with becomes more attractive when we feel that it is scarce or few and we will not have it. Another example is, did you come across an offer to buy a product, and although the price was high, you bought it?

Therefore, it is not enough to tell your target audience only the features and benefits of the product or service, you must remind them of the consequences of their loss if they do not subscribe to the service or buy the product.

advice

  • Provide offers with specific expiration dates.
  • If you have limited quantities of a product, declare that amount.
  • Provide prototypes of your service or product to a limited group of people.

3. Authority

You have two friends, one of whom is an expert in marketing and has implemented more than one successful marketing campaign, and the other is just an amateur who reads a lot about marketing and content marketing techniques, the question is... which one do you trust in asking him about implementing an upcoming marketing campaign for your company?

Most people will ask the first friend because he is an expert, he implemented more than one project, and he was more likely to make mistakes and learn from them, the second one did not have experience and does not have enough experience to ask him, and this is what is called reliability.

People trust more in those who are leaders and specialists - and in many cases famous - in a particular field more than amateurs. Therefore, advertisements of celebrities who advise their fans to drink a certain soft drink, or to use a certain mobile phone network, have spread. Although they are not specialized, people trust them.

advice

  • Hire experts to use and evaluate your products.
  • Use the sayings of successful people, entrepreneurs, and scientists in the content you publish on your site.
  • Provide information in numbers and statistics about your products and their impact on society.

4. Consistency

If you know 5 electrical technicians and several breakdowns occur in your home during the month, when you call them, only two of the technicians respond and show a desire to help you, if other breakdowns occur in the next month, who is the technician you will contact, is he among the two or the three?

People like to commit to something and keep doing it, especially if they announce it in front of a group of others, and a study conducted on patients who miss their medical appointments shows that when they write down the dates of upcoming meetings, the absenteeism rate is reduced by 18%, so writing the appointment is the first step to keeping the appointment.

Start with your customers with small, easy, and free commitments, such as registering a free account first, and remind them of their commitment to your site and the services you provide through in direct mail marketing, so you can increase conversions and sales in a great way.

5. Social Proof

The likelihood of you buying a product or subscribing to a specific service increases if your friends and acquaintances use it or have preceded it. Even social networks use a competition system in it, as it informs you of the comment system if one of your friends preceded you by commenting on the post. This principle is also used extensively in television ads, so it tells you Announcing that 70% of the population in your area has purchased this product.

Whenever you find the majority getting ahead of you or doing something, the more likely you are to do it too. By using this principle and telling your customers that many more people buy the product and making their reviews and opinions available to the public, you will increase sales by 20%, according to studies.

advice

  • Dedicate a page on your site to write customer reviews and opinions about the product or service.
  • Prove with accurate numbers and statistics, for example, that percentage (X) is satisfied or impressed with the service, and percentage (Y) confirms that it will buy the next product.

6. Liking

We tend to believe the people we admire and admire them for three reasons (their similarity with us - their praise - their cooperation), In a study conducted on two groups of MBA holders in negotiation via the Internet and e-mails, one of the two groups were told that (time = money), so Their negotiation was thorough and focused on the work, and they achieved 55% of the agreements.

The other group was asked to exchange some personal information first, then go into business details, and in this way, they achieved 90% of successful agreements.

advice

  • Compliment your visitors by writing a strong and effective line.
  • Address them in the same way they understand and speak.
  • Show them some of the things they like.

These principles are rarely used in single images, most often they are used by combining at least two, so try to devise good ideas which you can use to motivate your customers to buy your products and fulfill your desires.

In conclusion: Persuasion skills are required in the labor market, whether you are an employee or an employer, you must possess them, because of their many benefits in the work environment. Aside from work, convincing others of our ideas has always been something necessary for us and for them, as convincing them of your ideas means that you can easily achieve what you want. Share your experiences with us in the comments about this skill.