THE GENTLE ART OF PERSUASION
He is great who can alter my state of mind.—EMERSON.
“Don’t struggle up hill when you can work on the level.”
When I was editor of a big magazine I sent an assistant to interview
a young man who had had most remarkable success in the life insurance
business, to get from him the secret of his rapid rise.
When my assistant returned I asked him if he had succeeded in getting his
interview. “No,” he said, “but the insurance manager got me to take out
quite a large insurance policy.”
This was a triumph of the art of salesmanship. The insurance man actually
made his would-be interviewer forget what he had gone after, and induced
him to buy something he had not before thought of buying, yet something
which, undoubtedly, it was to his advantage to buy.
Why is it that one man will so easily change our whole mental attitude
and make us do voluntarily the very thing that we had no idea of doing
an hour before, and thought we never could do, when another might have
talked to us until doomsday about the same thing, and never changed our
mind a particle regarding it? Why is it that one man will convince us
that we ought to buy an article which we were sure a few minutes before
that we not only did not need or desire, but under no circumstances would
buy?
Because he is a past master of the gentle art of persuasion.
How little we realize what a large part persuasion plays in our life. The
clergyman, the teacher, the lawyer, the business man, the salesman, the
parent, each is trying to persuade, to influence, to win over others to
his way of thinking, to his principles, to accept his ideas.
Some characters are so tactful, so sunny, so bright, cheerful, and
attractive that they never have to force or even to request an entrance
anywhere. The door is flung wide open and they are invited to enter, just
as we invite beauty, loveliness and sunshine to enter our mind. Their
very presence has a subtle influence in soothing and pleasing. They know
how to persuade almost without uttering a word.
Of the many elements which enter into scientific salesmanship, none is
more essential than that of persuasion.
A salesman often finds a would-be customer’s mind absolutely opposed to
his. He does not want the merchandise, or at least he thinks he does
not, and is determined not to buy it. He braces himself against all
possibility of persuasion, of being influenced to do what he has decided
not to do. A little later, however, he cheerfully buys the article, pays
for it, and feels sure he really wants it. His entire attitude has been
changed by the art of persuasion, of winning over, which was all done
by successive logical steps, each of which had to be taken in order, or
failure would have resulted.
The first step was to get the man’s attention,—otherwise the salesman
could have done nothing with him. This of itself is often a difficult
matter—to get the attention of a man who is determined not to look at
your goods, who had made up his mind not to buy, and is braced against
you. But a good salesman does not try to persuade a man to buy until he
has not only secured his attention, but also thoroughly interested him in
his proposition. Then he arouses his desire to possess the thing he has
for sale, and when this is done, the sale is practically over.
I was talking recently with some friends about the rapid rise of a
young salesman which surprised everybody who knew him. One of my
friends said that the whole secret was his marvelous power to persuade
people, to change their mind, to make a prospect see things from his
point of view. He said he had never before met another man who had such
remarkable success in changing another’s mind to his way of thinking.
“And this,” he added, “is the essence, the quintessence, if you will, of
salesmanship—the power to make another see things as we see them.”
Persuasive power, the ability to win others over to our way of thinking,
our way of looking at things, is not a simple quality. It is in reality
made up of many admirable qualities which have more to do with the heart
than the head. It is one of the lovable traits of human nature, which
enables one to win out in many instances where head qualities would be of
no avail.
The best and most successful teachers are not always the most learned,
but those who get hold of the hearts of their pupils, whose kindness,
personal interest, and sympathy inspire them to do their best. The
same qualities which, apart from scholarship, make the best teachers,
also make the best salesmen. While education and intelligence are
indispensable, it is not so much smartness, long-headedness, cunning,
as the warm human heart qualities which make a salesman popular and
successful.
There is a sort of hypnotic power which passes for persuasiveness,
and enables a man to get orders at the outset, but it is not based on
honesty, and in the long run seriously hurts a man’s business.
A magnetic, spellbinding salesman will often bring to his house larger
orders than some other salesman, but in the end will lose customers and
injure himself and his concern, while the one who does not sell nearly
as much to start with will make many more friends, and will hold his
customers, because he looks out for their interest, and only tries to
sell them what is to their advantage to buy. He will not work off a large
bill of goods upon them which he knows in his heart they should not buy.
He studies their needs, and so wins their confidence and good-will.
The ability to make others think as you do is a tremendous power, and
carries great responsibility. If it is not kindly and honestly used it
will prove a boomerang and injure most the one who uses it. He will soon
become known as a “spellbinder,” and people will not do business with him.
Mere “palaver and soft soap” do not cut nearly so much of a figure in
salesmanship as formerly. The time has gone by forever when a salesman is
chiefly measured by his ability to tell good yarns and crack jokes with
his prospects. Honesty first, is the business slogan to-day. Spellbinding
methods are not in demand. While you may, and should, be as affable as
you please, you must be thoroughly sincere.
Even in trying to approach a man through his hobby, great caution must
be used. If he is a shrewd, long-headed man he is going to see through
any subterfuge, and if he gets the slightest idea that you are trying
to “string” him, or if he sees the slightest evidence of insincerity or
cunning, if he sees any plot back of your eye, your game is up. We must
first believe in a man’s integrity, even though he may deceive us, before
he can persuade us to do what we thought we would not do.
To-day it is the clean, straight-from-the-shoulder talk, cold facts that
the average business man wants. Yet the men of persuasive powers can
present those facts in such a way that the prospect will be made to feel
that the salesman is his friend and acting entirely in his interest. No
man relishes the idea of being “managed,” and, no matter how much he
loves flattery, he will question your motive if you attempt it.
Very tactful and just praise, however, will help your cause considerably
with the average man. Remember that your prospect will be always on
his guard against any sort of deceit. He will be looking for evidences
of insincerity. He has no intention of allowing himself to be duped or
gulled. Above all, remember that there is no substitute for sincerity in
any field. There is nothing that will take the place in our lives of
absolute transparency, simplicity, honesty, kindness. The Golden Rule is
the only rule of conduct that will bring true success in any business.