DMQ2: Do you think the skills and abilities needed for good influencing ability have had to evolve with the information age? Or is it still best practiced as a contact sport?
KH: Good question. There's lots of mediums for communication and influence.
Originally we had face to face.
Then we drew on walls in caves.
Then we threatened with weapons.
Then we learned to write compellingly, starting with the most influential document in the world, The Bible.
Then radio and television shaped society and culture.
Now myspace, facebook, youtube and the results at google help shape thinking, beliefs, attitudes, lifestyles. Mediums influence in and of themselves.
Think about it.
A guy killed his wife when she changed her Facebook status last week. That's pretty intense. Now obviously the wife was sending a message but to send THAT message in public in front of your friends is much different than calling the husband and telling him "his status."
I would encourage everyone to THINK about the medium as well as the message.
Influence and persuasion happen in all venues and locations. It's not just a contact sport.
DMQ3: Many of our listeners are in sales, a private practice, marketing, building a business, or contemplating a move to private consulting.
How can we frame the current economic situation to help increase revenues?
KH: The biggest reason people are suffering today financially is that people trusted the wrong people. We trusted banks and insurance companies to take care of our money and secure it. We trusted investment groups to manage our money. Greed took over and the people who got creamed were the people who were trusting.
Now the same people that hurt people are being "bailed out." It is an irony.
So in a world where the new frame is that if you succeed you will pay dearly for the laziness, corruption and greed of others you DO have a REAL FRAMING PROBLEM.
If you are in business and you want to be bold, point out the fact that this is how the world got to "here" and that you get it, you're not going to let people down and tell them why. You either give a damn or you don't.
People need to do business with people they don't feel concerned about. They want to do business with people they are CERTAIN about.
Certainty and authenticity combine for a powerful one two punch of persuasion and influence.
There's no reason people can't build thriving businesses in the recession and perhaps soon to be depression. People will get their food from someone. They will buy their clothes from someone. They will buy soap and tissues from someone.
If you want to be persuasive, realize that fear kills your business. So walk into the fire and meet the fears you have head on.
Fear causes salespeople to press. To push, to shove, to cause themselves to look "needy."
Don't.
If THIS sale means THAT much to you, you aren't going to make it. You'll need to think a little longer term and a little more about your customer than you ever have, or you will fail.
How to best take advantage of the "elevator pitch"? Turn the page...
A guy killed his wife when she changed her Facebook status last week. That's pretty intense. Now obviously the wife was sending a message but to send THAT message in public in front of your friends is much different than calling the husband and telling him "his status."
