Every good salesperson knows how to talk in order to get customers to make a purchase. The same techniques are useful in any arena in life when you want something from someone else — for example, a new benefit or a raise at work.
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Be Direct and Specific
Salespeople don’t say “well, gee, if you want to think about it…” Salespeople and other persuasive communicators tell you exactly what they want you to do. “Make your first payment today with your credit card.”
Being direct and specific is great comminicaiton advice. “Let’s reschedule the meeting tomorrow for 10 a.m.” is better than “I think 9 is too early, don’t you?” You are more likely to get what you want, in this example a later meeting, if you are direct.
Repetition
Repetition is another tactic in sales. Forbes advises people to repeat their messages for ultimate communication. Be careful when putting this technique to work; you don’t want to sound like a broken record. Rather, be prepared to repeat important points periodically, instead of expecting people to remember everthing you have said. For example, if you had a meeting last week, you may need to repeat some points on Monday. Better to simply be able to do this than to get annoyed and have your co-workers wonder why you are so cranky.
Think About Your Audience
Tell others how what you want will benefit them. This is one way to raise your chances of getting what you want.
Be aware of your audience. If you want, for example, to change your hours from 8 – 4 to 9 – 5, point out how this new schedule will benefit your boss. Maybe that hour at the end of the day will give you the opportunity to make certain all documents get out on time, or all systems get closed correctly.
Tell Us What You Think
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