Marketing guru Seth Godin can generally be relied on for thoughtful observations that frequently apply to sales as well. Recently, he made a distinction worth noting for anyone who persuades for a living.
The distinction is between persuasion and convincing. “Persuasion appeals to the emotions and to fear and imagination. Convincing requires a spreadsheet or some other rational device…It’s much easier to persuade someone if they’re already convinced, if they already know the facts. But it’s impossible to change someone’s mind merely by convincing them of your point.”
How often do we see that in sales and presentations where the left brain facts are explained (sometimes ad nauseum), but the right brain emotions and imagination are not engaged? It’s the difference between presenting the nutritional and actuarial case for daily exercise and proper dieting and making the same case but concluding by asking the listener to imagine what it would feel like to get into that size 8 dress for her upcoming 20th high school class reunion. The former might convince her of the wisdom of healthy living. The latter is much more likely to get her to act on that information.
Think about your presentations. Do they only convince or do they also persuade? Where would your information benefit from a persuasion make-over with more appeals to imagery and imagination?
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