To persuade you want to take a person from where they are to where you want them to go and people more readily go with people they like.

From Here to there……….

Here … The Starting Point

So to persuade anyone you must know what people think about you, and you have to know some things about them. What do people think about you? People will only follow you if they have a positive view of you. What may this individual have heard about you? Besides knowing so you can improve yourself, its simply good business sense to be the best you can be. The better you are the more willing people will follow you.

What do you know about the person? Can you do a background check before hand?

“Know his way of thinking, his behavior, his beliefs and opinions, his dreams and ambitions, his failures, his strengths & weaknesses, etc. The more you know about him, the more you’ll be able to come up with persuasion tactics to fit his needs or counter his objections” states Master Persuader Michael Lee in his book “How To Be An Expert Persuader... In 20 Days or Less”.

Persuasion tactics aside, If you know what he wants then you are able to tailor your solution to his needs. To do that you need to know his inner desires, wishes, hopes, fantasies, or fears.

Is he in a good mood? Its much easier to persuade a person when they are on a high. Test the waters and choose the right time or if you can’t change the time then change your approach.

Ask yourself “If I were him how would I feel” or “If I were in this situation, how would I react?” Put yourself in the other persons shoes.

To There …….. Where You Want Him To Go

To get your persuade to point B you need to know EXACTLY what you want to happen.
It has to be so clear in your mind that you can see it, that you can smell and touch it. You have to know every step of the process. You need to be able to prove with facts the validity of your position. In other words you need to know more about it than he does.

Never Assume

Just because you love something does not mean someone else does – or that they should
You need to make your in a way that assures your persuade that you value their unique position. Never correct a person’s belief. Find what you agree on and model his beliefs as much as you possibly can.
By agreeing with a person where you can they will feel comfortable
When you let a person know you value their beliefs, opinions, or values they will relax around you.
If you honestly can’t agree then rather than say so ask them where they heard that opinion or why they think the way they do.
This will allow you to say “If I had that experience I would feel the same way.” Or perhaps you might say “It seems like you had an unfortunate experience. Can you tell me more?"
Now you can come from their position, and they will then more likely ask for your viewpoint. Or perhaps you can say “I wonder If I could suggest a different point of view?”