Here’s this week’s 200 word idea from Give and Take by Adam Grant..
Wharton researcher Adam Grant’s interviews with successful lawyers, sales people and executives on how they moved people led him to repeatedly find 2 common behaviors – asking questions and using tentative language.
1. Asking questions – In a study of optical sales people, Grant found that, while unsuccessful staff try flattery and assertive talk (“I think the designer had someone like you in mind”), successful sales people ask the customer for their lifestyle, tastes, etc., before pushing forward a recommendation. They behave like opticians, not salespeople. Just the question – ‘do you plan to vote in the next election’ makes people 41% more likely to go if they weren’t planning to do so. Questions allow us to be convinced by a person we really like – ourselves.
2. Tentative language – Successful influencers were found to use caveats (this idea might suck), hedge words like ‘I think’, ‘maybe’ and words like ‘very’ that signal their lack of complete confidence. Such words were found to hold much more persuasive ground.
And, the underlying requirement? Good intent. Nothing could save someone whose intent was misplaced.
Source and thanks to: www.EBSketchin.com
“Many times, you can have bigger impact if you know what to ask, rather than knowing what to say. I don’t learn anything when I’m speaking. I learn a lot when I’m listening.” | Jim Quigley in Give and Take
A Learning a Day 