“You can get anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want”
– Zig Ziglar
Mr. Ziglar shared his priceless secret. As much sense as it makes, I still see so many folks trying to be persuasive by talking about what they want. Sorry to burst your bubble…most people aren’t thinking about what you want: They are thinking about what they want.
For example, many years ago I was working with a manager on her communication skills with her boss. She wanted her boss to give her a raise, and when she approached him he wasn’t receptive. We talked about her strategy, and changed it to a WIFM discussion. (What’s in it for me?). She talked in terms of what her boss wanted. Here is what happened in her own words:
“On Tuesday of this week I met with my boss and asked for my promotion. This has been a sore point for well over a year now, and this time I tried a different approach. I laid out figures and talked about what he was interested in, and how I had helped meet some of his main corporate objectives, Towards the end, he said, “Maybe it’s time we started paying you for the management job you are doing”. It works!
Some sales professionals need to learn from Barb. Instead of saying, “I want to meet with you”, say something like, “I help people achieve more peace of mind with their financial future. I may be able to do the same for you. My goal in calling you is to set a time when we can get together, understand your situation and what you are looking to do, and see if we have some common ground. Would you like to set a time?”
When selling yourself or your ideas, remember to talk in terms of the other person’s interest. You will have more success!
