The Art of Persuasion Will Never Die

In 1884 John Patterson purchased the National Manufacturing Co. from James and John Ritty for $6,500 and renamed the company The National Cash Register Co.??The word around Dayton was that Patterson had wasted his money, and it wasn’t long before he too thought that gossip might be true.?Patterson believed that pilferage and sloppy point-of-sale bookkeeping by store clerks were the primary reasons store owners lost money, and from the start, he recognized the cash register’s potential to address that business challenge.?However; in 1884 the “voice of the customer” was not singing out “I need (want) a cash register.”?So, he took that silence to mean that store owners only thought they didn’t need or want his cash registers, and over the following 37 years he helped them find their voice by starting conversations through the first modern sales force.?By 1912 it was estimated that NCR’s market share was 95%.?Although my kids think I’m ancient, I really wasn’t selling for NCR back then; however, I did spend 15 years with “The Cash” and consider my NCR “Sugar Camp” sales training priceless.

Oh really …priceless??Isn’t that a bit nostalgic??After all, in today’s age of the empowered customer who needs direct sales relics.?With the rise of Amazon and eBay, social networks, and online stores isn't direct to customers through sales go-getters so last century??And now with predictive analytics in your arsenal who needs to use the fine art of persuasion??With today’s technology magic, you already know what the customer needs before they do; right?

OK, I’ll get to the point.?In Genie Z. Laborde’s book “Influencing with Integrity” the author covers the importance of rapport in the communications process.?In fact, she states that “Without rapport, you will not get what you want – not money, not promotions, not friends.”?In short, if rapport is missing … no sale.

Rapport is a tricky thing though.?If you have too little the relationship feels cool and never matures.?In a business situation, there’s also the risk of pushing it to the other extreme.?After all, not all customers are looking for an intimate relationship with your company.?Sometimes all they really want is a fast, simple, accurate transaction.?The ability to influence and persuade with integrity impacts the customer experience.?At the end of the day, are you building customer rapport??Or do you believe the art of persuasion is ancient history??