The best way to be more persuasive

Have you ever tried to convince somebody of something??

I am sure you have, we all have.?

Earlier when I would try to convince somebody of something, I would flood them with information. Every nuance covered, every aspect validated, just a ton of information, trying to nudge them into thinking that my proposal was their best bet.?

And oftentimes it didn’t work to my benefit. Many times some data that I had revealed nudged them to make an alternate decision.?

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In any decision making process, there are two types of information to be considered - diagnostic and nondiagnostic.?

For example, if I am trying to purchase a mattress, diagnostic information would mean?

• Size and Price point (has to fit my bed and my budget)
• Ergonomics (will it support my back and/ or take my shape)?
• Delivery date?

Non-diagnostic information would be

• Color of the mattress cover?
• Freebies with the mattress?
• One sided/ two sided?

Now suppose that you have your sights on the best quality mattress in your budget, but you are swayed because it’s in a color that you don’t like. You know the mattress will anyway be hidden by the bed cover, but since you are going to spend a fortune, you want everything as per your specifications. So you end up buying a slightly higher range or a marginally lower range, by compromising on the ergonomics/ price point aspect.?

The non-diagnostic information diluted your thought process.?

But what if all the mattresses were wrapped up, so you couldn’t see the color. And all that you were allowed was to sit and test it out in the store, you might have made a better decision for your back, sleep, and pocket, is it not??

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Store keepers usually push us towards the higher purchase, or try to upsell something else. And it becomes easier for them because we factor in a lot of nondiagnostic data.?

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The same thing could be applied to buying a second/ third hand car.?

Relevant information might be -?

• Miles run?
• Mileage?
• Past service history?
• Price?
• Delivery?
• Transmission?
• Fuel type?
• Color?

Irrelevant information -?

• Who owns the car?
• Are the seats and floor mats dirty?
• Do they have a family?
• Is the family religious and so on

We usually start focusing on the irrelevant information trying to find some common ground with the seller/ buyer. And we hope that that common ground plays to our advantage. In many cases it plays us.?

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How does this impact dynamics in meetings??

In a deluge of information, people resort to what they know best or what they can control. So there’s a 50/50 chance of anything playing to your outcomes.?

This is known as the dilution effect. When there’s a lot of unrelated information swimming around, we tend to lose focus from the parts that might really matter.?

So what can you do??

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How can you be more persuasive??

There’s only one way - keep it short.?

Do come up with a huge list of pros and a tiny list of cons. Tell them about that one undeniable advantage that will change the playing field for them.?

And that’s that.?

It needs some practice of course.?

So what I do is even when I am flooded with information, I have my list of parameters in mind. Other than that, everything else is just noise.?

If the other presents something so powerful that I am forced to consider my parameters itself, now that is persuasion.?

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Persuasion isn’t about luck.?

It is as much science and art.?