Whether we like it or not, we’re all salespeople. You may not be selling used cars or going door-to-door, but you are interested in convincing other

1 simple habit to be more persuasive

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2024-02-27 17:30:04

Whether we like it or not, we’re all salespeople. You may not be selling used cars or going door-to-door, but you are interested in convincing others to see your side of an argument, or accept your project proposal, or offer you a job.

The common mistake I see people making (myself included) is we only offer one perspective, one thing, instead of contrasting that desired thing with alternative-but-less-desirable options.

We are bad at determining the value of something in isolation. We feel more confident about the value of something after we compare it with alternatives.

If you want to be more persuasive, stop offering only your idea. Contrast your idea with a second or third option to put your desired choice into perspective.

This past weekend, my wife and I were looking at houses with our realtor. We were scheduled to only see one house, but an hour or so before the appointment our realtor asked us if we’d be interested in seeing a second home right after our appointment. Seeing as the second house was only 5 mins away from the original appointment, I said “sure, why not.”

The first home was nice, it felt like an actual home. It was clean, the mechanicals were recently replaced, and you could immediately see the care the owners put into decorating their home. But, to be honest, the house itself wasn’t anything too special. As many of you may know, hunting for a new home isn’t just about the on-paper features like bedroom/bathroom count or square footage. It needs to inspire the feeling of this is our future home.