Are you a squeaky wheel? Mostly every culture around the world has heard of the expression "the squeaky wheel gets the oil." The wheel is saying, "Hey, do I have your attention?" This article is about learning how to squeak, or in other words how to SPEAK so that your communication persuades your clients to listen and take action. Read on and enjoy!
You've been squeaking - I mean trying to get your way - ever since you were a baby. A matter of fact, before you read any further, why not pull out a chubby picture of yourself just to have a good laugh. Or, get a good image in your mind of your baby picture. You got the picture? Would you just look at that baby smile. Now, your method of persuasion when you were a baby was crying really, really loud hoping to get someone's attention. Well, it worked.
As I watch my daughter grow up, she mixes in a temper tantrum to get our attention. And, much of the time it still works. The point here is that your growing up experiences have a lot to do with the way you persuade others to purchase your product or services. And, so does your communication.
Since I'm qualified to speak about generational cultures, I want to point out that our persuasion skills are really a product of our habitual ways of thinking that have been passed down from generation to generation. I mimic mom, and she imitated her mother before her. And I taught my daughter how to speak, much like my teachers taught me. I make conscious vocal changes, but I often find myself thinking, "YIKES! I sound like my mom". When it comes to trying to get our way, though our persuasion techniques are very similar to those of our ancestors, the world around those we communicate with has changed dramatically.
When I first learned this, I had a huge Aha! moment. My jaw dropped open, because I began to understand for the first time that some people's skills for persuasion were very outdated. You may be a entrepreneur, manager, parent, teacher or student. Whatever your role, you are trying to communicate messages to those around you and probably doing it much like your family and friends and their ancestors and their ancestors. But consider for a moment how greatly communication with the world has changed.
Now, let's fast forward to designing your website, getting your letterhead or business card printed. Yes, just like a child, you are still trying to persuade someone to pay attention to you. However, now that you got staff and bills to pay, you NEED to get attention, not just want to get attention. Instead of squeaking, you need to be SPEAKING! Since your competition is no longer just local, it's global, you really need to consider getting out into the public in a big way. Look at how much assertive advertising went into Earth Hour 2008. The outgoing, friendly, global minded and confident self-employed professionals will have more success attracting clients, than the shy and timid. So, who do you want to pay attention to you?
Here are some tips from the trenches. Follow these fundamentals to discover how you may want to change your client communication and improve your existing results. To persuade prospects into becoming your clients:
- You must have deep conviction that you are the answer to their problem.
- You have to have the personality, reputation and credibility to take your message seriously. This comes from your success record.
- You have to be trained to communicate your message in front of audiences.
- You need to learn how to write in a way that clarifies your thoughts to your target market.
- You must be able to share your story, with some humor, of how the heck you got into your line of work in the first place.
Let me tell you, you will not always get your way with clients. But, by being conscious of how you communicate with clients, polishing up your presentation skills, strengthening your belief in your product or service, and developing a deep passion for what you want out of your business, you will get your way and persuade more prospects to become your clients.
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