The art of persuasion

Many entrepreneurs are so passionate about their new startup idea that they can’t believe any intelligent being, investor or customer wouldn’t react just as excitedly after a quick introduction. They don’t realize that they can often kill their credibility -- and future opportunities -- by communicating only with passion, responding with a cynical comment or giving up too soon.

The art of getting others to see things as you see them -- usually called persuasion -- is a key one for entrepreneurs, and it needs to be honed from the first day that you formulate your new idea. You have to persuade the right partners to join and build the solution, the right investors to fund it and the right customers to buy it. Good marketing is just a subset of these efforts and skills.

The psychology involved in winning over others has been studied and preached for generations and continues to evolve as our culture changes, as documented on the website Psychology Today, and many others. Aspiring entrepreneurs need to study all of these but also need to learn from the pragmatic practices and tactics of successful peers and business advisors.

Repetition is the key to getting people’s attention.

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly assume that their passion will cause their message to immediately stand out above the din of today’s information overload. In fact, most people today have developed filters to ignore unsolicited inputs until they have heard it several times in both written and verbal form.

Postulate the message in a context important to the receiver.

Tune your message to each receiver’s situation or context. Avoid abstract or technical declarations that may sound like an effort to impress or mislead your audience with your intelligence. Use specific value propositions rather than fuzzy terms like easier to use, better and faster.

Use contrasting story scenarios to illustrate the impact.

Stories are often more convincing than simple statements of fact. If you can integrate the receiver directly into the story, the potential impact is even greater. The power of contrast, or side-by-side comparison of outcomes, is an effective mover of people from old beliefs to new ones.

Personalize your message to match receiver background.

Whether approaching investors, partners or customers, you need to listen first to find a personal intersection of interest with your idea. If the person is creative and intuitive, don’t hit them with a logical and analytical message. Establish a relationship or do some homework first if you can.

Everyone is more prone to listen and believe new people brought to them by someone they know in common, especially if that connection has strong relevant experience or expertise.

Before you get somebody to get on-board with your idea, you should help them understand why they should pursue it. Your listeners should make a logical choice in order to fully commit to your ideas or plans. Use logic and reasoning to support your schemes. Back them up with evidence if needed. A chart or spreadsheet can help communicate your logic better. Use it to make impactful arguments.

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