10 Ways To Master The Art Of Influencing People

In business, it is extremely unusual for you to have an idea that will be universally loved and bought into by everyone you need it to at first. This doesn’t mean it is a bad idea, different people have different needs and expectations, so you may have to promote your idea in a strong fashion before other people buy into it. It may even be that people haven’t considered your idea or the benefits that would arise from your product service. This means you need to master the art of influencing of people, and here are 10 ways you can do so.

Back up your ideas with data

If you have statistics and research to back up your thoughts and ideas, people will be far more receptive to what you propose. If there is evidence to back up your claims, make sure you use the data and statistics that are available to you.

Tell it honestly and straightforward

While you want to promote the best aspects or potential outcomes of your product or service, it is always best to be honest and straight when you communicate. By all means put your point across with enthusiasm and excitement but if you lie or make promises that can’t be lived up to, you’ll suffer in the long run.

Be able to communicate informally

Not all of your pressing and promotion needs to be done around the business table or in formal meetings. While you should aim to keep a division between work and play, you can communicate your ideas around the canteen, at the water cooler and when bumping into colleagues in the corridor. Bringing up ideas or suggestions in a casual manner can help it to get across.

Develop consensus

Get the right people on board. When more people buy into your idea, it is going to be easier to convince others but you may also find that the influence and ideas of other people will help you to round out your suggestions and make them more appealing to other colleagues.

Ensure you are committed

Commitment to a business idea means that you are willing to follow it through and stick up for your proposals even if others doubt it. There are times when it is best to accept defeat but if you truly believe in a project, committing to is essential. If you don’t, this will harm your current project and potentially many other projects you hope to get off the ground in the future.

Have a plan in place

There is a need to be strategic with your proposal and to show that you have thought things through. Having the idea is often not the difficult part, the most complicated element usually comes in getting the idea off the ground or following things through to a conclusion and a plan is an ideal way to show you have considered this.

Show the benefits to other people

You will find yourself far more likely to influence other people if you can show people that there are benefits to them as well. This is a great way for you to bring people on board with your way of thinking while also ensuring that there is a bigger level of buy-in for the project.

Remember to give and not just take

In business, people that only look out for themselves soon find out that other people treat them in this manner. If you want people to listen to you, make sure you listen to them and take on board what they are saying. No business conversation should ever be a one-way conversation.

Consider the long-term

While it is easy to focus on the short-term gains and boosts in business, you need to focus on the longer-term. Developing a plan for the future and showing how you can achieve this will ensure that people see there is a strategy in place and that there are realisable benefits to be gained from this sort of project.

Have some manners

If you are looking to influence people and win them over, be nice and have some manners. This should be common courtesy in life but you’ll be surprised at how much further you can get with someone if you take the time to be polite and have some manners.