Persuasion means different things to different people. To some, it is positive; to others, it is negative.

In sales, persuasion must be positive. In value-added selling, persuasion describes the process salespeople use to influence buyers and induce them to act on the salesperson's ideas. Persuasion is every way you communicate your message. It is a campaign, not a single message. In our definition, persuasion is not arguing buyers into submission or making them buy something they neither want nor need. Your strategy is to surround the buyer with your message of hope.

Persuasion happens on two levels. The first is the personal level. Buyers hear the message and evaluate the messenger. For them, the messenger is part of the message. They look at things such as: passion, enthusiasm, credibility, sincerity, expertise, trust, and track record. Buyers ask themselves questions about the salesperson, such as:

• Can I trust this person?
• Is this person sincere?
• Is this person credible and believable?
• Is this person excited about his or her ideas?
• Does this person know his or her stuff?
• Is this person successful?

The second level of persuasion is the process level. Aristotle recognized this with his elements of persuasion: logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (trust). The most effective rhetoric involves all three elements. Even in hard-core, "left-brained," technical industrial sales, emotion and trust play an important role. Buyers are emotional creatures that often use reason to justify their action.

Salespeople who understand the elements and process of persuasion sell more. The first step in the process begins with the buyer's attention. You must have your buyer's full and undivided attention. The second step is that the buyer must recognize the need to act—to change or do something different. The third step is that the buyer must recognize and appreciate the value of your solution. The fourth step is that you must ask the buyer to act on your idea. This call-to-action is closing the sale.

Advertisers understand this persuasion model and use it successfully. They begin by getting the buyer's attention with color or noise. Then, they make the buyer painfully aware of how empty their life is without the advertiser's product. Next, they promise the buyer a better way to live if they use the product. They finish with a call-to-action for the buyer to purchase the product on their next visit to the store.

To become more successful in sales, work on your personal persuasiveness—your style. Next, work on the substance of your message—the guts of your presentation. It is both the context and the content of your message that determine whether or not the buyer will choose your alternative. Buyers choose the person as well as the product. You are part of the message and part of the solution.