Be Yourself and Persuade Others

Could you take out the trash, please?" "Take out the trash!"

As an at home parent, you've probably said one or both of these many times. They get very different reactions, don't they?

Yes, the second one probably gets faster results but much more resentment. You probably don't use it the first time you ask. Why? Because it's not the best way to ask someone to do something and you already know that.

But it's easy to get tired of asking over and over for a chore to be done. If you can convince your child or spouse to do the job without being asked, isn't that better?

Yes, that is a much more difficult job and you'll still have to ask some or even most times. But if you make sure they understand that it's their part of keeping the house running smoothly, you might have to ask a little less often.

If you run a home business, you probably have to write for your website. You might even dread this task. After all, writing was so hard in college, wasn't it?

Now, convincing the kids to take out the trash may not seem that much like convincing a customer to buy from you. But it can be.

With your children, you have that very personal relationship (not to mention you live with them!), so it's not too hard to take that extra time to explain why something needs to be done most of the time. You tell them why you want the job done, in a way they will understand. Hopefully, you don't talk down to them or over their heads. After all, even your high school student doesn't want you to talk to them as you would one of your old college professors, or even as they would to their teachers. That's not the relationship you have.

Customers appreciate much the same treatment, and it really is not hard to give. Write as though you are talking to them in person. Who is your customer? Why should they buy from you?

Now, whether you are talking or writing, you have to make sure the tone of your words (and voice, if you're talking) is appropriate. Talk or write as you would to your college professor, and your kids won't want to listen or your customers will leave. Talk down and the same thing will happen.

Instead, talk or write for your audience the way they want you to talk or write for them. Have a little fun, if it's appropriate.

Now, all this sounds terribly tedious to learn. Good news, it doesn't have to be!

When you talk, just be yourself. But if you're having trouble getting your family to do things around the house, it might be time to rethink your approach, just as you might have to change your writing style if you run a home business.

Now, many people think writing and persuasion are difficult. They aren't. It just seems that way because throughout school you are told that you need to write this way, this is how you structure a persuasive argument, etc.

What you learned in school has very little to do with real life. If you're having trouble in these areas, it's time to relearn your skills and be natural.

Ok, so being told to be natural isn't enough? You need more guidance? That's fine, most of us do need to be reminded how to relax about these things.

 

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