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From NetSpeed Leader Volume 28, September 2006
I’ve had many opportunities to influence people
during the past few months, from prospective clients
to suppliers (on the business side), and from
neighbors to customer service providers (on the
personal side). I’m starting to boil down the influence
techniques that work well to these five actions:
Approach people with friendliness and
warmth
Share your point of view frankly but
neutrally
Listen openly to others’ opinions
Be willing to negotiate
Express appreciation
I wish I could say that I use these five influence
techniques every time I want to influence someone.
The truth is that I’m human and in the stress of the
moment, I have sent some influence opportunities
into a tail spin. Having had potential deals head
south and customer service providers completely
blow up or blow me off when I’m in high-stress mode,
I can confidently tell you the five no influence
techniques to avoid:
Come on strong and don’t back down
Make people feel inferior and defensive
Raise your voice in frustration
Cut people off
Express disbelief and impatience with their
suggestions
I think that influence comes down to asking two
questions: What do I want in this situation? How can
I get my needs met and respect the other party’s
needs at the same time?
It sounds simple in practice but every situation
presents new challenges. The NetSpeed Leadership
module,
Communicating to Influence, explores these
kinds of influence techniques in depth with lots of
time to practice and apply critical communication
skills. Let me know if you’d like to learn more about
this module. Happy Influencing! |
A blended learning program for customer service providers |
