Persuasion is an act that needs to be mastered if one is to succeed in business. It goes beyond convincing someone to buy an item and involves understanding what drives people to make the choices that they make and then channelling that knowledge into convincing them to buy your product. Persuasion involves sound argument through logical reasoning or from a point of reflection to cause someone to believe and do what you say.

Persuasion is not to Be misunderstood with manipulation the former makes use of logical rational thinking while the latter has to do with misleading and dishonest opinions usually to your advantage. Manipulation leads to distrust which is something you won't avoid in business as you need your customers to have maximum trust in you to succeed as a business person.

Influencing customer choice

As a salesperson your principal job is to make sales you might begin to wonder why you even have to influence the choice of a customer. A major reason why you need to be able to influence your customer choices is that as the salesperson you know your products better this would put you in a better position to make more informed choices. Your customers are no doubt adults and have a mind of their own and can make their own decisions that do not mean you cannot have a say in what they decide to or not purchase. Being able to influence your customer choice helps you to maintain a great relationship with them for example a customer might want to purchase a tube of toothpaste but might be confused as to what products to buy. You however know all the perks and advantages that come with the different brands of toothpaste having heard reviews about different brands of kinds of toothpaste from several customers over the years. This puts you in a position to make better choices when it comes to the brand of toothpaste. If a customer goes for the brand of toothpaste you recommended he could appreciate you for that after using the toothpaste or resent you for making him buy that brand. Influencing customer choice is no small deal and you cannot opt-out of such service to your customers.

How to influence customer choice through persuasion.

When we think persuasion, we most times think of a gentle speech which urges an individual to do our building. But that is not always the case. When it comes to persuasion in business, customers and clients can be persuaded in different ways even without you saying anything to them. Below are some ways to persuade customers:

• Authority: create ads that see why people should opt for those products. When products are endorsed by an association of experts people tend to go for that brand rather than others. For example, the toothpaste which we mentioned earlier has been endorsed by a dental association. It is more likely to sell faster than toothpaste which is not endorsed by any medical body. Here are practical ideas for direct sales. https://smartsmssolutions.com/blog/118-sms-marketing/small-business/1701-business-ideas-for-direct-selling

• Scarcity: scarcity is a common means by which marketers and salespersons are used to persuading customers to buy products. Sometimes this scarcity is even artificial. When products are scarce and customers have an opportunity to buy one or two of such products they usually grab that offer knowing that they might have to wait a long time before they can get the same products. Another thing is that everyone loves to have limited-edition items. Learn the act of using scarcity to drive sales. https://www.shopify.com/ng/blog/using-scarcity-urgency-increase-sales#:~:text=Scarcity%20marketing%20is%20when%20you,increase%20perceived%20value%20and%20sales .

• Follow up with prospects: following up with prospects is one way to persuade customers to purchase or request your services. If someone walks into your outlet or makes a phone call to your organisation asking about the services you offer or the items you have for sale without making a purchase you should do well to get back to that person after a few days to follow up on the interest that was initially shown. When you follow up on such interests you get the opportunity to give the person more reasons why he or she should patronize your business

• Appeal to your customers' personality: tell a potential buyer why as a parent he or she needs to get that item. Let them know why that item is good for people within their age bracket and how that item you are trying to convince them to buy would benefit them in one way or the other. Customers do not want to know the features of a product, they are more interested in how it affects them.

• Create relatable adverts: When creating ads, keep your target in mind. If it is something that is designed for youths and teens, use teen languages such as slang and memes and use more mature language for items that are meant for older individuals. When it comes to children, use bright colours that would attract their attention as they walk into a mall with their parents. You must take note of some common barriers to communication in business and see how to avoid them as they could affect how persuasive you get to be. https ://smartsmssolutions.com/blog/121-sms-marketing/business-communication/1673-common-barriers-to-communication-in-business-how-to-overcome-them

Whichever of these methods of persuasion you choose, do not forget that communication is key. Use the right words, avoid complex language and technical jargon, and customers do not need that. The five tips given above would go a long way to help up your game of persuasion and influencing customer choice.

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