“Great influencers attract people to themselves and their ideas.” - Bob Burg
Everyone wants to be able to influence people, and influence is something we need in order to survive. In our free market no one has to help you or buy from you, and so being able to persuade someone is extremely important.
Notice I said persuade, not manipulate.
Many people think influencing someone means being manipulated. In fact, to a lot of people the word influence has a negative connotation because so many people do it improperly. Manipulating someone can achieve the results you want at that moment, but it will have lasting negative effects.
No one likes to be manipulated, and people aren’t dumb. When they realize they’ve been manipulated, they became weary of the manipulator. If it was for a sale, the customer is unlikely to come back for repeat business and they certainly didn’t enjoy the process. If it was an employee, you’ll be lucky if they will be willing to do the bare minimum to survive from then on out.
So how do you persuade and not manipulate?
You have to honestly care about the other person and their wants. You need to care about them, their needs, and their personal goals. It has to be authentic, and you have to understand they don’t view the world in the same way you do. Take the time to ask questions, find out more about them, and above all - don’t be pushy.
On this episode of Results Radio we are joined by Bob Burg, author of the book series The Go Giver. He shares his insights on what it means to have character, and to be a great influencer that people care about and want to help reach their goals.
Download this episode today to see how you can make the impact you want on others with lasting results.
“In a free market, nobody has to buy from you.” - Bob Burg
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Twitter: @BobBurg
