As marketers, we talk a great deal about words like “persuasion” and “influence”. In fact, if we are great marketers, chances are we have our finger on the pulse of persuasion factors and influence triggers pretty much at will.Â
Oddly enough, it took reading a recent interview with Malcolm Gladwell who has recently been on the interview circuit for his latest book “Outliers” to remind me of the important that persuasion and influence play in achieving anything within today’s society – including business.Â
The author of “Blink” has chosen to deal with much more politically charged topics in Outliers than books of the past – touching on the role of priviledge, IQ and tearing down the notion that there is anywhere close to a level playing field between poor, the wealthy, the smart and those with lower IQ.Â
There is a lesson for any of us who write for a living – who produce training, information-based products – don’t be afraid to be controversial, to deal with topics that ruffle a few feathers. I’m not saying be controversial for the sake of being controversial, just to not shy away from the challenging issues and questions related to your topic.
ADVANCING YOUR CAUSE
One of the major statements Gladwell makes in the Macleans interview is the following:
“Being successful is all about whether you have the skills necessary to impose your will on the world. That’s really what class advantage is: being taught the skills necessary to make sense of institutions.”
Is that really true?
I would argue this statement is fundamentally wrong – being successful is NOT about IMPOSING your will as much as it is about 1) Knowing what you want and 2) Learning how to influence and persuade others around to your point of view.
Barak Obama was tremendously successful in his bid to become President – would you say he imposed his will on the people – NO, he mastered the art of persuasion and influence. How do you persuade or influence?
1) You are likeable – if people like you, they are more likely to do what you want
2) You use empathy – if they sense you know what they are feeling, they will be more apt to listen and follow
3) You do what you say and prove what you say is true…proof could be social proof (others support your view) quantitative proof or any other form of credibility enhancing proof points that gain trust
4) Consistency – we value consistency, if you are bouncing around all over the place, you will not be able to influence or persuade
Gladwell is correct in saying that people who are priviledged enough to be around such influence at an early age will have an advantage, I’m not sure that is always the most wealthy, strongest, most prestigious people in society – but there is likely a correlation between status and the ability to persuade.Â
Regardless, if one can master the two critical pillars of achievement being 1) Knowing what you want and 2) Mastering persuasion and influencing skills, there is no reason to believe they cannot elevate themselves from any starting place in life.
What do you think?
Jeff
