Hello persuaders.  I hope this week is treating you well and business is picking up for you.  I know persuasion will help you increase your business and income.  There are two ways to double your income.   You can work twice as hard or double your persuasion skills.  One thing you can do is master FITD.  We all hate to get No after a presentation, when we can enhance our influence skills and get the YES.  What we are finding is if lots of people are saying no – you are asking too much.  Break down what you are asking into smaller pieces.

An interesting study involved testing to see if college students would get up early to take part in a 7:00 a.m. study session on thinking processes.  For one group, the students were asked if they would participate in a study on thinking processes at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.   Of these students, only 24% agreed to participate. For the second group, instead of asking one big question, the request was broken down into smaller questions.
Will you participate in a study on thinking processes? (YES)

Are you available on Saturday? (YES)

It is at 7:00 a.m., will you be there?  (YES)

What do you think happened?  The compliance rate went from 24% to 56%.  This was done by breaking down the initial request into smaller requests.  When an individual complies a first time, they perceive themselves to be helpful.  If they are asked to comply a second time in an even greater way, they are likely to consent.  In an effort to maintain consistency with the first impression and with their own self-perception, they agree to give even more of themselves.

I hope you can grasp how this works.  What is the bottom line?   If you are continually getting a no – you need to ask something that is simpler, smaller or easier to understand.  Learn to ask questions that get a YES.  Of all the tools in your persuasion toolbox, questioning is probably the one most often used by Master Persuaders.  Simple questions gain immediate involvement.  Neil Rackham and John Carlisle observed hundreds of negotiators in action in an attempt to discover what it takes to be a top negotiator.  Their key finding was that skilled negotiators ask more than two times as many questions as average negotiators.  The questions they ask are simple, easy to understand and take little mental energy to answer.

Implement this skill today.  It can be that simple.  If at any point in your presentation you are getting that dreaded no – break the request or question into smaller questions and you will see an increase in your favorite word – YES.