How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 274

because your mind cannot distinguish between what is imagined and what
is real.
A Persuader has the ability to paint a picture with his words. The
prospects will be able to see, hear, feel, and experience exactly what he is
talking about. The prospects become part of the message and can more
fully understand how the product or service will change their life. The
Persuader stimulates his prospects' senses by using words that activate
their mind. You present your message through positive emotions because
the positive thoughts of the audience will color their perception of what
you want them to do.
We can all say, "I walked on the beach," but that's not half as effective as
saying, "The sun was up and shining brightly on the warm sand. I took off
my shoes and felt the soft sand between my toes. The seagulls floated
lazily across the ocean sky. The waves soothed my soul as they
rhythmically crashed against the shore. I could taste the salt of the breeze
on my tongue." I think you can feel the difference between the two.
Words activate all that we do. The words we use can make you physically
ill, emotionally drained, hungry, and even salivate. They can especially
make you buy!
A utilities company, trying to sell customers on the advantages of home
insulation, sent auditors to visit homeowners and point out the ways they
were wasting energy. The auditors provided the homeowners with
suggestions on how they could save money if they were willing to
improve the energy inefficiencies. In spite of the clear financial benefits
over the long term, only 15 percent of the audited homeowners actually
went ahead and paid for the corrections. After seeking advice from two
psychologists on how they could better sell the advantages of home
insulation, the utilities company decided to change its technique by
describing the inefficiencies more vividly. With the next audits,
homeowners were told that the seemingly minute cracks here and there
were collectively equivalent to a gaping hole the size of a basketball. This
time, 61 percent of the homeowners agreed to the improvements![5]
When you find yourself in a situation where you really need people on
your side, use words that are going to create strong mental images.
Attorney Gerry Spence once said, "Don't say he suffered pain. Tell me
what it felt like to have a broken leg with the bone sticking out through
the flesh. Tell me how it was! Make me see it! Make me feel it!"[6]
274