The Power of Focus in Persuasion

We live in a world of distractions and this, I feel, is an understatement. We have so much coming at us from all arenas. . . Even as I sit here typing this, I'm getting alerts that I have new e-mail, I'm getting instant messages from my assistant, I've got my kids vying for attention, the dog wants to play, nature calls, I'm thirsty, the phone rings. Phew. It's exhausting just to write a paragraph with all of the other things intruding on concentration and focus.

There's an old saying, 'If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.' When we scatter our energy, we are not giving enough attention to the tasks at hand.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, 'Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.'

Take, for example, your inner thoughts while you're with a prospect or client. Maybe you're concerned about having bad breath or a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth from lunch. Maybe you have larger concerns, the kids getting to school on time or what the mechanic might have to say to you when you call this afternoon. Issues both small and large battle for our attention. When we've got all these things going on inside, where is the focus on our prospect? Our goal as persuaders is to persuade and to do that, we must concentrate on determining the criteria and core values of our prospects and clients.

I think of this focus as a flashlight. For example, if we aim our flashlight at a wall out in front of us, we might think we're seeing quite a bit. But say there's something on a shelf that you really want to see. . . what do you do? Well, if you have a flashlight like mine, you have the ability to make the beam wider or narrower. When it gets narrower, it penetrates further. And when it's wider, it shows me more space, but less distance. By beginning to focus laser-like on one aspect, we can see more clearly what we want to see (in this case, what we want to know is what our clients want).

I like to imagine that the client is a white board, I've wiped clean, wiped myself clean, and now they're writing themselves onto that board of which I'm becoming a part of. If we can focus on identity as persuaders, this would be a key area for which we can develop parts, a key area that we can frame and reframe. It's a very powerful area.

The whole point of persuasion is to learn to shine that light in various ways to best understand and provide what it is that our clients and prospects want. So take a deep breath the next time you are interacting with a prospect, and really focus that beam on them shutting out all other distractions.

Article Source: http://www.rightbiz.com

Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of affluent prospects using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion techniques.

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