How to Convince Someone

How to Convince Someone

Knowing how to convince someone is a skill that everyone needs to learn.

Whether while living our private lives or even in our business dealings, this is important.

This article has been written to help you know how to develop this skill.

Learning how to convince someone is important on many fronts.

It might be that you are trying to sell an idea, information, or concept to a person, and need to convince them.

Also, convincing others might be necessary if you have a product or service you want to market and get patronage for.

Additionally, knowing how to convince someone would help you if you need help at some point in your business.

Helping someone key into opportunities and offers you have for them would also need you convincing them sometimes.

Convincing someone though is not the easiest skill to master to apply.

This is because the human mind works in a way that an individual focuses more on self-conviction and beliefs.

That means people have a general inclination to believe in things they want to and follow their hearts.

Therefore, when trying to convince someone, you are in effect aiming to influence or even change their own beliefs and ideas.

Some of these beliefs are strongly held and might have even been built for so many years.

Therefore, using persuasion to convince such ones might be a hard challenge.

However, as with every difficult task, there are practical solutions, and this is no different.

It’s a skill you need to acquire, and once you get it the process becomes easier.

Before going to what you need to do to convince someone, and use case for that skill, let us see what it means to convince some.

What Does it Mean to Convince Someone?

Usually, every individual has what they believe in, and values they hold dear.

Most times, these beliefs and values are what guide their actions and decision-making daily.

However, there are times when we might need to change the beliefs of someone or make them agree with us on something.

This might be necessary for us to sell an idea, product, service, or something else to them.

It could also be in a bid to get them to do something for us that they might be reluctant to do.

Or we need to get them on board with something that will make their life better.

That is what it means to convince someone.

To convince someone means to make someone believe firmly in the truth of something.

It also means to talk someone into doing something or winning them over.

Usually, we convince someone through an objective argument with the person, where we use facts and sometimes emotion to do the conviction.

Sometimes, it is used interchangeably with persuasion as the process is the same and means the same thing.

Convincing someone doesn’t mean forcing them to agree with us but making them see the reason for our stand or beliefs.

Learning How to Convince Someone – Why Important?

There are many skills you can learn as a business owner, but right among the ones at the top of your list should be how to convince someone.

This is because there are several situations whereby you will need this skill and it would come in beneficial.

Here are some of the benefits that come from learning persuasion or how to convince someone:

It Makes You a Better Sales Person 

In reality, the main idea of selling is convincing people.

When you have a product to sell or services to render, it takes the skill of convincing someone to get them to patronize.

This is important because many factors might be working against you selling your products or services.

It could be that the person you are offering that product/service to does not see a need for it at the moment in time.

Hence, such a person needs convincing.

Another reason why you will need to know how to convince someone as a salesperson is that there are competitors.

You might not be the first person or business to approach that person with the product/service.

If someone already has a business they patronage or have options they are considering, it takes you convincing them to choose you.

Persuasion is needed to sway a person’s thinking from what it used to be to another, and that is what sales and marketing are all about.

It Helps You Get Help From Others 

There are many times when as an entrepreneur you will need the help and assistance of others.

It might be financial assistance to support your business, or completion of other projects which you cannot do yourself.

At such times, having the skill on how to convince someone would equally come in handy.

The reason being that getting help or assistance isn’t always easy, and people can come up with a million and one excuses as to why they cannot.

For example, you might be asking for financial assistance from someone as a loan with the promise to pay it back.

However, perhaps due to previous experience, the other party might not be fully open to the idea of giving you the money.

The onus is now on you to convince them as to why you can be trusted and why they should part with the money.

Therefore, learning the secret on how to convince someone to do something, either with data, words of mouth or emotions is very vital in this regard.

It’s a Skill Useful in Dispute Resolution

Another area of your business where knowing how to convince someone would prove beneficial is in resolving disputes or conflicts.

The way a work environment is, which is the bringing together of people with varying personalities, there are bound to be conflicts from time to time.

You as the business owner or manager as the case may be needs the right skill to resolve these.

One of the skills you need to develop then for this is the ability to persuade or convince someone.

Usually, where there is friction or conflict between two or more people, there is a clash of opinions and ideas.

Hence, it comes down to whose opinion can supersede that of the other or who makes a better argument.

You as the manager having analyzed the situation have the responsibility of using your conviction and persuasive skill to douse the situation.

You need to convince one or both of those involved on reasons why they are wrong and hence need to sheath their swords.

Or you need to convince both parties to agree to disagree and work in harmony together.

Without the skill of persuasion or the ability to convince, it would be difficult to do this.

Knowing How to Convince Someone Helps You Influence Others 

How to influence others is one of the skills that every entrepreneur needs to learn.

This is because if you want to be more than just another business owner, and want to be a voice in your industry, you need to aim to be influential.

Being influential though doesn’t just happen, it takes a lot of skills and approaches, and being persuasive is one of them.

If you know how to convince people, you can bring up your opinions in a room filled with people and get attention.

Even if a decision has already been made, your suggestion or idea can influence that decision, because you are convincing.

Now, that is what influencing other people is all about, and something you will be able to achieve if you learn how to convince someone.

It Offers You An Opportunity for Quick Professional Growth 

Growth opportunities are not given to people on a platter of gold most times, and you will need to earn it or take it.

If you are an employee, for instance, your career growth might be slow because your superiors are not quite seeing your relevance or output.

In such situations, you will need strong conviction skills to let them see what you are doing and why you deserve the growth.

Also, as a business owner or entrepreneur, you will need to make quick progress and growth in your career path.

Some of the people who are in a position to make this growth happen might not give it to you easily.

You need to know how to convince someone/people to let them see your relevance, skills, and abilities and give you the opportunity for growth.

You Can Change People’s Lives 

Many times, we come across people whose lives are not the best version of what they should be and need changes.

The reasons for them being the way they are might be due to deeply entrenched beliefs and values.

Just asking for a change or hoping for a change from them can be futile.

To effectively change people, you would need to convince them.

That means you need to offer strong points backed up by facts that make them make the change and become better.

Hence, with the knowledge of how to convince someone, you can effectively change their lives if need be.

How to Convince Someone – What You Need to Do 

Let us now get right into the practical aspect of how to convince someone.

No doubt, by now, you already know why knowing this and learning the skill is very important especially as a business person.

But then, what are some actions you need to take to learn this skill?

And when having a conversation with someone, what can you do to convince them?

Here are a few of them:

Show Confidence 

Have you ever been lied to by someone and you can tell that the person is lying to you just by the way they look when talking?

Usually, it is because the person is not confident enough while making those claims.

Note that convincing someone doesn’t mean learning how to be dishonest.

However, even when you are making a valid or truthful point, you only stand the chance of convincing the other party by being confident.

You do not want to talk as though you are unsure of your claims or lack confidence in yourself.

This is especially important if you are marketing a product/service to someone.

To convince them to patronize you, you need to be very confident as you explain the features and benefits of the product.

Confidence is not something that can be hidden, and if you have it, it shines through at all times.

And this can go a very long way in helping you win over someone or convince them.

Allow Them to Speak 

One mistake some of us make in a bid to convince someone is taking over the conversation and trying hard to push through our ideas.

We get it that you are trying to convince the other person, but it is not effective doing this by trying to force it down their throat.

If anything, the only result you will get is the person agreeing with you at that point, so you let them be.

However, the real question is: “Are they convinced deep within them?”.

The obvious answer most of the time is no.

That is why open communication is essential in trying to convince someone.

That way, instead of simply trying to force down your opinion or idea, you know what they are thinking and why they think that way.

You can even use some of the points they mention to then make your case and stand a better chance at convincing the person.

Present Supporting Reasoning and Evidence 

You’ve probably heard people say before that someone is arguing blindly.

What that means is that someone is making an argument that is not supported by facts or evidence to back it up.

If you are arguing and hoping to convince someone, but you are not coming up with factual reasoning, then you can’t get results.

Before you can successfully convince someone, you need to show that your line of discussion is the better option

And the best chance you have at that is presenting facts, evidence, and reasoning to back it up.

Offer Incentives or Benefits

Regardless of the claims, everyone loves incentives, and people are always looking for how something can benefit them.

Hence, sometimes when you are trying to convince someone, you need to come up with how what you want them to do benefits them.

This is especially relevant when you want to convince someone to be of help or assistance to you.

Instead of just focusing on how you gain out of that situation, think of one or two things they can benefit from it as well.

When you do this, you are can easily persuade or convince them to do what you want.

The same also applies when convincing someone to buy a product from you, focusing on the benefits for them will help.

Have a Deep Knowledge of the Point of Discussion 

Going into a discussion or trying to convince someone to do something without good knowledge of the point of focus is bound to fail.

For instance, if you are marketing a product to someone and want to convince him/her to buy, you need to understand the product well.

This is important because when the person starts to ask you questions about the product, you must be ready to answer.

Appearing to be confused to not knowing the answers to some questions would only show you are not ready and doesn’t sound convincing.

However, when you know everything there is to know about that product and have answers to questions you are asked, it shows.

And it can help you convince someone to who you are marketing.

Be the First to Offer Counter Points of Views Before Others Do 

Usually, the way a discussion goes is a back and forth process, whereby you make your point and another person counters.

One very smart way you can convince someone when discussing is to offer the counterargument before they do.

This involves thinking two steps ahead and knowing what points your audience is concerned about.

Then even before they mention these, you can go ahead and mention them while having something at hand to offer as solutions.

For example, if you have a new product in the market, you might know of some of the cons of the product that might affect your ability to convince someone to buy it.

But the good thing is that you who owns the product and know the demerits also know what advantages it has that overshadow these.

Hence, even before they have the opportunity to point out the problems with your idea or product, mention it yourself.

Then offer enough objective facts as solutions to those problems.

This will increase your ability to be able to convince someone of something.

Learn How to Lose a Battle to Win the War 

When trying to convince someone, don’t expect or try to always win every single point of the argument or discussion.

Sometimes, try to concede to some of the points the other person is making and even accept vulnerability at some point.

When you do this, the other party does not see the conversation as a personal attack but rather an objective one.

Hence, they are more open to your side of things and willing to listen more.

What more? With the right knowledge and logical presentation of facts, you can easily convince them.

Be Patient Yet Persistent 

One thing you need to understand is that most cases of convincing someone don’t happen easily.

The reason is that sometimes what you need to change are strong beliefs or things they’ve known for years.

Hence, expecting that you can simply make them change their mind easily and convince them would be unrealistic.

You would need to be patient sometimes, while you consistently and persistently make your point and back them up with facts.

You should also let your audience know how your point of view benefits them.

If you follow other practical steps found here, you will win them over or convince them with time.

In Conclusion – How to Convince Someone 

Whatever it is you are doing, or who you are, this skill can let you gain recognition and also receive help from others.

The benefits are enormous, and that is why you should work on developing the skill of convincing someone to win them over to change their beliefs.

It is not going to happen automatically, but with constant practice and the right methods, you will master the art.