Communication
“Change the Way You Persuade”
Gary A. Williams and Robert B. Miller have a combined life experience of sixty years in executive management and consulting. Williams is CEO and Miller is the chairman of their firm, Miller Williams Incorporated. Helping business executives understand their customers is William’s specialty; executive management is Miller’s specialty. The table is turned on executives in this research which describes how to recognize the decision-making style of a business leader and how to persuade the exec based on their style. The article “Change the Way You Persuade” reports the research project’s results plus offers a lot of good information they have collected over their years of experience. There is no one-shoe-fits-all way to sell a business leader on an idea so the research identifies five basic styles they have observed
They surveyed more than 1,684 executives from January 1999 to June 2001 using email, face-to-face interviews and telephone. The participants were in industries ranging from retail businesses to automotive companies to high technology firms. A cluster analysis was used to pinpoint the five basic decision-making processes execs use; each process is as legitimate as the other. The five different types are charismatics, thinkers, skeptics, followers and controllers. Each type is described, examples of famous CEOs are listed in each category, and solid tips for success are shared. Especially useful are the suggested buzzwords that work best for each of the five categories. The article includes five detailed examples which share some valuable insights on how to persuade each decision-making type. The article is full of great tips. For example, keep your focus and do not join in the enthusiasm of a charismatic (which can wane after the conversation). Concentrating on your personal credentials is not as effective for convincing a follower as demonstrating that there is little risk in the idea being pitched. I highly recommend this article. It helps identify the basic decision-making types and shares practical advice that can be put to use immediately.
References
Williams, Gary A., & Miller, Robert B. (1 May 2002). Change the Way You Persuade. Harvard Business Review. pp. 3-11. Retrieved from http://www.saleschematics.com.au
