The Barustors Report

The Six Principles Of
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION

Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Bay Area Program
January 2001

COPYRIGHT 2001 THE COSMIDES GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


Communication trainer, Barbara Miller, shared her insights with a well-attended gathering of Bay Area legal marketers in January. Her talk addressed the six principles that serve as the foundation and cornerstones of the training program she has used with hundreds of organizations, including law firms and trial attorneys. While her ideas have applications for all client-prospect situations, they are particularly relevant to the RFP process.

Miller's philosophy stems from a well-accepted premise: the "I talk, you listen" model of communication is dead. In order to penetrate the myriad stimuli, personal agenda's, presuppositions and political barriers that exist between the presenter and his/her audience, the persuasive communicator sculpts his or her presentation around six axioms:

1. People Listen For Their Reasons, Not Yours
Those who presume to understand the needs of their audience may find themselves giving a brilliant presentation but losing the sale. The persuasive communicator is on a mission to tailor the message to the explicit need. This requires a discovery of the values and needs of the prospect, in order to shape the presentation to what they consider important. Miller encourages diligent research before the meeting, and if possible, conversations with people who know the decision maker(s).

During the presentation, she recommends probing for understanding. When the prospect identifies an important feature or service that they will require, Miller advises the communicator to ask, "Why is that important to you?" as a way of getting beyond the superficial, and into a more intimate understanding of the client's needs and state of mind.

2. People Will Support What They Help Create
Collaboration is a prudent way to build sustainable relationships with clients. Miller recommends that we co-create strategies with prospects by taking an "I listen, you talk" approach. This involves two steps:


Good questions invite participation. Managing silence brings out the best responses. Miller suggests that the communicator physically move away from the spot he or she is standing in, to create a "vacuum". Psychologically, this tells the audience that it is now their turn to lead the discussion. Remaining silent during this time is crucial to evoking response. The adage, "The first one to talk loses" applies. Building from this collaboration contributes to one's chances of winning the client. Maintaining this collaborative relationship is an effective way of sustaining the relationship.

3. Everything Communicates -- And Then Some
A popular radio advertisement cautions, "People do judge you by the words you use." Miller reminds us that it is not only our words that people judge us by. Audiences size up speakers by several criteria, including:


However, they rate these criteria primarily through two channels: our voice and our body language. Astute words and stimulating visuals play only a small part in the hiring process. All other qualifications being equal, people hire the person or firm that "feels right". Or, as Roger Ailes put it, "You are the message".

4. The Message Is The Message Received
As form follows function, so the message must be crafted for the audience. A flawless presentation will not win over prospects if they take away a different message than the one you hoped to convey. People fall into four categories when it comes to how they receive information. Intuitors see the big, long-range picture. Thinkers are analytical and need things presented to them in a logical, sequential order. Feelers understand through their emotional reactions, relying on their feelings more than on the facts of a presentation. Sensors are action-oriented, who "get it" and are ready to make it happen, often without considering all factors.

Where possible, the persuasive communicator should learn as much as he or she can about the personality-types in attendance, in order to structure the message accordingly. If this is not possible, it is a good idea to vary the message by incorporating all four styles into the presentation.

5. Monkey See, Monkey Do.
Rapport leads to trust, which is why people tend to hire the person who "fits" when all other factors are equal. One of the simplest, yet most powerful ways to "fit" with the prospect is to match and mirror their behavior. Tone of voice, body language, expressiveness, sitting forward, sitting back, jacket on, jacket off, are some of the ways to do this. Ultimately, we are creating comfort between them and ourselves.

6. Rehearsal With Feedback Is The Key.
Practice makes perfect. Rehearse your presentation before a group of people from your organization. If possible, comprise the group of people from each of the four personality types listed in axiom number 4, above. If no one is available to help you, rehearse before a video camera. If you do not have a video camera, practice before a mirror. Nevertheless, remember to judge your presentation from the perspective of your audience, not your own subjective opinion.

Miller summarizes these six points this way: "If you focus on creating comfort and confidence in your communication, yours will be the only name on the 'short list' that ever mattered, anyway."

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Bay Area legal marketing consultant, John Cosmides, is principal of The Cosmides Group and director of Barustors, a State Bar-certified referral service for business and corporate clients. John can be reached at john@barustors.com or at 415-957-1330.