“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” – Rudyard Kipling
Choosing the words we use in our sales presentations, marketing messages and everyday conversations can make all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, many of us do not select our words purposefully or even consciously. It’s impossible to count how many times a cautious “no” might have been turned into an enthusiastic “yes” if we had been more thoughtful communicators.
This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking with Matt Fox, who is an expert in the use of persuasive language in sales, marketing and all sorts of personal interactions. He gave me nearly two hours of his time, explaining how to use words more persuasively. I was able to record about 75 minutes of golden material.
During our chat, we talked about
- the 3 kinds of psychological resistance
- why closing techniques are often very ineffective
- how tiny words can create huge impact through presuppositions
- why “increasing perceived value” is not necessarily the best way to increase sales
- a simple way to make it impossible for someone to ignore what you’re saying
- and tons more.
If you have a 100% conversion rate and you always get what you want, you may not need to listen to this interview. But if you’re not quite there yet, you can learn a lot from Matt. Take a listen.
Persuasive Language interview with Matt Fox
Note: I started recording my the conversation before the formal interview began. We attached that to the end of the MP3. Consider it bonus content!
Note #2: Don’t forget to check out Matt’s website at PersuasionTheory.com.