Persuasion is a valuable skill to have when you work in sales. Before you can close any deal, you must be able to build a rapport and convince prospects that you can solve their challenges. Persuasive professionals believe in their product or service, and they know how to convey the benefits to potential buyers. They also know who to talk to keep deals moving forward, which is a key part of mastering the art of persuasion.

Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a marketing communications firm, says that you must know who will put up resistance, what that resistance will be and how you can adjust your request to appeal to person. We discuss her thoughts on how to do this by improving your persuasive skills in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. Strive to build relationships. Sales professionals know the importance of creating relationships with clients and prospects. This relationship-building is also an important part of becoming a more persuasive salesperson. The more your clients and prospects know you and trust you, the better results you will achieve. Don’t just aim to make a sale — work toward establishing a meaningful business relationship.

2. Be ready with a five-minute pitch. You can’t be wishy-washy when you want to persuade someone. That’s why Dietrich says it’s important to grab attention with a five-minute pitch. For example, you could present the issue in a way that the prospect understands and then explain how that issue arose. Then, you could share your proposed solution in simple terms. Make the case that your answer is best compared to the alternatives, she says.

3. Give credit where it’s due. Simply giving credit for the work someone else has done can help bolster your persuasive skills. This is because we all like to be given credit for our work, Dietrich says. It doesn’t cost anything to give credit and it can go a long way at building strong relationships.

4. Remain fair. Some clients you may like better than others, but it’s important to be fair with everyone. Dietrich says that people know when you’re not being fair or when you’ve treated others differently. If you give an opportunity to one group of prospects, don’t leave out other groups.

5. Create several solutions. You can work on mastering the art of persuasion by developing multiple solutions. Don’t just settle on the first option that comes to mind. Look for ways to bring new or unexpected solutions. Dietrich says that, in other words, you should explore all the different options and determine which will work best for your audience.

Just because you know you have the best solution for your prospects, doesn’t mean they know it. It’s up to you to persuade them. When you follow the steps above, you can position yourself to get the outcome you want.

Source: Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm. She is the lead blogger at the PR and marketing blog, Spin Sucks, is co-author of Marketing In the Round, and is co-host of Inside PR, a weekly podcast about communications and social media.