"Birth" of a Salesman :推銷的藝術

閱讀暖身

We have been learning how to persuade others since we were children: convincing our parents to extend our curfew, getting our colleagues on board with our brilliant plans, or talking clients into buying our products. So how exactly do you sell your ideas? It’s not just about giving people good reasons to believe you. What impressions or feelings your delivery creates is also very crucial.

我們從小到大都在學習如何說服別人，說服父母放寬門禁，說服同事接受自己的絕妙提案，說服客戶購買自家產品；所以你究竟是如何推銷自己的想法的呢？這不僅關乎「理性溝通」層次，你的表達所給人的印象或感覺也是非常關鍵。

There are a few tips and techniques for having people buy into your ideas since they help build connections and credibility.

有一些技巧能讓別人比較容易買你的帳，因為它們能幫助建立連結與可信度。

To begin with, one of the most basic but powerful tools you can use is a person’s name. This creates a personal connection between you and your listener, which makes them more responsive to your ideas. So instead of saying, “I think we should postpone the meeting until next week,” say things like: “Kate, I think we should postpone the meeting until next week.” The approach is subtle, yet the effect is quite strong.

首先，最簡單但最強大的工具之一就是別人的名字。這可以在你和聽者之間建立起個人的連結，進而讓他們更容易對你的想法有所回應。所以與其說「我認為我們應該把會議延到下星期」不如說「凱特，我認為我們應該把會議延到下星期」。這個手法很微妙，但效果相當驚人。

Secondly, you need to help your listeners connect to your idea. This can be achieved by making comparisons. People love to compare prices, situations, pros and cons, etc. That’s why we tend to be attracted by the before and after pictures in an ad for cosmetic products or micro-plastic surgery. Therefore, show people exactly how your idea will make a difference. It’s clever and persuasive.

第二，你需要在聽者與你的想法之間建立起連結。這個可藉由「比較」來達成！人們很喜歡比較價格、情況、優缺點……等等，這就是為什麼我們很容易被化妝品或是微整形廣告裡的「前後對照圖」所吸引；因此，讓別人確切地了解你的想法是如何的與眾不同，這樣的做法很聰明也很有說服力。

Apart from connections, (2) credibility is of importance as well. To win people’s buy-in, you need to demonstrate that you have thought your ideas through by providing evidence and making concessions to some extent. Giving concessions means to admit ideas that go against yours. Don’t mention this too much, but show your listeners that you know things are not black and white, and your idea might not be perfect, but it is relatively good. This will make you sound more reasonable and credible!

除了建立連結之外，可信度也是相當重要的。要贏得大家的認同，你需要展現深思熟慮，這可藉由提供證據還有做出某些程度上的妥協來做到。做出妥協的意思是承認那些讓你站不住腳的觀點，不要提到太多，但讓你的聽者知道你了解事情的本質不是非黑即白。雖然你的想法未必完美但已堪稱首選，這會讓你聽起來更理性也更有說服力！

There’s another reason to mention perspectives that go against yours: to take the initiative and knock them down. There’s a line from the movie Before Sunrise: “If I turn out to be some kind of psycho, you know, you just get on the next train.” How do these words take effect? The protagonist anticipates the girl’s concerns against the idea of spending a night with a stranger. He acknowledges those worries, and then says why they should be ignored. In this way, he is taking and destroying weapons against his idea. It is a preemptive strike, so to speak.

為什麼要提對自己不利的論點，是有其他理由的：爭取先機然後把它們擊潰。電影《愛在黎明破曉時》有一句台詞是這樣說的：「如果我變成某種變態，你大可以搭上下一班火車就好。」為什麼這句話有效？主角預料到女方對於與陌生人共度一夜的想法恐怕會有所顧慮，他先承認這些擔心是合理的，再說為什麼這些疑慮應該被忽略，這樣做的話，他等於是先拿起再摧毀不利於他的武器，這就叫做先發制人。

專業人士的專業英文: 世界公民一對一學程