As we know from the Golden Rule of Influencing, if you want someone to do something, you have to ask them to do something.
But what if they say “no”?
Well, one way to avoid a “no” is not to offer “no” as an answer.
And you do this by giving them options.
For example, if you say “shall we meet next week?” that’s a yes/no choice. So they can say “no”.
But if you say “WHEN shall we meet again? Next week? The week after?” – This gives them a yes/yes choice. So, they’re more likely to agree to one of them.
It’s easy to come up with options. Just use one of the question words. So, at the end of a meeting, you could say:
- WHEN shall we meet again – next week or the week after?
- WHO should attend our next meeting – just us, or shall we bring colleagues?
- WHERE shall we meet next time – my office or yours?
- HOW shall we meet next time – another face-to-face, or on the phone?
‘Entry Level Influencing’ is ask them to do something. So always have a Call To Action.
But to get to ‘Ninja Level’, offer them options. Because, when they have a choice of yeses, they’re more likely to say yes.
Action Point
Think of two people you have to influence. WHICH of these two will you use options with first? (See what I did there?)