So don't tell me what to do - I'll make my own choice and decision.

Adopting a worthwhile new change is done on purpose.  We want to apply our suasion.  We retreat from badgering, urging, and coaxing to keep control.  Sometimes we do the opposite and do not go along – showing our power to resist.  On our own, self-persuasion is difficult.  Include a guide, and persuading ourselves is normal.

Everyone grapples with needed change – dropping a bad habit, adding a good practice.  Dealing with this calls for combining a reason to improve and visualizing the new benefits as their own.   When it seems too complicated or risky, an expert guide helps.  Guides don't give answers.  Instead, they pull out reasons, reinforcing a change - solidifying a goal, highlighting a gap, finding inconsistency.   A friendly conversation along these lines is influential.  It's powerful compared to telling someone how or why to change. 

Friendly experts allow people to open their minds, confirm purpose, and plot their path to change.  They help clarify and reinforce reasons rather than give reasons.  The Startup CEO owns this process.  Start with warmth and a strong ambition to help individuals reach a better version of themselves or their circumstances.  Then, link their purpose to your company's capability and watch resistance fade away.   The ingredients for suasion are brewing.

Are you pondering the thinking behind this post?  Engage with your point of view at converse@marketenabledsales.com