COMMUNICATORS: INFLUENCING PEOPLE

Few year ago, while attending one of the meetings related to the Dialogue on Trade Potential between countries, I head a very senior officer explaining his colleague: 

One who has knowledge (on a particular subject), needs a platform or people around him where he can speak out his mind. Else he feels restlessness. We should think of holding this trade dialogue. 

I noted down the line in my diary - One who has knowledge (on a particular subject), needs a platform or people around him where he can speak out his mind. 

However, in today's scenario, I would edit the above line I wrote in my diary - 

One who thinks he has knowledge (on a particular subject), needs people around him to listen. He should not merely dominate his conversation while speaking out his mind but should learn from people around him too. 

Few years ago, I believed that the more you talk, the more you think you’ve learned. But now I believe, learning is a lifelong process. And as I now firmly believe that it is okay to change my mind about something as I go along. 

Adam Grant in his book GIVE and TAKE mentions about the three categories - 1. Givers 2. Takers 3. Matchers which I have depicted in the table below. 

The author is working with an innovative optometry company called Eye Care Associates, with the goal of figuring out what distinguishes star sellers from the rest of the pack. Every employee in the company has filled out a survey about whether they’re givers, takers, or matchers, and now it’s time for him to see them in action.

I enter an eye care office and express an interest in replacing a pair of broken sunglass frames that I purchased at LensCrafters. I walk over to a display case, and I'm approached by my very first salesman. 

1st Salesman	He (salesperson) shows me a snazzy pair of glasses, and swiftly launches into a compelling pitch with powerful communication. The lenses are tailor-made for driving. The contours of the frames accentuate the shape of my face. The color matches my skin tone. I’ve never been mistaken for cool, but I briefly flirt with the fantasy that these shades could transform me into James Bond—or at least James Woods. When I express concerns about the price, the salesman confidently assures me that they’re worth it. They fit me so perfectly, he says, that the designers must have had a winning face like mine in mind when they created these shades. I develop a sneaking suspicion that he’s flattering me to make the sale.	Taker
2nd Salesman	At another office, the salesperson offers to do me a favor. He’ll replace my frames for free, if I switch over to his office for eye exams.	Matcher
3rd Salesman -  Name:   Kildare Escoto	We’re the exact same age, but Kildare calls me “sir,” and I sense that he means it. He speaks softly and asks me some basic questions before he even pulls out a single tray of sunglasses from the case. Have I ever been here before? Do I have a prescription to fill? What’s my lifestyle like—do I play sports? He listens carefully to my answers and gives me some space to contemplate. I have 20/20 vision, but Kildare is so good that I suddenly feel the urge to buy a pair of shades. I blow my cover. I tell him I’m studying the techniques of outstanding salespeople—is he willing to discuss his approach? Kildare objects. “I don’t look at it as selling,” he explains. “I see myself as an optician. We’re in the medical field first, retail second, sales maybe third. My job is to take the patient, ask the patient questions, and see what the patient needs. My mind-set is not to sell. My job is to help. My main purpose is to educate and inform patients on what’s important. My true concern in the long run is that the patient can see.	Giver

Lessons I Learnt 

1. Be inclined toward asking questions than offering answers or leading with your own answer. It is a sure shot way to be able to understand anyone's (known or unknown; familiar or unfamiliar) concerns and address them. 

 

2. Regularly seek feedback, advice* and help (from knowledgeable colleagues). 

Benefits of Seeking Advice:  

i. Learning new things which we didn't know before. 

ii. Encouraging others i.e., from whom we are seeing advice, to understand our Perspective. 

iii. Advisers Commitment to us.      

iv. An act wherein we grant the advisers prestige, showing that we respect and admire their insights and expertise.