A Compelling Argument to Get What You Want

Sitting at a Starbucks on a Saturday morning with the Cherry Park gang after a 4 mile sweatfest, a friend's daughter was begging her mom for a cell phone. The same old request got the same old answer from mom: No.

I told her she needed to create a compelling argument to convince her mom of why she needs a cell phone. That concept was lost on the 14 year old. I find that concept is also lost on many people in the workforce.

Employees want more from their employers. Employers want more from their employees. Salespeople want to take customers from their competitors. How do we make this happen? Begging? Whining? Wishing?

Employees want more from their employers

Because the economy is down people are getting less training, attending fewer conferences and expecting to perform more work for the same pay. It is the world we are living in. What if you wanted to attend a conference you get great value out of, but because of budget cuts fewer people get to go this year. Some people just accept they can't go. Others whine about losing the opportunity. What's your compelling argument? What piece of information could you present to your boss in the appropriate manner to convince him or her that you benefit and the company would benefit for you being at that conference?

Don't give up. Create the compelling information where you get to go to your conference. How important is it to you? Would you pay for the room? Or would you cover the cost of the flight? When I mentioned these ideas to one person whining about not getting to go to a conference he said he always got huge benefit from, he shot back, "I'm not paying for anything. If the company won't pay my way, screw'em!" I'm guessing he didn't see as great of personal value in that conference as he was suggesting.

Ask yourself how bad do you want it? If you want it bad enough you will find the compelling argument. don't fall into the trap of apathy, because you will never get what you are looking for that way.

Employers want more from employees

British Airways has asked employees to work a month without pay because the airline is in a desperate financial situation. The cynical employee might say, "It's not my fault the company is in this situation, it's not my job to help it out." Other employees might be willing to offer to help if the company made a compelling argument besides, "We are about to go under."

Once again, create the compelling argument that convinces employees this is what is best for them, the airline and the passengers. I believe unless management has totally ruined their working relationship with the employees, most people want to be helpful. But the executives need to think about their compelling argument to convince people to work a month without pay.

Taking customers from competitors

Unless a competitor totally blew an account, business customers will stay with who they are currently using most of the time. So sales people either play garbage men, picking up the accounts that have been tossed away, or they get progressive and try to be in control of their own destiny by creating a compelling argument to convince the customer they would be better off jumping ship to join you.

Today, people are savvy to spin information and jaded to big fancy pronouncements; in fact, those things will keep customers from coming with you in today's market place.

What is the compelling argument your customers need to hear so they see no other option than to work with you? Remember, the compelling argument says less about you and more about the benefits to the customer. Bashing the competition isn't a compelling argument, but talking about the overwhelming improvement in the customer's situation when they work with you is.

Spend the time creating compelling arguments to get what you are after and you will be surprised at how many times you are given what you want, willingly.