The art of changing the other person‟s mind without resentment is to let him change it himself, by laying certain facts, tactfully, before him and letting him munch on them.
Mr. Paul Lewis, associated with me, told me of his neighbor up in Riverdale, Connecticut, who catches fish on rainy days, sunny days, cloudy days; on winter, spring, fall, summer days. He immediately cuts them open. He sees what kind of food the fish have eaten that day. He then knows what bait to use to catch the fish.
Of course we can‟t dissect the prospect, but we can find out what is on his mind, what kind of “mental food” he likes, and then feed him his own food.
I may like spaghetti, but I would not fish with spaghetti if I wanted to catch fish. I‟d use the bait the fish liked. If I took a client to dinner, I would not order for him the food I liked, but the food he liked. How do you find out the “mental dishes” he likes? By inquiring before you attach! By asking questions – by being a “question-mark” and not an “exclamation-point” interviewer.
Lord Chesterfield once said: “By observing his favorite topic of conversation, you will discover a man‟s prevailing vanity.”
Let the other fellow do 99 per cent of the talking. Learn by listening!
That is the way to find out what is on his mind; and once you have this information, feed him the “mental dishes” he likes.
The rule is simple:
“Feed him the bait he likes – and you will sell him!”
P. 131
Powered by FlippingBook