Keeping Attention:
A Bored Mind Says NO!
It
is common sense to realize you have to keep your audience’s attention
in order to persuade them. If you lose them, you lose
your chance
for them to understand and accept your proposal. We know from our
own personal experience that we tend to let our minds naturally
drift when we are listening to other people. We cannot
focus on one item
for too long unless we are forced to do so. Master Persuaders
can make a person want to pay attention and stay focused.
You may lose
your audience’s attention from time to time but it is your
job to bring them back to full attention status. You can help your
prospect lose track of time. Some estimate
that the average adult attention span is about 18 minutes. What’s
more, studies indicate that attention spans have been decreasing
steadily over the past decade. After our attention
span is lapsed, we fall into boredom and no longer listen. You
have to be creative to maintain the mental involvement that is
required to persuade a mind. One way to keep the mind harnessed
is to give your audience enough time to process what you are telling
them. You can tell by the look in their eyes if you have lost them.
I’m sure you have taken seminars or college classes where you have
been completely lost. When the professor asks questions, you don’t
raise your hand because you have no idea what is going on. Give
your listeners enough time to absorb what you’re saying, but obviously
not so long that they become totally bored and detached.
Some more ideas on ways to help people choose to pay attention:
- Use
questions
- Make startling
statements
- Use quotes
- Change
mediums
- Provide
relevant examples
- Make them
feel important
-
Speak in the first person
- Keep your
body moving
- Give them
short-cuts or tips
- Present
new and innovative ideas
- Avoid excessive
detail
- Make sure
your transitions flow (or your prospects will get lost)
You can see
that these techniques are used to grab back the attention of
your listeners
when their minds have started wandering. Employed
properly, they will bring your audience’s attention back
to you.
Thousands of sales are lost each day simply because the salesperson
talks too much. Salespeople tend to oversell by making a laundry
list of reasons why people should buy their product. This is not
what people want to hear. As a result, they will always find one
reason or another not to buy. The more benefits you list, the greater
the chances that your prospect will find a reason not to buy. Overselling
will also kill the emotions of the prospect.
Movement is
another common technique for grabbing attention. It causes us
to be alert. Stores utilizing movement-oriented end-caps
(displays at the end of the aisle) always have more shoppers around
than those end-caps without movement. This strategy can be used
to your advantage when doing a presentation. Be sure your movements
are purposeful and well-timed and your audience will be more tuned
in to your message.
In
the next Millionaire Diamond Mine
The Art of Questioning
|
