Transform Your Sales Approach Using Ethical Influence

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become an ethical influencer? In a world filled with persuasion approaches, understanding the science of ethical influence can set you apart as a a person of integrity.

In this post, we’ll consider a fundamental concept from Robert Cialdini’s New York Times best-seller, Pre-suasion, and show you how it can reshape your influence approaches.

What is focal is presumed causal.

Robert Cialdini, the most cited living social psychologist on influence and persuasion, has a remarkable insight: “What is focal is presumed causal.” This simple statement holds the key to understanding why directing attention is so important to achieve successful influence outcomes.

Let’s face it, we’re overloaded with information and choices, so directing attention effectively is crucial. As an ethical influencer, it’s your responsibility to guide people towards decisions that benefit both parties, while maintaining transparency. I like to put it this way: “Good for you, good for me, then we’re good to go.” Let’s see how this can improve your sales approach.

The Power of Strategic Questions

One practical way to implement the “focal is presumed causal” idea is through the use of strategic questions. The goal isn’t merely to secure a commitment from your prospect; it’s about guiding the conversation while subtly influencing perceptions of the situation.

Imagine you’re in a sales meeting, and your prospect is considering your product or service. Instead of immediately launching into your presentation (an all too common mistake), start with thoughtful questions. For instance:

“What goals are you looking to achieve in the next quarter?”

“What challenges are holding you back?”

“How do you envision our product/service helping you overcome these challenges?”

These questions accomplish two critical objectives:

Shift the Focus: By asking about their goals and challenges, you shift the focus of the conversation to their needs and goals. This aligns with the concept of directing attention, as what becomes the center of attention is presumed to be of causal significance.

Give Them Control: When you let your prospect share their thoughts and concerns, they feel in control of the conversation and decision-making process. This is critical in ethical influence because it avoids a sense of coercion.

Social Proof

Another ethical influence approach inspired by Cialdini’s work is to incorporate social proof. In his books Influence and Pre-suasion, he discusses the power of this principle of persuasion, which is the idea that people tend to follow the actions of similar others when making decisions.

In a sales, you can leverage this principle by honestly conveying how others have made similar decisions and benefited from them. The more similar those “others” are to your prospective client the better. For example:

“Many of our clients who faced similar challenges found our solution extremely effective.”

“Several companies in your industry have adopted our services and seen remarkable results.”

By weaving these truthful statements into the conversation, you’re not only directing attention to the positive experiences of others, but you’re also building credibility and trust. This creates a perception that choosing your product or service is a logical step, as others have already done so successfully.

Transforming Your Influence Approach

As a Cialdini trainer and LinkedIn influencer, my “why” is to give you practical tools to ethically influence people. In addition to Cialdini’s work, the necessity of ethical influence is also detailed in my books Influence PEOPLE, Persuasive Selling, and The Influencer.

So, let’s do a quick recap:

Directing Attention: Focus on what matters most to your audience and keep the conversation on those points.

Strategic Questions: Use thoughtful questions to engage, understand, and guide your prospects towards mutually beneficial decisions.

Social Proof: Highlight social proof by sharing the positive experiences of others who have chosen your solution.

When you incorporate these approaches in your unique context, you’ll become a more effective influencer and be viewed as a person of integrity. Both are much needed at a time when trust and respect matter more than ever.

Closing Questions to Ponder

How have you integrated ethical influence strategies into your professional life? What creative approaches have you discovered to direct attention and build social proof ethically?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and let’s inspire each other to transform our influence approaches for the better. As Simon Sinek says, “Together is better,” so let’s make a positive impact through ethical influence together, one conversation at a time.

Written in conjunction with ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute.

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion is rapidly approaching a million viewers!