5 persuasive tactics for faster buy-in

ROBERT HOEKMAN, JR- You know that nervous feeling you get when you recommend something to clients?

It’s because you know they’re going to wonder why, and you’re going to have to spit out some sort of explanation. And you're going to stutter through it with meaningless phrases: "That’s how it’s usually done." "I think this is the way to go."

Instead, enter the discussion with a solid argument in your back pocket. To truly convince a client, nothing beats a lucid, coherent argument based on evidence. You may be a designer, but when it comes to pitching an idea, you have to act like sales rep. Here are five techniques for making the sale.

1. LISTEN AND REPEAT THEIR WORDS

Oftentimes, your client is trying to tell you things they don’t know how to express. Your job as a designer is to pick through the subtleties and pull out the truths they’re not being explicit about. Before you can make a case for any kind of solution, you need to know what the problem is. And that means listening.

Listening helps you determine what the constraints of a project really are, what the client’s concerns and goals really are.

Read more from FastcoDesign.com [HERE].