“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.”— Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, 2007.
“Television won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” — Darryl Zanuck, executive at 20th Century Fox, 1946.
Innovation is often met with opposition. If you’re ready to adopt GovPilot and desperately trying to convince colleagues to come on board, you know this all too well. Naysayers will offer endless explanations for their resistance: “we already have a system”, “we don’t have room in the budget”, the list of excuses goes on, but your list of reasons to adopt GovPilot is longer.
Convince colleagues to come on board.
You know that GovPilot is superior to competitors, you understand how adopting our government software can help your administration save money in the long run and you’ve read the reviews from satisfied clients. The following tips will help you convey all of this and more to skeptical colleagues.
3 Tips to Master the Art of Persuasion
1. Stories, Not Stats
Data can bring about positive change, but, as the findings of a Carnegie Mellon University study illustrate, the best way to present facts and figures is to weave them into a narrative.
Stats are boooring! The best way to present facts and figures is to weave them into a narrative.
Researchers followed two groups of students as they tried to solicit donations to improve the lives of people in various African countries suffering through drought, food shortages, and homelessness. One group’s pitch explained the severity of the situation through numbers, while the other pitch told the story of a starving girl named, Rokia, complete with a picture of her. The students who used the story raised more than twice as much money for the cause. You see, a story adds a personal touch that makes people want to get involved. Need a narrative? There are no shortage of GovPilot customer success stories to choose from.
2. Use Your Power, but Know Your Place
Whether it’s the department head,the mayor, or a colleague who has simply worked with the administration longer than you have, you may not be on equal footing with the person you’re trying to persuade. Believe it or not, this can be a huge advantage.
Your superior is more likely to trust the judgment of a subject matter expert, especially when the subject is one they're unfamiliar with.
As Bill Nye says, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” When swaying a superior to see things your way, it helps to remind them of this. If you’re the IT Manager, for example, you know that GovPilot’s cloud-based server defends sensitive constituent data from today’s increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats. Communicate respectfully, but don’t shy away from sharing unique insights. Your superior is more likely to trust the judgment of a subject matter expert, especially when the subject is one they’re unfamiliar with.
3. Three-peat It
Repeat key points for emphasis. Repeat key points for emphasis. Repeat key points for emphasis. Is it working?
Your brain on repetition.
The human brain is wired to notice repetition and patterns.Repeat exposure to an idea makes it easier to digest than when it is first proposed. When pitching a plan or concept, experts recommend that you reiterate the important information two or three times with differences in phrasing. The person you’re speaking with may not realize that they just heard the same thing more than once, but their brain will take notice and they’ll become more likely to see your perspective. Let’s try it! Workflow automation streamlines everyday government processes. Automated workflows clear communication channels, schedule inspections and trigger alerts and emails, so you don’t have to! Same concept said two ways.
The art of persuasion is a valuable skill to master, especially when your goal is to persuade colleagues to adopt the highly valuable GovPilot platform. Click the button below for more tips for convincing colleagues that change is good.
