As I was rewatching a masterclasses from Steph Tuss, I started to think of all I've learned about persuasive writing over the years. And,Reader, I came to the conclusion that all sales come to these three questions:

• What do you want?
• What's in the way of you attaining that?
• What needs to change for you to attain it?

All other questions are either follow-ups to clarify or to expand on these questions.

Unsurprisingly, these are the same questions we would ask ourselves if we wanted to make a change in our life.

Because, in the end, the goal of sales is to influence other's behavior.

Now, how that power is used is a whole other question. Influence is having the power to affect, control or, manipulate. Where affect becomes manipulation depends in a person's approach to power dynamics in a relationship.

I think this is where an old, obsolete definition of influence is useful: the action of flowing in. This comes from its older Latin root īnfluō, which means flow into.

This idea of flow ingrained in the word's history can help us understand sales as an ethical practice of influence.

Because the person who has the power to affect can only do so when the person listening allows those ideas to flow into their mind.

This requires a view of the other as an autonomous person who can choose to listen or not listen as well as listen but disagree.

If someone doesn't want to listen, that creates a barrier to the flow.

Those barriers can be a sign of incompatibility (at which point I personally think it's often best to walk away), or it may just be objections.

One can address objections, which (at the core) is all about addressing people's fears and concerns.

Anything beyond that often turns into douchy marketing practices that rely on tactics like shaming. This is where we enter into coercion territory.

But maybe understanding the role of influence and power dynamics in the sales process can help you see you have a choice in how to approach it.

This in turn can make the sales process feel a little more comfortable, knowing that you can choose to positively influence people's lives with their consent.

✌️Elizabeth

Content Strategist and Copywriter| Creative Copy by Elizabeth​

P.S. I know this is a complex matter with many layers, and I myself am still working through it, so if you have any thoughts on the matter, I'd love to hear them.