How to Persuade Certain People (Charismatics, Thinkers, Skeptics, Followers, and Controllers)

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How to Persuade Certain People (Charismatics, Thinkers, Skeptics, Followers, and Controllers)
How do you persuade other persons? It depends! To persuade someone else, we need to understand their specific decision-making style for us to influence them throughout the process.

According to a survey among 1,400 executives from a range of industries, the interviewees usually fall into one of five decision-making categories: Charismatics, Thinkers, Skeptics, Followers, and Controllers:

CHARISMATICS
Charismatics can be initially exuberant about a new idea or proposal but will yield a final decision based on a balanced set of information.

• account for 25% of all interviewees
• examples include Richard Branson, Lee Iacocca, Herb Kelleher, and Oprah Winfrey 

Characteristics of a Charismatic

• easily enthralled by new ideas
• move quickly from the big idea to the specifics
• absorb large amounts of information rapidly
• process the world visually
• learn from bad experience
• care about bottom-line results and competitiveness
• make decision methodically and based on balanced information

Strategies of persuading a Charismatic

• slightly undersell the parts that pique his interest
• focus on results
• be honest and up-front about the risks
• start the presentation with the most critical information
• have an interactive meeting
• use buzzwords such as results, proven, actions, show, watch, look, bright, easy, clear, and focus

THINKERS
Thinkers can exhibit contradictory points of view within a single meeting and need to cautiously work through all the options before coming to a decision.

• account for 11% of all interviewees
• examples include Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Katharine Graham, and Alan Greenspan

Characteristics of a Thinker

• the most difficult decision makers to understand and the toughest to persuade
• cerebral, intelligent, logical, and academic
• impressed with arguments that are quantitative and supported by data
• desire to anticipate change and to win
• driven by the need to retain control than by the need to innovate
• thought process is selective but not always methodical

Strategies of persuading a Thinker

• focus on methodology for getting from point A to point B
• be up-front about the risks
• only recommend the best options
• refrain from drawing conclusions for a thinker
• leave a thinker ample time and space to come to his own conclusions
• use buzzwords such as quality, academic, think, numbers, make sense, intelligent, plan, expert, competition, and proof

SKEPTICS
Skeptics remain highly suspicious of data that don't fit with their worldview and make decisions based on their gut feelings.

• account for 19% of all interviewees
• examples include Steve Case, Larry Ellison, and Tom Siebel

Characteristics of a Skeptic

• highly suspicious of every single data point, especially any information that challenges his worldview
• have very strong personalities
• trust people who are similar to him
• self-absorbed and act primarily on gut feelings
• make decision quickly

Strategies of persuading a Skeptic

• establish credibility prior to or during the meeting, for instance, gaining an endorsement from someone the sceptic trusts
• give a sceptic room to save face if you need to connect him
• use buzzwords such as feel, grasp, power, action, suspect, trust, agreeable, demand, and disrupt

FOLLOWERS
Followers make decisions based on how other trusted executives, or they themselves, have made similar decisions in the past.

• account for 36% of the interviewees
• examples include Peter Coors, Douglas Draft, and Carly Fiorina
• people who are difficult to classify into a decision-making style are usually followers, because people in the other four groups show definitive characteristics

Characteristics of a Follower

• decide based on experience
• see the world through others' eyes
• prefer less risk
• rarely make out-of-the-box decisions
• cautious but can be spontaneous at times
• the easiest to persuade

Strategies of persuading a Follower

• use proven methods, references, and testimonials
• look for past decisions by the followers that support your views
• find similar decisions by other executives the followers trusts
• provide innovative yet proven, new but trusted, leading-edge yet somewhat safe solutions
• use buzzwords such as innovate, expedite, swift, bright, just like before, expertise, similar to, previous, what works, and old way

CONTROLLERS
Controllers focus on the pure facts and analytics of a decision because of their own fears and uncertainties.

• account for 9% of the interviewees
• examples include Jacques Nasser, Ross Perot, and Martha Stewart

Characteristics of a Controller

• abhor uncertainty and ambiguity
• focus on the pure facts and analytics of an argument
• have strong personality and can be overbearing
• see things only from their own perspective
• seldom genuinely listen to others or consider their input
• often make snap judgement and remarks that alienate others
• often jump to illogical conclusions
• avoid being held accountable

Strategies of persuading a Controller

• have a structured, linear, and credible argument
• offer the information a Controller needs and let him to make the choice to buy your idea
• leave ample time and space for him to convince themselves
• use buzzwords such as details, facts, reason, logic, power, handle, physical, grab, keep them honest, make them pay, and just do it

Have you come up with any of the types of leader mentioned? What strategy did you use? Did it work 😃?

Source: Williams, G. and Miller, R., 2002, "Change the Way Your Persuade", Harvard Business Review.

		Comments by rating▼ Comments by date Rating
		Pradon Manager, Suriname
	5 To Persuade Someone (Iemand Overtuigen) Personally I do not think it is bad to persuade, convince someone. It just depends on how it is conveyed and what theme is maintained at the time. For certain people you have to be convincing before h (...)

		Anonymous
	4 How to Convince Certain People This could be a matter of cultural differences, but I think the word "persuade" in the article is not meant in any unethical, enforcing obedience, or overly intrusive way, but rather as a synonym for (...)

		charity makwara Student (University)
	2 How Persuasion Works in Business Being able to persuade is the critical to negotiations and in marketing. I am a marketing person. To be able to close a sale you need to make the customer desire your product not in a manipulative way (...)

		Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	1 Persuading a Management Team @AZAEL LOPEZ: Yes, and a consequence of that is also that if you need to convince or persuade a management team like in the case of Anonymous, that is always a challenge, since there are several diffe (...)

		AZAEL LOPEZ Director, Honduras
	1 In a Team, you Need to Persuade Many People... @Anonymous: I am in totally agreement with your thoughts… So if we take a "team", it takes a lot of persuasion/convincing actions to make it work as a solid piece oriented toward "solid team results" (...)

		Anonymous
	1 Persuasion Depends on the Organizational Level of People Different people in the organisation perceive information differently. I'm a hotel cost controller. In several occasions I am faced with a situation of presenting periodic report findings and drawing (...)

		Guy de Rosnay Management Consultant, Mauritius
	0 Free Will in Persuasion @Eduardo oliva: I completely agree with you. Why do we have to force others to follow us? Isn't a true leader naturally attractive to those who share his perspectives or his ideas or...? Who is able t (...)

		eduardo oliva Professor, Mexico
	0 Ethics in Persuasion Why should I have to persuade someone to see/do anything that he/she does not want to see/do? For his/her own good/benefit? Or mine? Well, I have tried that. It does not work. It should not. Who am I (...)