Sales Appeal Goes Beyond Reason
Classical rhetoricians believed that in an ideal world, reason would be the only mode of
argument necessary to convince someone of something. They also understood that they
did not live in an ideal world. That’s why they developed the ethical and emotional
appeals as persuasive alternatives – and you can’t win a sales presentation today without
them. “Decisions are rarely made on the basis of pure reason,” explains Alan Axelrod, an
expert on classical rhetoric and author of Getting Your Way Every Day: Mastering the
Lost Art of Pure Persuasion (AMACOM, 2006). “People commonly rely on trust or
confidence and feelings when deciding what to do.”
What this means for you, as a presenter, is that in addition to all the facts and data you
give your audience in an effort to appeal to their “logical selves,” you also must pay
attention to their “trusting selves” and their “emotional selves.” Here’s how:
The Appeal to Ethics This is really about pleading your own character or authority. The
most rational, logical argument will never gain traction if someone of questionable
character or integrity makes it. Ask yourself two questions, says Axelrod:
1. Do I have good reason to believe that my audience regards me as trustworthy?
2. Do I have good reason to believe that my audience regards me as an authority in
the field in which I am speaking?
Your answer to both questions needs to be “Yes” if you are to win the appeal to ethics
and, ultimately, win the sale. And to get two yeses you need to start working on this area
long before the actual presentation. For the first question, it means calling when you say
you’ll call, providing the information you say you’ll provide, keeping all appointments and
putting honesty before the sale – such as pointing out that a lower-priced product or a
competitor’s product would be better suited for the client’s needs. For the second
question, you need to demonstrate you’re more than a sales person – that you’re an
expert on the products and industry in which you work. It means working collaboratively
with the client to reach solutions and pointing out trends and new developments that are
relevant to customers. When you do all these things, you’ll win the ethical appeal.
The Appeal to Emotion Axelrod says that by the end of the eighteenth century,
rhetoricians not only accepted that the appeal to emotion was a legitimate mode of
persuasion, but that one couldn’t expect to persuade an audience without it. However, it
only works if you are able to do it with “skill and discretion,” says Axelrod. In other words,
don’t tell an audience they should feel sad or that you were terrified by something; show
them with an anecdote. “The emotional appeal requires you to tell a story,” he explains.
“Done well, this type of appeal will not merely acquaint others with your point of view; it
will produce in them the very feelings associated with your point of view.” But even the
best storytellers won’t clinch the appeal to emotion without next giving the audience an
outlet for that emotion. Once you’ve told your story and created the appropriate feelings in
your audience, give them something to do with that feeling. “Give your audience specific
instructions for action, then close by assuring them that their action will be effective in
achieving what has now been transformed into a shared objective,” says Axelrod.
Once you’ve met the standards for an ethical appeal and have concluded your appeal to
emotion, you can reinforce your argument with an appeal to reason. By backing up
stories with relevant facts and statistics you’ll craft a solid argument, supported by all
three pillars of persuasion, which will be hard to refute.