I just spent half the day visiting old friends and playing with their children. What amazes me is how children are such experts at getting want they want. Which makes me wonder when we lose such a vital skills for business.
Asking better questions
When you say no to an adult they take that to actually mean no. Even when we receive no answer at all we can tend to assume the answer is no as well. but for children… no is just a starting point for negotiation.
You can see their minds working when they hear the word no. They realise that no does not always mean no and that the answer can be changed. All they have to do is find the right way to ask for what they want.
Persistence
This is backed up by their determination and persistence. They see what they want and focus their energy on getting it. They just keep coming back until they get what they want.
If adults had this kind of focus and determination we’d all achieve a lot more. There would be a lot more people with completed goals. Not to mention a lot more fulfilled people.
Persuasion
Children are great persuaders. It’s surprising how quickly they learn just what hot buttons to push to get the result they desire. It’s like they’ve got a built in persuasion system running 24/7.
They’re also great at working out what would make their parents happy and using it as leverage. This ability to put themselves in their parents shoes is remarkable since most business owners can’t do it. When we turn into adults most of us seem to lose this ability of instant empathy.
What you do next
Take a lesson from your children or those around you. How can you ask better questions, be more persistent, and improve your persuasion skills? I’m sure we can all learn a lot from the children around us to improve our own business skills.
