What the best salespeople know, say and do
How to Maximise Your Influence
The Power of the Cats and Dogs Analogy
We use this analogy a lot when we train sales and business people. It comes from
the work of Michael Grinder who has written a book called Charisma. We wanted to
give you a bit more information in this resource section because, applied well, you
can really make a difference in the way you influence people.
Think about what you do in selling – all the time you are establishing rapport for the
first time or building rapport with an existing client. Good sales people do this
instinctively – they understand that there needs to be some sort of connection
between you and the buyer before he or she will buy. Brilliant salespeople know the
importance of rapport and consciously choose to create this as part of the influencing
process.
Equally your clients and prospects are identifying whether you have credibility. If you
are not believable they will not buy from you. So - do you know your client, his
organisation, your products, your organisation, and the market?
The point here is that you can create rapport and credibility in lots of different ways –
as outlined in Brilliant Selling. The unusual aspect we focused on is the fact that you
can use your voice to support your intention – building rapport or establishing
credibility. Here is a reminder of the voice patterns that you can use:
Credibility
Rapport
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Slow
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Fast
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Intonation goes down at the end
of the sentence or phrase
Use pauses
Short, clipped sentences
Monosyllabic
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Intonation goes up at the end of
the sentence or phrase
Use few pauses
Long, possibly rambling
sentences
Lots of variety and musicality in
the voice
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Examples of situations you may use these voice patterns (overleaf) are when you:
How to Maximise Your Influence
www.brilliant-selling.com
Page 1
What the best salespeople know, say and do
Credibility
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Rapport
start talking about your products
emphasise key benefits
answer an objection
attempt a trial close
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talk to a gate keeper on the
telephone
first meet your prospect
are discussing personal things
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use humour
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Charisma – Cats and Dogs
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Why do some people attract our attention as they enter a room?
Why do we readily accept their ability to influence?
Why do people say yes to a person’s ideas, even when they have said no to
the same idea when it was offered earlier by someone else?
The answer? Charisma!
If you don’t have it, can you get it? Yes!!!
The Cats and Dogs behavioural model was created by Michael Grinder – it is a non
judgmental way to understand people and provides strategies to bring them on
board. Have you ever owned a cat or a dog? If so, you will instinctively know the
differences in their personalities. When you call your dog, it usually comes. Cats
tend to react very differently! It’s all about the degree of independence or
accommodation. Cat and dog behaviours are at opposite ends of a continuum - we
all have both cat and dog behaviour in us. The power of influence is that we are able
to recognise which part is required at any given moment in a sales situation.
How to Maximise Your Influence
www.brilliant-selling.com
Page 2
What the best salespeople know, say and do
You can find out more if you go and buy Michael Grinder’s book called Charisma:
Author Michael Grinder
Pages 126 – nice and short!
Overview
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Why do some people seem to attract attention when they walk into a room?
What if you could increase your ability to predict-with high accuracy-what was
going to happen next?
What if you could tap into your persuasive communicator and strengthen
interpersonal relationships?
What if you could repeat your patterns of success?
Known for his groundbreaking work in group dynamics, this time, Michael has written
a book designed specifically for you - to help you create your own charisma. By
identifying specific attributes that create charisma, Michael offers new and exciting
communication techniques in his latest book Charisma -The Art of Relationships.
Charisma -The Art of Relationships is a blueprint of developing charisma, showing
you proven methods to:
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Understand and accept yourself and others
Separate your and others- intentions from actions
Interpret your and others- behaviors more accurately
Provide new ideas on resolving conflict including, knowing which conflicts not
to try to resolve
Improve your leadership skills and manage difficult personalities
How to Maximise Your Influence
www.brilliant-selling.com
Page 3
What the best salespeople know, say and do
Charisma -The Art of Relationships answers these and more. Anyone who has ever
owned a cat and a dog instinctively knows the differences between their
personalities. By using the analogy of animals, this book examines people as if they
are cats and dogs...
Charisma -The Art of Relationships is not a personality model. It is a behavioural
model assisting us in recognizing the patterns of communication between people.
Recognizing patterns adds meaning to our perception. Developing both our catness
and dogness results in increased charisma. A charismatic leader has a followship of
dogs and a fellowship of cats.
How to Maximise Your Influence
www.brilliant-selling.com
Page 4