Timing and Audience
As with most of life, persuasion tends to come down to one or two key things, namely, timing and audience. While mastery of specific persuasive techniques is important, the most important things that you can do to persuade someone is gauge the right time to approach them and how best to use what you know about them. Obviously, you would persuade a child in a different way than you would attempt to persuade an entire society (which would still be a different way than how you would persuade your spouse). Moreover, as we all know, convincing someone to buy a diamond necklace in December can be a very different experience from convincing them to purchase it during the spring.
Timing
Timing really is everything. Our success (or lack thereof) at persuasion may have a lot to do with timing, when we attempt the persuasion, how frequently we attempt the persuasion, for how long we attempt the persuasion, and at what point we change persuasive techniques. For example, imagine that you own a small dress shop. Obviously, you advertise more at certain times of the year; spring is a common time for formal events and weddings whereas back-to-school months typically require fewer formal dresses. During off months, you may advertise less but offer bigger discounts as a means of persuading people to come to your store. Moreover, while wedding dresses are usually ordered months in advance, prom dresses are usually purchased within six weeks leading up to the event. The ads that you run to promote these different events should be focused on different times. Likewise, if you purchase local TV air time for ads catered to a prom, the ideal time for the ads to air will be during popular youth shows (as opposed to something teens are less likely to watch such as the nightly news).
If you are attempting a one-on-one persuasion, you likely will want to evaluate the timing of your attempt to fit the ideal time for the target of your persuasion. Your goal is not only to give them your pitch but also to do so at a time when they will be most receptive. If you want an advance on your allowance, ask mom on payday, not the day before. If you need new shoes for a school event, do not ask the night before you have to have them unless the shoes you want are sold at Wal-Mart (which is where your parent is likely to take you if they do not have adequate time to look for sales or for coupons). Capitalize on timing that makes sense. If you want a week off for vacation, give your boss plenty of notice, and choose a time when no one else will be out to minimize the downside.
Persuasion, depending on the goal, should only be used occasionally. There is a point in the life cycle of a song where having it played on the radio all the time leads to album sales; likewise, there is also a point where having it played all the time may lead to everyone hating that song. When in doubt, assume that your audience will respond the same way to overaggressive or persistent persuasion. There is a reason no one likes the woman at the office who goes on vacation all the time; she is abusing the system. If you get too greedy with your attempts at persuasion, it is likely to be noticed and probably will eventually catch up with you.
Also, embrace time as your friend. If time has passed since something last occurred, exploit that. Have not asked for a raise in two years? Include that in your pitch. Using time as a weapon can be highly effective when it is based on truth; the only downside is that it requires patience to qualify.
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