Taking the Conversation Where You Want It To Go

Composed at Slippery Rock State University in Pennsylvania--

A while back, I needed a way to explain and demonstrate success scripts in seminars and in articles so I invented "Predictive Dialog."  Predictive Dialog is the art of taking the conversation where you want it to go.

We engage in predictable conversation all day long about a variety of issues including sports, weather, traffic and personal health.  But Predictive Dialog is a more purposeful form of conversation.  If you've heard of Peter Drucker's "management by objective," it may be helpful to think of Predictive Dialog as "conversation by objective."

Predictive Dialog is not about manipulation---which involves deception---or control, often associated with domination.  Rather, Predictive Dialog is strategic.  It is not about controlling the conversation for your personal benefit as much as it is about influencing the conversation for the benefit of both parties.

A simple example of Predictive Dialog is known as the law of reciprocity.  For instance, if you say, “Good morning” to someone, that person will probably respond in kind.  If I ask you what you did over the weekend, you are likely to inquire about my weekend and so on.   

These types of interchanges are common. But what happens when a pro-active communicator initiates dialog in a more purposeful manner?

For example, a mother of a six year-old might find herself in an argument by insisting that the kid where a jacket when leaving the house.

Mom: Junior, wear your coat.

Junior:  I don't want to.

Mom: I said, "Wear your coat."

Junior: No!

By using Predictive Dialog, however, the conversation can go like this:

Mom: Junior, would you like to wear your jacket or carry it?

Son: Huh?  I, er . . . oh, I’ll wear it, I guess.

 
Predictive Dialog can be very effective as a selling tool.

Example #1--

Seller: Mr. Prospect, do you prefer the black model or the brown model?

(The question is phrased in such a way that the prospect is inclined to prefer one of these two models over no model.)

 

Example #2--

Salespeople are often in a position of having to win business from another vendor.  One of the best ways to do this is to identify the competition’s weakness and offer something better. Progress is made quickly when the prospect tells you the competition’s weakness.

Seller: What do you like least about your current vendor?

In the above example, the prospect may love their current vendor, but that isn’t the question, is it?  Such is the power of Predictive Dialog.

Learn more about Predictive Dialog and other forms of persuasion from my FastLearnerAudio (FLA) series on selling.  FLA3 consists of four one-hour audio CDs and four 30-page e-books on the subjects of:

- Selling More, Better, Faster
- Networking Like a Pro
- Negotiating for Fun and Profit
- 22 Sales Closes That Work