Be Objective

Your credibility is vital. No one is going to come around to your way of thinking if they don’t trust your judgment. They won’t agree to drop the asking price, or move up the launch date, or invest in a new sports arena, or send you to a training course, just because you want it. They need to believe that it’s actually the right thing to do.

This means that you must avoid giving subjective judgments. Don’t say something is “great” or “best.” Be specific about it: It’s the most accurate this or the cheapest that or the fastest something or other. And it’s not “incredibly fast,” it’s “capable of speeds up to 95mph.” These are objective measures that you should be able to back up. They’re not just your opinion. That gives them clout.

So when you approach someone to talk about giving you what you want, make sure you have with you all the data you could need to back up these objective claims of yours. Don’t wait to be asked. Show you’ve done your research and volunteer the results. Demonstrate clearly why the asking price is too high, or sales will benefit from a March launch, or schools with modern sports facilities are more successful than those without,⁹ or how people with this training can contribute to their organizations.

Now you look like a real expert on the subject, instead of someone with a personal motive.