For many of us, the New Year brings a renewed sense of optimism and opportunity. It can give us a chance to refocus on our personal and business goals and, for those who manage teams, it provides the perfect opportunity to set out new plans and objectives.
But regardless of whether we use this milestone as the starting point to lose weight, commit to more exercise, win that elusive new account or just become a little more efficient at work — somewhere on the road to change our motivation to remain committed might wane.
In a series of studies Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire found that whilst over half of people who make a New Year resolution are confident of success, in reality only around 12 per cent actually achieve their goal. Clearly a few insights into persuading oneself to stick to the task might be helpful.
Identifying the factors that led to greater success, Wiseman uncovered some interesting gender differences. For example, men are 22 per cent more likely to achieve their goals if they set specific objectives and write them down. Women are 10 per cent more likely to achieve their goals if they go public and share them with their family and friends.
But what if our challenge is to persuade others to change? A 2008 study from Chicago University's Graduate School of Business found that teams and individuals with relatively weak motivation made much more progress towards achieving a business goal when it was pointed out to them how much progress they had already made. By contrast, adopting the same strategy for those with relatively high levels of motivation was less productive. Instead, focusing their attention on how much work that still remained to be done was far more effective.
Such an approach might also apply when it comes to motivating your customers and clients into doing more business with you and your company. For those less committed and motivated customers, pointing out what you have already achieved together should prove to be the best approach to growing your business.
For your more committed clients, presenting a compelling picture of how much more you could achieve together could prove to be especially effective.
Steve Martin is co-author of Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion. Visit influenceatwork.co.uk
blog comments powered by
