A short instructional monologue (YouTube video excerpt) by Bill Gallagher advising that successful proposals depend less on the initial pitch and more on listening and questioning. By attending to behavioral cues, asking curious questions, and framing proposals to match what the other person truly needs, you increase the likelihood they'll say yes.
When you're in conversation with people, what's more important is not what you say at first anyway, the pitch that's just the beginning of a conversation. It's all of the listening and the questioning that you do when you're listening and questioning for what's going on and what does this person care about? How are they responding to this? And you're asking them directly as well as listening for all the little clues, the cues in their behavior. You'll notice what they really need and you'll be able to express your proposal in a way that actually fits what they need in their world and they'll say yes. When people hear what they want, what's an opportunity for them, they say yes naturally, easily, effortlessly and they begin to act on that. So the key is not so much of what we say but all of the listening. Become a better listener, become more curious and you'll get yes far more often.
