With reference to Indeed Editorial Team, persuasion is the ability to influence other people's thoughts and opinions using convincing arguments and facts. Persuasion skills are necessary to help individuals consider alternative points of view in professional situations (2022). As the owner of a small business, I utilize persuasion quite often. Two ways in which I do so is through discount promotions and "giving back" promotions. I understand that finances are a bit stretched lately due to the effects of COVID where persons were out of jobs for a minimum of two years however, life still goes on, and we still have our families to support. Hence, every month I offer promotional discounts ranging from 20%-40% to provide the opportunity for my customers to purchase my products and services. By doing this, I have realized that it has built consumer loyalty as they feel a sense of compassion and understanding as we all navigate to get back to, or as close to where we were prior to the pandemic.

Through my "giving back" initiative, four times per year (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Back to School, and Christmas) I give away gift packages/small tokens to my customers who have patronized my business throughout the particular year. I also do giveaways for a few persons who are less fortunate, so they may not have the finances to patronize my business, but they are apart of my community. I am one who strongly believes in giving back to the people who support me, as well as helping the people who are in need.Additionally, I have also been able to gain new clientele through both methods.

Benefits of using persuasion in the workplace:

• Convincing someone to agree with you in the moment
• Making it easier to market or sell your goods or services
• Helping you build rapport with other people quickly
• Improving the likelihood of a successful negotiation

Risk of using persuasion in the workplace:

• Can result in lost of trust if the task that one was persuaded to do, has a negative effect on the organization and/or the individual directly. The colleague will lose trust and will not be obliged to listen or be swayed in your direction the next time there is an issue.

As a business leader, I will utilize my persuasion skills as an agent for positive change through empowering trust. Trust is a very important aspect in any relationship, and this is especially so in business. I am of the belief that if I am seen as a trustworthy person, it will be much easier for me as a leader. I personally wouldn't want to follow a leader whom I do not trust. Hence, the most important step for me as a leader, is to build trust among my team, and that starts with the leader.

QUESTIONS:

• Ask a question about the ways in which your colleague has used persuasion in a business environment.
• Share an insight you gained from your colleague's perspective on the benefits and risks of utilizing persuasion in a business environment.
• Provide an additional suggestion or share your thoughts on your colleague's explanation of how they will use their own skills of persuasion to be an agent of positive change.