When you think about doing something, from where do you get more motivation?
Are you motivated internally or externally?
Internally, by your own criteria, and how you’ll judge yourself, or externally, based on the criteria of others and how they’ll judge you?
For most of us, we’re a mix of both. Which is better?
It depends. So long as you’re getting your needs and wants, it doesn’t really matter.
However, if you are persuading others, it’s crucial to understand how others get their motivation.
For instance, if somebody is highly externally motivated, and you try and persuade them by telling them how good they’ll feel about themselves when they do what you are suggesting, it won’t have much of an effect.
On the other hand, if somebody is highly internally motivated, and you try and persuade them based on how other people will think of them should they take your suggestions, it will actually have the opposite effect.
How do you find out? Ask a few open ended questions, and just pay close attention to how they describe their answers.
How did they make their past few purchasing decisions?
Do they often consult with others when making a big purchase?
How do they know when they’ve done a really good job?
These will give you some solid clues, and make it a lot easier to persuade them.