You may think that influencing skeptics would be extremely difficult, because they don't value any sort of opinions or information that are not congruent to their outlook on life. But the good thing about influencing the skeptic is that there is little left to the imagination and not very much guesswork involved. You don't have to spend time trying to figure out what the skeptic is thinking about, because they're going to tell you straight to your face. The key to influencing skeptics is to get them to place extreme value on the source of the data that is being used to influence them. Once they can place a value on that data, they will make their decision very quickly and not procrastinate. That's why it's extremely important to establish credibility as soon as possible. If the skeptic has no idea about you or what you've done, try to seek an endorsement from someone that they already view as credible. This will make things a lot easier for you.
Skeptics are suspicious by nature, and tend to distrust most things that they come across unless, of course, they've decided that the source of the information is credible or similar to them. Name brands, proven track records, and known leaders in any area are things that skeptics view as credible.
If you don't fit any of these criteria just yet, you must leverage the credibility of someone else that the skeptic trusts. Realize though that this tactic only gets you in the door. Once you are there, you still must earn the credibility needed to influence the skeptic. They will often do this by challenging you and asking you a lot of questions, so you should be prepared to answer them. This is nothing more than a test that skeptics perform to see whether or not they should believe anything that you have to say.
What's interesting, though, is that when they are questioning you, they're looking for reasons to not trust you. If they can't find them then you will begin to appear credible to them. With the skeptic, you start out with nothing. Through your ability to answer their questions and provide them with what they need to take you seriously, you begin to gain credibility. Skeptics trust no one without a proven track record.
The good news is that once you do establish credibility with a skeptic, everything else is much easier. Skeptics only let certain people into their inner circle, but once they are there, everything is different. They will then listen and trust most of what you have to say and make decisions very quickly.
You have to be able to stand up for yourself. But realize first that you can't change the skeptic’s paradigm or outlook on life. It is part of their human nature to not trust or except things at face value. That is why they challenge and question everything that they come across. They don't do this maliciously; they are just difficult people by nature. It's not your place to change that and you shouldn’t want to. Instead, accept it for what it is and influence accordingly.
Make no mistake; you are going to encounter very challenging situations with skeptics. But part of being a master of influence is realizing the type of person that you're dealing with and adjusting your presentation accordingly. It's easy to get frustrated upset or mad and want to walk away, but that's not what influence is about. Influence is about gaining compliance from anyone. Just as each person is different, every approach will be different. Realize that adjusting your presentation is just part of the game.
You must always appear as an expert in whatever it is that you are influencing someone to do. To become an expert, you must have the desire to want to learn. Once you do learn and once you gain a level of expertise that you desire, remember that you know more about the topic at hand then the skeptic that you're trying to persuade. Remain confident and trust in your ability even when the skeptic challenges it.
Aside from being naturally suspicious, skeptics also tend to be very rebellious people. You should know before going into a meeting with the skeptic that all of the events that take place should go according to when they want them to take place. This makes them feel as though they are in control, which will lower their defense mechanisms slightly.
Another challenge with skeptics is the fact that they can often go off track and skip from one subject to the next, making it difficult to follow their train of thought. This can be frustrating, and it could cause you to want to feel as though it's not even worth your time dealing with this type of a person. But again, if you want to become a master of influence, you need to understand that each person brings with him or herself a different set of challenges and there is always a way to overcome them. When a skeptic starts jumping from one subject to the next, simply have the person slow down and start over again. You could say something like. “I'm not sure if I understood what you're saying, let's go back to what you initially said about….”
It’s especially important to not reciprocate with a combative nature. When dealing with the skeptic, the best thing that you can do is control your emotions and your ego. When you become confrontational with skeptics, it only makes them more aggressive, because they tend to defend their egos. When they are in a state of defense, skeptics become difficult to influence. When they feel like they are in control, they become relaxed, making them more susceptible to influence.
By the same token, a skeptic will not respect you if you back down easily. They feel that if someone is correct about something, they should defend their opinion. So when you don't defend your opinion, it makes you appear as not credible. That's why it's extremely important to defend your point, but do so in a way that is non-combative. Never fight fire with fire or act aggressively. Instead, just be confident when responding to the intense questioning. When you can stay in your ground and respond with factual information, your credibility continues to increase in the eyes of the skeptic.
As stated earlier, establishing credibility ASAP is essential towards influencing the skeptic. What’s interesting is that even if you have a proven track record or a publicly respected reputation for your expertise, earning the skeptic’s trust can still be challenging. If you assume that the skeptic will take what you have to say at face value simply because of your accomplishments, you are making a false assumption.
Always be sure to point out where you are getting the information that supports your case to the skeptic, as that holds more weight with them than the actual information itself. Data that was obtained from a credible source will open up a skeptic’s mind to influence more than just about anything else.
While influencing skeptics can feel like a daunting task with no sign of achievement because of their strong personalities and aggressive approaches to getting their point across, it doesn’t mean that they cannot be persuaded and led to a decision just like anyone else.
Realize this fact- every time skeptics question or challenge something, it’s because they are trying to figure out how or why they might change their frame of thought. You will eventually succeed in influencing them, you just need to be patient, answer every single question and let them take ownership over the decision.