The Three Pillars of Persuasion

Logical arguments alone, no matter how well you present them, will not change sceptics into believers. Finessing customers to change their opinions requires an emotional appeal to their human nature.

Twenty-four hundred years ago, Aristotle described the three elements needed to move an audience – logos, pathos, and ethos – the intellectual appeal, the emotional appeal, and the speaker’s character and charismatic appeal. These classifications are just as applicable for today’s sales people as they were back then.

In today’s marketplace, where little difference exists between products, Aristotle would advise sales people to employ not only logos, but more importantly pathos and ethos to persuade today’s customer to buy.