Persuasion is one of the most valuable skills in business, shaping outcomes in everything from investor pitches to client negotiations. Especially in creative and culture-driven industries, where ideas and storytelling carry extra weight, the ability to influence others often determines whether a vision gains traction or fades away.
Taking the right approach to communication can directly influence how you connect and inspire confidence in your ideas. To help, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share their best strategies for persuading others and why these approaches are so effective.
Be Authentic and Empathetic
Empathy and authenticity matter most. Investors and clients want partners who understand their needs and can truly deliver. Show you grasp their perspective, and match it with your real ability to add value, and you’ll build lasting, rewarding relationships. Flashy ideas can’t beat the right solution, at the right time, for the right people. – Elle Chan, TRADEMARK
Believe Your Offering Is Already Market-Ready
Launch your product with the unshakable belief that it’s already market-ready, without ever coming across as desperate for validation. In calls with investors, never beg; carry yourself as if their support is an opportunity, not a necessity. From day one, gather as much feedback as possible; that’s how a good product becomes truly great. – Michele Zanello, Over the Reality
Show Genuine Enthusiasm Instead of Trying to ‘Sell’
Being persuasive starts with being authentic and not coming across as trying to sell something. When you pitch with enthusiasm and authenticity, it cultivates trust and also interest. Great ideas start with a true interest and passion for what you are doing, so stick with authentic ideas and watch your business flourish. – Nathan Green, New Level Radio
Visualize Success as a Reality
Imagine it’s already yours. It may sound simple, but visualizing success is powerful in business, especially for pitching and negotiating. It’s more than just saying it; it’s genuinely believing it, not with arrogance, but as a matter-of-fact reality. When you internalize “I already have this; I already won,” it builds authentic confidence and makes it easier to persuade others to believe it too. – Andy Hale, Hale & Monico
Present Radical Clarity and Conviction
I don’t pitch. I reveal. The most persuasive strategy I’ve found is radical clarity: Say the one true thing no one else will. People don’t invest in polish; they invest in conviction. – Stephanie Dillon, Stephanie Dillon Art
Start With How the Other Person Will Benefit
One effective strategy for being persuasive is to start with the other person. Detail how what you’re proposing benefits them. People are naturally self-interested, and if you immediately describe how they benefit, you will grab their attention. – Jennifer Farmer, Spotlight PR LLC
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Use Storytelling to Connect
Storytelling helps me and my team more than anything. You can connect to their needs, empathy, understanding and relevance. Have your facts at the ready, know your details, but don’t think that percentages and market analysis will set you apart. Understand what they need, and tell a story that relates. – Bo Howard, Shapiro
‘Keep It Real’ With Your Team and Decision Makers
The best strategy for being persuasive is to keep it all real. Connect with people on every level, from team members to bigwigs. Don’t be pushy, show your gratitude, be open-minded, smile, greet people by their first name, learn what interests them and, most of all, have a sense of humor. When you keep things real, you will better connect with your team and major decision makers. – Paul Fitzgerald, Salt & Pepper Media Inc.
Show How Your Solution Helps People Achieve Their Goals
Lead with their win, not your résumé. Start by framing the opportunity in terms of their goals, then show how your solution makes those goals inevitable. People move faster toward their own wins than toward your credentials. – Jessica Billingsley, Sona Capital
Anchor Your Pitch to What Your Audience Cares About
Tie your pitch back to the things your audience already cares about. Help them understand why this supports their goals and priorities. It’s hard enough to sell people on an idea; it’s nearly impossible to convince people to fundamentally change directions. If you give them a solution to a problem they’re already looking to solve, they’ll go from being prospects to potential partners. – Jed Brewer, Good Loud Media
Focus on Solving Problems
Our approach is simple: Solve a problem. I do not believe that “being persuasive” is a lasting approach, or one that clients, investors or my team are looking for. We have grown organically by treating folks well, being accountable and transparent, and solving real problems. – Chris Eggers, CC Security Solutions
Ask Questions to See Whether You Can Help
It is my observation that “being persuasive” is about enthusiasm for one’s expertise. However, enrolling another is about listening first and seeing if and how I might help them. Sometimes I can’t help them. Asking questions to identify if my company can assist them is the first step. Most are so taken aback that I don’t want to “pitch,” they’re already leaning in. I don’t pitch. I am present. – Baeth Davis, YourPurpose.com
Demonstrate Your Vision, Passion and Know-How
At the early stages — and later stages — investors are investing in you. What makes you qualified, noteworthy and the best to be working on this project or product, and deserving of their and their limited partners’ (LP) dollars? Focus on showing potential investors your vision, passion and technical know-how; the rest will sell itself. – Julie Zinamon, Vataseason
