Communication = Conviction

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I’m a big believer that if you don’t really believe in what you are selling–whether that is an idea, a product, a service or yourself–you will fail.

You can always force yourself to “hype” something that you don’t really believe in. But that’s a short-term play, not a path to long-term sustained value.

Unless you are destitute and in dire need of cash to survive, you should be looking to build real value.

(And frankly, if more people went for real value over faux survival, society as a whole would generate vastly more wealth, which could then help those less fortunate that actually do need help with survival. But that’s another whole conversation.)

Society is littered with people who had to sell a piece of their soul in order to pay a bill. They chose to make a quick buck instead of the harder (but ultimately far more fulfilling) project of building something they actually care about, and creating genuinely valuable relationships.

Your true conviction will always come through in your communication.

If you are on your purpose, enthusiastically pursuing something you believe in and are excited for, people will notice it.

It’s not about getting the minor details of the presentation right, or cutting out every last filler word.

Nobody cares about that. A polished presentation that sounds good but lacks depth of conviction is just empty. It’s un-persuasive and underwhelming.

By contrast, a presentation that is technically imperfect, but filled with human enthusiasm and conviction, will capture people’s imagination and motivate them to learn more or advance the relationship (which could mean anything from making a purchase, to setting up another meeting, to signing up for a mailing list).

And conviction doesn’t have to mean some kind of deeply spiritual, cosmic “meaning of life” type of stuff. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be.

In business it can just mean that you know your new coffee machine really is the best on the market. Or that your consulting program will absolutely help companies reduce costs.

Whatever it is, you genuinely believe that this thing you’re promoting, selling or sharing has real value for the client.

This core conviction will solve many other problems. It will make you a more effective salesperson: your genuine enthusiasm is contagious and makes people want to do business with you.

It will make you a better negotiator: you will be less willing to just discount prices or give away free stuff because you know, in your heart, that what you are offering is worth the price.

And it will make you more efficient with your time. When you are uncertain of your conviction, your work becomes lazy, directionless, disorganized and inconsistent.

But when you are committed to your purpose, you will be more conscientious with your time and you will do what it takes to get everything done because you know, deep down, it’s worth it.

Whenever I find myself getting lazy or disconnected from my work, I take a step back and reassess my conviction and my purpose. If I can get that handled, then other challenges will fall into place, or solve themselves.

Justin Aquino
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