The Philosophy Behind Successful Influence

By Claire Meyer

30 December 2024

Want to be influential in your organization? It’s time to learn from successful sales pitches.

If you winced a little at that idea, reflect—we are all in sales. When you pitch an idea or try to convince someone to collaborate with you, you are selling yourself as someone worth listening to or working with. Even litigation is sales—lawyers are selling the jury on their side of the story.

“Influence is the coin of the realm,” says Risa M. Mish, professor of practice at Cornell’s SC Johnson School of Business and the speaker at the ASIS International CSO Center’s 2024 Secure Horizons event at GSX.

But if you find that your attempts to influence other business leaders fall flat, reevaluate your approach in three persuasive areas, brought to you by Aristotle: ethos, logos, and pathos.

“If you want to be consistently influential, you have to have strength in all three of these things, or you at least have to develop in all of these areas,” Mish says.

Ethos

This is the ethical element—it reflects the credibility and character of the speaker in the eyes of the people he or she is trying to influence.

Simply, ethos is how the audience feels about you.

Consider what makes you think a speaker is credible. Watch a few episodes of “Shark Tank” or a similar pitch-based competition show and evaluate which speakers resonate with you and why, Mish recommends. Do they convey relevant and successful expertise? Honesty or integrity? Personal authenticity?

People generally look for the source’s knowledge and skills, training, credentials, title, and reputation—all in all, a proven track record of success in the relevant domain.

So, before you start your pitch, make to consider what expertise your audience will expect and either demonstrate it or bring in other collaborators who can lend you that trust factor.

Audiences are also likely to do some research on their presenter, so have your online presence reflect the expertise you want them to see. LinkedIn profiles’ “about” sections are often underutilized—they should be kept up-to-date and relevant, especially because these are often the first hits on search results about individuals.

“If they go to LinkedIn and the cupboard is bare, you’re going to come in with low credibility,” Mish says. “This is not the time for self-effacement.”

Logos

Does your pitch make logical sense? Do you have the facts at your disposal to support your recommendations and convince listeners?

Simply, logos is how the audience feels about the content of the argument.

Some subtlety is required here—people rarely love having people sell them things, but they do like to solve problems, Mish says. Build a narrative arc about your proposal using a PCAN structure, adapted from The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa.

P is for problem. Start here to frame up the pitch. “The problem we are solving together is…”

C is for cause. Clearly list the causes behind the problem. This helps to reinforce the ethos element by contributing to your credibility.

A is for action. Problem and cause should build up to this moment, bringing the audience along with you. Frame your action as a recommendation and make your pitch.

N is for net benefit. This is what stops you from seeming like a snake oil salesman, Mish says. Outline how the audience will benefit from the action. Acknowledge the risks of the solution and show how the benefits outweigh them—this makes you seem even more credible and resets the audience’s focus on their priorities.

Pathos

Using pathos, the business leader evokes emotions to connect with the audience and gain their approval. Although hard data is convincing, decisions are still made by people, and emotional connection is key to getting to “yes,” Mish says.

And simply once again, pathos is how the audience feels about themselves when they interact with you, and it hinges on rapport.

Try to find something (ideally something uncommon) you have in common with your audience. This could be a book on their shelf that you love, a shared LinkedIn connection, or a past trip to their home region. Build rapport in small talk by asking open-ended “what” and “how” questions and listen closely to the answer to carry the conversation forward.

During these conversations, watch out for clues about what the other person values. These elements will be crucial so you can link your pitch to the things that matter most to your audience. This starts with the “What’s in it for me?” factor and goes further, connecting to the individual’s personal motivations, priorities, and brand to leave a lasting impression. If you’ve leveraged these three elements successfully, hopefully it’s a positive one.