The Rapid Influence Technique

Aaron, a senior systems analyst in a fast‑paced tech environment, is proactive and brimming with ideas. When he mentions one to his boss, she casually suggests he present it at next week’s SLT meeting. Cue the pressure. Aaron spends his entire weekend crafting a 15‑page document and a 60‑slide deck, convinced that presentation skills equal “more slides, more detail.”

Fast‑forward to the meeting: the agenda drifts into unplanned chit‑chat, time evaporates, and with ten minutes left his boss suddenly remembers: “Aaron! Sorry, forgot. Aaron has an initiative he wants to run by us.” His stomach drops. That idea isn’t going to sell itself, and there’s no way he’s getting through 60 slides.

So what could he have done instead? Exactly what I recommend when you need to influence quickly and effectively, especially when persuading senior management: keep the laptop firmly shut and use this five‑minute, no‑slide structure for rapid influence.

My clients love it because it’s simple, human, and it works. Here’s how.

Example One

Question:

I’ve got to persuade my boss to follow a strategy in a meeting that’s coming up.  How can I persuade him quickly that what we need to do is a good idea?”

Answer:

Proposal (Outline):

Think of this as a bookend: a short request in a sentence.

We need to bring in more Sales people alongside the Tech teams for Cloud A.I.

Rationale / Reasons (3 max!):

You need to include reasons that match the ‘What’s in it for them’ [WIIFM]- not your reasons (unless they overlap).  More about that here.

We’ll have easier access to a large market. 

Note: if you’re speaking to Senior Management or the Board, the WIIFM needs to tie in with their strategic goals. It’s about them, not you.

Objections (inc. cost, time, effort.  Remember to build in a way of countering those objections):

You may feel hesitant about mentioning objections. This is normal: when speaking with the Board, many presenters skip the uncomfortable bits – budget concerns, risks, trade‑offs – leaving a giant, lumbering elephant in the room.

Senior leaders always spot what you’re avoiding. If you don’t name it, it becomes the reason they don’t say yes.

Consequently, we include this objection and add the solution, as follows:

I understand that the upfront costs may seem off-putting.  Although many of our teams are great on-site, they’re not up-selling and cross-selling at the rate we’d like, especially since we went virtual.  We’d get more business with less hassle with a specialist or two.  

I know that many Sales people brush the IT teams up the wrong way but with someone who’s got a proven record at winning business in our sector and sells our skills accurately, we’d see profits without the pain.  I can get in touch with xxxx Recruitment that could find just the right people for us.

Evidence

Consider that any of the following points could be viewed as evidence, depending on the situation:

1. Something similar you’ve achieved before;
2. Something someone else has achieved before;
3. Statistics: projected or otherwise.
4. The sight of something – a picture/walkabout etc
5. Pointing out what can be avoided or what can be gained by following a particular course of action.

[Our Competitor] has had a dedicated team selling similar tech to the finance sector.  Although they started 8 months ago, they’ve seen a xxxx% increase in profit in the last 6 months.

Proposal (closing bookend)

This is simply another ‘bookend’ that reflects the one your opened with, phrased in exactly the same way or paraphrased, as I’ve done here:

So, in my view, taking on more Business Development expertise could potentially double our profits within half a year.

Here It Is In Video:

Example Two 

Question:

I want to persuade our Head of Operations to approve a pilot for a new internal workflow tool that will save time but requires a small budget and a few hours of staff training. How do I persuade her quickly?

Answer:

Proposal (Outline)

I’d like us to run a four‑week pilot of a new workflow tool to speed up our internal approvals.

Rationale / Reasons (3 max)

• This means we can speed up project delivery by several days each month, allowing us to serve more clients.
• This tool automates the repetitive admin that eats into team capacity, meaning we can free them up to work on the current strategic goals.
• The four-week pilot means we don’t have to commit to a full rollout.

Objections (plus your counters or solutions)

You may be concerned about the cost and the time required for staff training.However, the pilot licence is low‑cost, and the training takes under an hour. The time saved on approvals will outweigh the initial investment within the first month.

You might also worry about team resistance to new tools, but this one integrates with our existing systems, and the interface is extremely intuitive: our project coordinators tested the demo and picked it up in minutes.

Evidence

• Two of our partner organisations have implemented the same tool and reduced their approval turnaround by 30–40%.
• In our own team’s demo last week, we processed a sample approval chain in under two minutes: something that normally takes half an hour.
• If the pilot doesn’t deliver measurable improvements, we simply stop. No long‑term commitment.

Proposal (closing bookend):

So, that’s why I’m proposing a four‑week pilot of this workflow tool to speed up approvals and free up team capacity.

Example Three

Here’s another proposal you may want to deal with, more everyday than something that’ll break the markets:

Question:

I want a new office chair because the existing ones hurt my back.  How do I persuade Finance to buy one?

Answer:

Proposal (Outline):

I need a new office chair.

Reasons (3 max!):

The reason for this is that the current one has given me severe backache.  The result of this is that I’ve had to take the last week off work.

Objections

You may regard this is an unnecessary expense.  However, as I’ve had to take time off work and it’s therefore slowed my productivity, a decent chair would be an investment that would reduce absenteeism and allow me to work longer hours without pain.

Evidence

In my old office we had excellent chairs by Lumbar Jacks and I never once had a problem.

Proposal

So, that’s why exchanging my current office chair for an orthopaedic one would be so beneficial.

Your Action:

1. Jot down something you’d like to initiate: an idea for which you need someone to give you the green light;
2. Note your P.R.O.E.P.;
3. Contact a colleague to ensure you’ve preempted any of their objections in advance.
4. Speak to the person you need to persuade and ask them for 5 minutes of their time – uninterrupted;
5. Use the PROEP (and ditch the slides).

Most people think persuading senior leaders means performing: polishing slides, padding arguments, and praying someone gives you more than a polite nod. Forget that. Senior leaders don’t need a Broadway‑length slide deck: they need clarity, confidence and a sense you’ve thought about the bumps in the road.

The PROEP model gives you exactly that: a simple, repeatable structure that cuts through noise, respects their time, and elevates your influence without theatrics. That’s real persuasion.

And the more you use it, the more you’ll realise you never needed the 60‑slide safety blanket – you just needed five minutes of clarity and the guts to speak like someone worth listening to.

If you’re serious about levelling up your influence skills, then book a time that suits you for a free 15-minute Discovery Call here to see if we can work together. No strings attached: just a call to see how I might help you or your people.

Photo from Gratisography.com