5 Ways to Use Visuals to Persuade Prospects

persuade prospects

A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s because we process images much quicker than words.

In fact, visuals are processed 600,000 times faster than text and while people only retain 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read, they retain 80% of what they see.

That’s why the next time you need to influence others, use a visual and your audience will understand what you want to convey with a glance.

The Power of Visuals

What is visual persuasion? According to A2L Consulting, an attorney owned and operated litigation consulting and trial graphics firm, visual persuasion is:

The practice of using science-based, visually-oriented methods to influence the decision-making of people, governments and businesses.

Whenever you try to persuade prospects, eventually you have to prove your claims. Some of the most powerful forms of proof include demonstrations, illustrations, props, graphs & charts and photos. This is because they help convey your message accurately and memorably and they are more credible and professional than words alone.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at all five.

5 Ways to Use Visuals

1. Demonstrations

  • If you’re selling a physical product, demonstrate how it works
  • This will prove to your audience that it does indeed function, and how easy it is to use and manipulate
  • You can also ask your prospect if s/he would like to try it for him or herself

2. Illustrations

  • Illustrations and graphics can be used as visual interpretations of written text
  • Create a timeline that shows how prospects can leverage your product or service over time
  • Use infographics to demonstrate the benefits your prospects will enjoy by investing in your solution (including relevant statistics, findings from relevant case studies, etc.)
  • Showcase maps if applicable
  • Illustrations can be leveraged to explain complex tasks, clarify confusing concept or processes and prove your point by showing examples as evidence

3. Props

  • During a sales presentation, props can be a great and effective way to drive your message home
  • You can employ them to better demonstrate a situation or scenario you’re describing

4. Graphs & Charts

  • If you’ve collected data from case studies, your own research, and other credible sources, you’ll want to showcase them in a visual way
  • Use your most impressive statistics to create graphs and charts
  • These visual representaions of data will help you better show relationships and trends in data, as well as hone in on the important conclusions you’ve drawn from your data analysis

5. Photos

  • Photos help your audience see what you mean.
  • Before and after pictures are incredibly effective if you’re selling a product or service that lends itself to them.
  • You can always take photographs yourself, or use company archives that express what you want to get across.
  • Remember that you want the information you provide alongside the image to be about the meaning of the photo, rather than a description of it.

Conclusion

When we only utilize the narrative without incorporating the visual, we aren’t taking advantage of one of the most powerful triggers of persuasion. Rather than only describing the benefits, show them.

Why risk losing your audience to a 1,000 word monologue when a picture is more effective?