Zig Ziglar says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. What he meant was how much you care about them and theirs.

On either end or the war issue we have 30% well-defined and stratified groups of people. That leaves 40% in the middle. The winner will be the group most able to attract the 40% in the middle. I have listened to my girlfriend speak to people about anti-war sentiment and seen her as very effective in convincing undecided people how this war is dangerous and wrong. She is very quiet, soft-spoken, but determined and heartfelt in her discussions. I decided to put my 10 years direct sales experience to work and develop ideas people can use. Here is what I see as an effective plan to persuade the middle 40% of folks.

First understand what they feel:

• Scared
• Lonely
• Assaulted by groups from both sides.
• Inclined to trust the government in the absence of good reason otherwise
• Wanting things to be okay again
• They are generally not into causes, usually they are more motivated by family

Things you must understand about the process and how they see you:

• This will not be a one call close
• Despite what you might think they do not see us as reasonable, they see us as marginalizes anti-establishment radicals
• They do not want emotional appeals, but information and reason
• They want to feel they are making a good decision
• They don’t want to be scared into a decision, they are already scared enough

How to help these people understand us and our belief:

• Speak softly and genuinely
• Speak slowly
• Invite them to talk about how they feel and to ask questions
• Do not overload them with facts. One well discussed fact is better that a laundry list of anti-war rhetoric
• Set yourself up as a resource. Give them this web site and others that have the anti-war message then tell them to make up their own mind
• Never, EVER, demonize the other side or call names. Do not ridicule the pro-war people. They may have family or friends that are pro-war that you may be insulting without knowing it. Allow your contact to arrive at their own conclusions
• Explain that demonstrators are anti-war people editorializing their belief, but that they were thoughtful in arriving at that belief. Explain that their belief is based on a deeply rooted religious or moral conviction. Make sure to point out how these are everyday people just like them. Show pictures of grandmas, preachers, and young couples with children at rallies.
• Explain COINTELPRO and other covert government OPS, not in a sinister or accusatory fashion, simply in the spirit of fact-sharing
• Using statements such as, “These are my concerns about that” allow you to express your beliefs in a non-threatening manner. Another good one is, “We always seem to find out ten years down the road these wars were never about what they said they were about”. That one is powerful.
• Know when to back off or change the subject. Once they become uncomfortable they will not accept any new ideas.

This movement needs people like me that will jump up and down and wave their arms and yell and scream about injustice. We are the heart, soul, and energy that drives this movement. But make no mistake, that middle 40% of the people are the backbone. We need them to win. People like me can shift gears and do a decent job with this approach, but I find women and gentle, soft-spoken men seem to be naturally more effective. But with practice everyone can do a creditable job of attracting the middle people.

We need them to win. Once convinced they will sway the opinion of many more. I made my living selling to these types of people, and they were always my best customers and best source of new business. Let’s start on the task now.