Hi I'm Michelle Bowden!
Hello Salesforce friends! 👋 I loved joining you at your conference on February 3rd 2026 for my keynote called Persuasion is the NEW Influence.
In this lively and practical session, we explored what it really means to have presence, gravitas, and impact – whether you’re influencing your clients over the phone/slack or your account teams more generally.
We laughed as we learnt powerful strategies to influence with clarity and confidence, negotiate more effectively, and truly be heard in every conversation.
POO: Pacing Out Objections (5 Steps)
Here are the 5 steps!
State the objection
Say “and,” “so,” or pause not “but” or “however”!
Use “actually” or “in fact”
Solve the objection
Address it clearly with logic, reassurance, or evidence.Close with “because”
Quick Example in Full
“You might be thinking this sounds expensive, and in fact, it saves money long-term because it reduces staff numbers and increases customer satisfaction and referrals.”
Pace before you lead. Pacing is the art of meeting your audience where they are – emotionally, mentally, and contextually – so they feel understood, not pushed. You pace with statements called universals and truisms and you should consider CABS “or not”, “many” and “most”.
It sounds like empathy, shared reality, and “I get it.”
Leading comes next: once trust is established, you can confidently guide people toward a new perspective, decision, or action.
The mistake many salespeople make is trying to lead too soon – before the stakeholder feels seen.
In sales, the logical objective is rarely enough.
People don’t buy because the spreadsheet makes sense – they buy because it feels right.
That’s why every persuasive conversation needs an emotional objective: what you want the other person to feel as a result of speaking with you. Confidence. Relief. Trust. Excitement. Safety.
When you create the right emotional outcome, the decision becomes easier.
The best sales professionals don’t just present information – they shift belief, reduce fear, and build certainty.
Because emotion is the engine… and logic is simply the justification.
One of the quickest ways to lose credibility in business is slipping into awkward, overly formal language like “yourself,” “myself,” and “ourselves.”
I call it Weird Bridgerton talking – it’s often an attempt to sound clever or sophisticated.
In fact, these words are outdated and can make you sound silly instead of professional. Simple words are more persuasive.
Say “you,” “me,” and “we.”
Clarity builds confidence, and confidence builds trust.
Here are some great, practical examples:
❌ “I’ll send that through to yourselves shortly.”
✅ “I’ll send that through to you shortly.”
❌ “If yourself and your team are available…”
✅ “If you and your team are available…”
❌ “Please let myself know if you have any questions.”
✅ “Please let me know if you have any questions.”
❌ “We’d love to support yourselves moving forward.”
✅ “We’d love to support you moving forward.”
Here's the reel from our event!
What's the Persuasion Smart Profile® all about?
You can assess yourself
Michelle is the creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile®
Great news! Salesforce is sponsoring you so you can assess yourself and receive your very own Persuasion Smart Profile® prior to your conference.
Is it really necessary?
Complete the tool and you will see how persuasion is made up of a set of competencies that can be acquired by modelling specific behaviours that are achievable for everyone.
The report
You’ll receive a detailed PDF report that tells you all about your own strengths and weaknesses as well as your drive to persuade.
Is it safe?
Yes! Your responses are held securely and are completely anonymous. We do not see your responses and we cannot access them. The Persuasion Smart Profile®
Print it and bring it with you!
Yes, print it out and bring it along s you can better understand what it means for you as your fast-track your career at Salesforce!
It’s a wonderful personal development opportunity
We do think it’s a great opportunity for you to have the chance to learn a bit more about yourself!
Happy Persuading!
©2026 MICHELLE BOWDEN is an authority on persuasive presenting in business. She’s run her Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass over 1060 times for more than 13,500 people over the past 27 years and her name is a synonym for ‘presentation skills’ in Australia.
Michelle Bowden is also a multi-million-dollar pitch coach to her client list that reads like a who’s who of international business: banking and finance, IT, pharmaceutical, retail, telecommunications plus many more.
Michelle is the creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile®, a world-first psychological assessment tool that reports on your persuasive strengths and weaknesses at work, the best-selling internationally published author of How to Present: the ultimate guide to presenting live and online (Wiley) and her new best-selling book is called How to Persuade: the skills you need to get what you want (Wiley).
Watch Michelle’s showreels to check she’s perfect for your next event!