The Power of Persuasion
The most important persuasion tool you have
in your entire arsenal is integrity.
—ZIG ZIGLAR
Understanding the theories of persuasion, motivation, and influence will put you in life’s driver’s seat. Why? Because everything you want, or will want, in life comes from these three simple concepts. Did you know that less than 1 percent of the world’s population understand and can actually apply the twelve Laws of Persuasion? Therefore, as I reveal the secrets of influence and science of persuasion, you will be able to persuade and influence with complete accuracy. You will gain instant influence over others and inspire others to take action, all while getting exactly what you want from life. You will win people to your way of thinking and will empower yourself with an unshakable confidence. You will triple your prosperity in sales and marketing. You will become a captivating magnet of success.
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Persuasion: The Heartbeat of Our Economy
The power of persuasion is of extraordinary and critical importance in today’s world. Nearly every human encounter includes an attempt to gain influence or to persuade others to our way of thinking. Regardless of age, profession, religion, or philosophical beliefs, people are always trying to persuade each other. We all want to be able to persuade and influence so others will listen to, trust, and follow us. A recent study by economists found that a whopping 26 percent of gross domestic product was directly attributable to the use of persuasion skills in the marketplace.[1] Persuasion is the gas to our economy’s engine. Think about it—$2.3 trillion of our gross domestic product comes from the skills of persuasion and influence. You rarely see large corporations downsizing their sales forces. Sales professionals are assets to the company, not liabilities. Master Persuaders will always find employment, even in the slowest of economies.
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Used for You or Against You
Advertisers spend billions of dollars researching and analyzing our psycho-graphics and demographics to figure out how to subtly persuade us. Roselli, Skelly, and Mackie point out that ‘‘even by conservative estimates, the average person is exposed to 300 to 400 persuasive media messages a day from the mass media alone.’’[2] We are bombarded with thousands of persuasive messages each day through a myriad of sources, including newspapers, magazines, billboards, signs, packaging, the Internet, direct mail, radio, TV, mail order, catalogs, coworkers, management, sales professionals, and even parents or children. The question is: Are these tactics being used for you or against you? Thousands, even millions, are persuaded against their better judgment every day, simply because they are unequipped to accurately interpret and effectively respond to the advertising barrage we perpetually face. In this case, what you don’t know will hurt you. Persuasive influences flood our daily existence and are inescapable. It is without question in our best interest to master Maximum Influence, know how it works, and learn how to implement its proven techniques so we are empowered today.
[2]F. Roselli, J. J. Skelly, and D. M. Mackie, ‘‘Processing Rational and Emotional Messages: The Cognitive and Affective Mediation of Persuasion,’’ Journal of Experimental Applied Social Psychology 163 (1995).
When You Have the Right Tools You Will Succeed
Let’s be honest: We all want and need things from other people. We want people to follow, trust, and accept us. We want to influence others to our way of thinking. We want to get what we want—when we want it. Possessing the right tools and knowing how to use them is the secret to success.
Maximum Influence supplies a complete toolbox of effective persuasion techniques. Most people use the same limited persuasion tools over and over, achieving only temporary, limited, or even undesired results. You can do only so many things with a hammer, right? We need to open our minds to the whole toolbox of persuasion and influence. We have all heard the maxim: ‘‘If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.’’ The problem is, everyone is not a nail. The art of persuasion must be customized to every group or individual, to every situation or event. It’s like playing the piano with only two or three notes: You’re playing ‘‘Chopsticks’’ when you should be playing Mozart. When you play with all the keys of persuasion and influence, you can create a masterpiece with your life.
Definitions of Persuasion
Persuasion is the process of changing or reforming attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or behaviors toward a predetermined outcome through voluntary compliance. If you properly implement the strategies of Maximum Influence, you’ll persuade others not only to want what you want, but also to be eager to do what you want. Note that persuasion is not the same as negotiation, a term that suggests some degree of backing down or meeting in the middle. Rather than compromising, as in negotiation, effective persuasion will actually convince the opposing party to abandon their previous position and embrace yours.
Influence is who you are and how you, as a person, will impact the message. This includes whether you are viewed as trustworthy and credible, for example.
Power increases your ability to persuade and influence. This power can be seen with people who possess knowledge, have authority, or use coercion during a persuasion process.
Motivation is the ability to incite others to act in accordance with the suggestions and ideals you have posed. Motivation is your ‘‘call to action,’’ or what you want your audience to do.
Persuasion and Rhetoric
One’s ability to persuade meant great social prestige in the ancient Greek world. Homer regarded the rhetorical skills of Nestor and Odysseus as tremendous inborn gifts. It was Aristotle who first introduced persuasion as a skill that could be learned. At that time, rhetorical training became the craze for the citizens of Athens, especially the politically elite. The first book ever written on persuasion was Aristotle’s The Art of Rhetoric. The book’s basic principles established a foundation for persuasion that still holds true today.[3]
Aristotle taught that rhetoric was an art form that could be approached systematically by a formula for all persuasive attempts. Aristotle’s most famous contribution to persuasion was his three means of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. He argued that the most effective persuasive attempts contain all three concepts, setting an unshakable foundation for success. Let’s briefly review Aristotle’s three basic means of persuasion.
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Persuasion, Communication, and Knowledge Breed Confidence
The greatest common denominator of the ultra-prosperous is that wealthy people are master communicators. There is a direct correlation between your ability to persuade others and the level of your income. Impeccable and masterful communication unarguably leads to wealth. The highest paid and most powerful people on the planet are all master communicators. These individuals put themselves at stake in front of large groups, communicating and persuading in such a way that people are inspired to support them. Your financial success in life will be largely determined by your ability to communicate with other people. Everything you want, but don’t currently have, you will have to get from others. Your ability to effectively communicate and persuade will be your key to riches.
Persuasion is also your golden ticket to promotion. Communication skills rank number one of all the personal qualities employers seek in college graduates.[7] While most people shy away from overtly persuasive situations, master communicators welcome such opportunities. Master communicators feel in control of challenging situations because they understand the art of persuasion and they know how to recognize and use persuasive strategies.
[7]Wall Street Journal, December 29, 1998.
Foundational Principles of Persuasion
The Laws of Persuasion Are Neutral
Central to understanding persuasion is the concept of neutrality. The laws of persuasion are neither good nor evil. They simply exist. Just as nuclear energy can be used to create electricity or an atomic bomb, persuasion can be used to create unity or to force compliance. Whether the outcome is good or bad depends on the person using the laws and how that person applies the techniques of persuasion. Some people desire to win at any cost, using any available tactics including misusing the laws of persuasion. These individuals are willing to use guilt, violence, intimidation, temptation, bribery, and blackmail to get the desired result.
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The Formula: Twelve Laws of Maximum Influence
Getting people to do what you want and, at the same time, to enjoy it is not an accident or coincidence. You must use techniques based on the proven laws of persuasion and influence to achieve such results. As you master these techniques, you’ll experience predictable control and influence over others.
Professional negotiators, sales professionals, and upper management professionals around the world use these twelve laws. They are the same principles that help thousands of people gain control of their lives and their financial futures. Mastery of all the twelve laws is crucial for Maximum Influence. I promise that if you read this website and act upon your newly acquired knowledge, it will not be long before you find yourself in a completely different position than you are today. You will act instead of being acted upon. You will speak and be heard. You will lead and be followed.
