Zig Zigglar once said that the most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity. Kurt Mortensen in his book “Maximum Influence,” defines PERSUASIONas the process of changing or reforming attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or behaviors toward apredetermined outcome through voluntary compliance.
Persuasion expert Kurt Mortensen has combined years of scientificresearch with real world studies of powerful influence techniques in action. These proven tactics let you: read people instantly; have people trust and like you instinctively; master persuasion techniques that most people donot even know exist; and persuade anyone to give you almost anything—anywhere, anytime!
To help you as you learn the techniques and strategies of ‘Maximum Influence,’Kurt Mortensen outlines what he calls the ‘‘Five P’sof Success.’’
The first ‘‘P’’ is PSYCHE. That is the mental aspect of the game. It is a critical skill for all successfulsalespeople, but it works equally well in all fields. You will not be able to achieve your goals until you believeyou canachieve your goals. When you have the right psyche,you know where you are going and what you want to accomplish, and anything that people say is not going to matter.The right psyche involves knowing what you want and having a plan to get it. When your psyche is in its proper place,you will always follow your heart.
The second ‘‘P’’ is PERSISTENCE. Persistence is the number one reason why people are successful in life. It is also thedriving force that determines why certain people are wealthy. Their success is not due to financial backing oreducation. They owe their achievements to persistence. It is a numbers game. It is believed that most sales are closed after the fifth attempt. “Never let obstacles in lifetake your eyes off your goals.”
The next ‘‘P’’ is PERSONALDEVELOPMENT. All top producers have a personal development program. There is a directrelationship between your personal development program and your income. Personal success expert Brian Tracysays, ‘‘If you can get yourself to read thirty minutes a day, youare going to double your income every year.’’ Studies consistently demonstrate that those who are learning and growing every day are moreoptimistic about life. They are more enthusiastic about where they are going and what they hope to accomplish. Thosewho arenot learning and growing every day become negative, pessimistic, and doubtful about themselves and theirfuture.
The fourth ‘‘P’’ is PASSION. More thananything, passion will allow you to recruit the hearts and minds of your prospects. When youhave passion for something you are excited about, you have zeal and you want to share it with the world. You areexcited to convert as many people to your cause as possible. Passion alone can be effective in swaying opinion andgetting people to support your product or service. “Passion springs from a combination of belief, enthusiasm, andemotion.”
The fifth and final ‘‘P’’is PERSUASION. Spend a little time each daylearning and mastering the world of persuasion and influence. The basic premise of ‘Maximum Influence’ is to get whatyou want when you want it, and in the process to win friends and to help people love doing what you want them todo. There is a big difference between presenting and persuading. Anyone can spit out a list of features and benefits,showing off their product or service and pushing their products on people. By using Maximum Influence you drawpeople to you, and thus attract more customers—and more sales.
You can do onlyso many things with a hammer, right? We need to open our minds to the whole techniques 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.’’ Theproblem is, everyone is not a nail. The art of persuasion must be customized to every group or individual, to everysituation or event.
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.
The ability to persuade is power, for good or for bad. Think of all the people in your life who have persuaded you to reach higher and achieve greatness. Persuasive people keep kids off drugs, prevent wars, and improve lives. Ofcourse, persuasive people also get kids on drugs, stir up wars, and destroy lives.
We want to focus on the power ofpersuasion for the improvement and betterment of ourselves, our friends and families, and our communities. Let us faceit, though: Most of us are not born persuaders. For the majority of us, the arts of persuasion and influence are not giftswe inherently possess. Sure, there are the stereotypical persuaders who are naturally friendly, outgoing, andsometimes loud. Research reveals, however, that some of the best persuaders are actually introverts.
For many, the notion of becoming a ‘Master Persuader’ means being forceful, manipulative, or pushy. Such anassumption is not true. Tactics like these might get results for the short term, but ‘Maximum Influence’ is aboutgetting results for the long term.Lasting influence isnot derived from calculated maneuvers, deliberate tactics, orintimidation. Rather, proper implementation of the latest persuasion strategies will allow you to influence with theutmost integrity. “People will naturally and automatically trust you, have confidence in you, and want to be persuadedby you.”
It is a common misconception that only individuals involved in sales, marketing, or leadership positions need to learnthe laws of persuasion. This is simply not true! Sales professionals, business managers, parents, negotiators, lawyers,coaches, speakers, advertisers, and doctors can all use these skills. Everyone needs persuasion skills, no matter theiroccupation.
What people donot realize is that everyone uses the techniques and tactics of persuasion each day. Peopleconstantly study one another, trying to figure out how to get someone to do what they want them to do.
Needless tosay, mastering communication and understanding human nature are essential life lessons if we want to effectivelypersuade and influence people. We cannot get anywhere in life unless we are able to work with other human beings. Itis through our dealings with others that we achieve success. No one is self-sufficient. Everything of any value that weaccomplish in life is achieved through the support and help of the people around us. As a society, we areinterconnected, and the ability to make those connections is vital to our success.
USED FOR YOU OR AGAINST YOU
Advertisers spend billions of dollars researching and analyzing our psycho-graphics and demographics to figure outhow to subtly persuade us. It is believed that ‘‘even by conservative estimates, the averageperson is exposed to 300 to 400 persuasive media messages a day from the mass media alone.’’
Thousands, even millions, are persuaded against their better judgment every day, simply because theyare unequipped to accurately interpret and effectively respond to the advertising barrage we perpetually face. Persuasive influences flood our daily existence and are inescapable. It isin our best interest to master Maximum Influence, know how it works, and learn how to implementits proven techniques so we are empowered.
We all want and need things from other people. We want people to follow, trust, and accept us. Wewant to influence others to our way of thinking. We want to get what we want—when we want it. Possessing the righttools and knowing how to use them is the secret to success.
BY CAPTAIN SAM ADDAIH RTD.
