Persuasion Artist

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

“There is always an inner game being played in your mind no matter what outer game you are playing. How aware you are of this game can make the difference between success and failure in the outer game.” -Tim Galway “The Inner Game of Tennis”

Persuasion is not just about saying some clever language patterns. Persuasion always begins inside you. This is what I call the inner game of persuasion. I believe that the extent to which we manage our internal processes is the extent to how we successfully persuade others.

I will even go so far to make the bold statement that every technique and tip you learned on persuasion would be worthless if you don’t know the rules of inner game.

Here are 7 tips, I call “The 7 inner Laws of Persuasion” they will help you master your inner game:

1. The Law of Energy: This law states that for every internal movement, there’s an external or physical response, subtle or otherwise that results from it. If you’re feeling nervous around the person you are persuading, then you will be projecting that insecure energy with every word you say.

Just the same if you are experiencing a positive state like warmth, trust, and connection you will be projecting that state. A big part of persuasion is controlling the emotions of others, in order to do that you need to control your own emotional state first.

2. The Law of Intent: Oprah said “Intention Rules the earth” Before and during persuasion situations it is important to state your intention. Stating your intent sends a clear message to your unconscious mind that communicates the outcome you want. If the message is clear enough your unconscious mind will help you get it and persuasion will flow naturally, and smoothly and effortlessly. Intention channels your will to a specific desired outcome. Kenrick Cleveland just wrote an excellent post about intention at his persuasion blog called “Hard work is not the answer: Intention is”

3. The Law Of Calibration: This is the ability to sense where the person you are persuading is at emotionally. If you want to move them in a direction emotionally, you first have to know where they are at. This is the essence of all the rapport strategies, going where someone is at and then leading them to where you ant them to go.

4. The Law of Detachment: If someone asked me what my greatest skill is as a salesman I would say without hesitation my flexibility. I see all different types of people will all different types of needs, from all different personality types. I know that there is not one silver bullet approach that works to persuade every person. I think this is what Bruce Lee mean when he said be “like water”…

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee

After I received my hypnotist training, I quickly realized that the best hypnotists were not the ones who had the best technique per se, but the real skill of hypnotizing others is to be able to handle a variety of different responses from different people.

5. The Law of Least Effort: A kung fu master once said: “Learn kung fu, master kung fu, but never do kung Fu.” I know it sounds like one of those crazy mind bending Zen paradoxes, but to me it sounds like the master is saying learn everything you can, master all the techniques, such that you are not trying to use the methods it just become a part of you that you effortlessly and naturally use.

At my hypnotist training Marc Cunningham told me, “Master Hypnotists don’t have off switches”. When you have mastered persuasion in a way that it’s a part of who you are rather than something you turn on and off you will naturally find yourself doing the right things, and saying the right words. You will be a persuasion machine.

6. The Law of Balance: According to Taoist philosophy people have both feminine and masculine energies or what they call “yin and yang” In the persuasion arena, whether it’s sales, negotiation, or seduction the more balanced you are in your masculine and feminine energy the more persuasive you will be.

Keep in mind these energies are philosophical constructs, which are useful for understanding this metaphor but are not identical with gender.

Masculine energy or yang is a direct, focused, logical, and action oriented energy. Persuaders that are expressing too much masculine energy are usually the pushy used car salesman type that wears you down with high pressure. Naturally this works to some extent, but it also turns a lot of people off. Most consumers can smell this type of salesman a mile away.

Feminine energy or yin is described as vague, intuitive, and receptive. Persuaders who are very “yin” are too nice. They are great at getting rapport, but this rapport is quickly turned against them as it is seen as weakness. If you are too nice, closing feels awkward and the customer usually ends up persuading you to give them a lower price, throw in free stuff, or that they still need to shop more.

You can obviously see that both of these methods work some of the time, and you see salespeople like this all the time. But to be a persuasion artist means mastery of your self and your persuasion skills. When you are balanced inside you get rapport, but you are the one in charge.

Ross Jeffries teaches of an effective meditation called “energized breathing” that I have found to be EXTREAMLY helpful in balancing my emotions in persuasion settings.

7. The Law of Self Knowledge. “Temet Nosce” it’s Latin for “Know thyself” This is one of the most simple and important laws of persuasion you should know. As a persuader, you should be able to know and recognize your limits. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. Once you are familiar with your limitations, you can work on changing or improving them.  In other words, once you are able to persuade yourself you naturally will be able to persuade others.

Popularity: 3% [?]