The Art of Authentic Persuasion

Have you ever watched one of those late night infomercials and bought that item even when you never really needed it?

Well, my friends, that is what I call persuasion. Someone or some company was able to implant a thought or an idea that you needed that specific thing. Be it the ThighMaster, the Snuggie or perhaps even the ever-popular ShamWow!.

And in this article, we are going to show you how to authentically get your way.

You might think it would be hard for someone to persuade you on an idea, but the reality is, it’s actually not that difficult to do. People can easily be enticed to move in a certain direction when a decision can easily be made and when they are given one or two choices. The longer and harder a person has to think about something, the less likely they will say ‘yes’.

The Art of Authentic Persuasion:

Reverse Psychology

One way a person can be convinced is through a technique known as reverse psychology. This is a method of getting someone to do what you want by pretending not to want it or by pretending to want something else. You see this all the time when you are with a friend or romantic partner and you have to decide between two options: do we see this action or comedy film? This is exactly the time when someone would employ the trickery of reverse psychology, trying to convince the other person that option A is better than B, in hopes that their efforts will pay off and their friend will argue in favor of what you truly want.

In 2011, “Social Influence” released a study done by several universities in Canada, where they surveyed 228 undergraduate students on reverse psychology and other influencing strategies and reported that a high percentage of these participants used these strategies on a frequent basis and found them to be very effective. So what does that mean for you and me? How can we authentically influence the people around us to take action?

The Subtle Cue

If you want to use influence techniques, you have to be very subtle about it. Let’s say you want your kids to pick up after themselves. How would you approach this situation without coming off as a nagging parent? A normal approach might go something like: “Hey kids, would you mind picking you your clothes?” This approach will telegraph to your kids that they are lazy, which makes them not want to clean up after themselves.

Instead, try subtle cues. Something that would eventually be a win-win for the both of you. If you want someone to do something that they normally don’t want to, you have to help them subconsciously think it was all their idea in the first place. So you might say something like: “Hey kids, I decided that I feel tired when I clean up after you, what do you think about donating all of your toys to Goodwill?” After a while, the kids will get the hint and won’t leave their toys lying around on the floor.

Another great example: when you are tired of going out to night clubs with friend, and you would like to just have a night all to yourself at home, you can simply say, “You know I am just not feeling it tonight.” After a while, your friend will subtly get the hint and will stop asking you out.

Law of Underselling

You can also use another technique known as Underselling. This when you under value or sell a particular product for a lower price. Some of the best salespeople in the world know how to master this technique.

How does this technique work?

The car dealer will listen to what you want, and will then brag about the the amazing features of the car, as if there are no other cars like it. Once you are hooked, they might even say, “you know, you might want to think about something bigger if you and your wife are expecting kids in the future.” Saying something like this will put doubt in the customer’s mind and leads to the customer believing that it would be in his/her best interest to think about a bigger vehicle.

Remember that it is hard to negotiate a deal with someone if you only think about what you want, instead of the other person. I love this quote from Henry Ford:

“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.”

Want to learn even more strategies for successful and authentic influence?

In our email course, I will teach you the 7 scientifically proven ways to increase your influence. Whether you are in the business world, dating situations or the social scene you have to master the impact you have on the world.

My goal is to make you more memorable, influential and charismatic.

And guess what?

I’m giving this course away for FREE!

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My teaching method can be summed up in three bullets:

• Heavily Science Based
• Entertainment + Education = Edutainment (I love to make up words)
• Tactical and Actionable

I take a science based approach to influence. These aren’t tricks or gimmicks. They are steps based on years of research out of academic institutions and peer-reviewed journals. Although I have a lot of science, I have a cheeky sense of humor. So I promise, the course will surprise and entertain you.

I kept this course concise, compact and actionable because you’re busy and you want change NOW! I got you.

The Seven Steps of Influence:

1. Turn People On
2. Be Emotionally Horny
3. Let’s Get Physical
4. Once Upon a Time…
5. Get Naked
6. Favor Me?
7. Get Contagious