Beyond How To Win Friends And Influence People

I've heard people say, "all I needed to learn about influence I learned from How to Win Friends and Influence People."

I say, "Bullshit!"

Don't get me wrong, How to Win Friends and Influence People is a great book. The lessons it holds are very important, but they're not everything you could learn about influence.

Sales people have tolde me, "closing and overcoming objections are when the selling starts."

Again, I cry, "Bullshit!"

If you're spending time overcoming objections or working the 'sharp angle close' to manipulate your customer then you're doing it wrong.

Selling has changed. I don't believe anyone who is a true professional used fancy closing techniques and was able to build a group of loyal customers.

How to Win Friends and Influence People is a great sales book because it helps enhance where you're naturally persuasive. But what if you're not naturally persuasive? What if you routinely use words that kill your ability to influence? It doesn't discuss that problem.

Conscious vs. Unconscious Persuasion

All the traditional sales tricks teach you how to manipulate people by influencing their conscious mind. The conscious mind controls the the things you're focusing on right now.

Your unconscious is who's really in control. It's where your emotions come from. It's the part of your mind that's in control, watching the road, while you're driving with the music at full volume and daydreaming about being a rock star.

Your unconscious is also the part that picks up on the cues when someone's lying or telling the truth. It's the part that triggers the pleasant warm feelings of comfort that sweep across your body as it whispers in the back of your mind, "Let's go ahead and buy it now."

Influencing The Unconscious

Knowing how someone unconsciously processes information is easy after you understand the effective ways to gain rapport, use persuasive language, and utilize your customer's values. These hit at the unconscious level and allow you to lead your customer's emotions where you want to go.

How curious are you now?

Image by luiswalk.