Why The Laws Of Persuasion Work
Author: Kurt Mortensen
As the species whose thinking ability supposedly separates us
from the animals, we really don't spend much of our life
reasoning. Most of the time our minds get stuck on cruise
control. Thinking takes up too much time and requires too much
energy. Imagine having to think about every decision we make.
It wouldn't leave us much time to accomplish anything else,
would it? Most of us have a systematic way of looking at the
world. When this mode is operating, our minds are perfectly
primed to automatically respond to persuasion triggers. I call
these triggers the Laws of Persuasion.
The Laws of Persuasion operate below our conscious thoughts.
When employed properly, your prospects don't even realize
you're using them. On the other hand, if you blunder your way
through a persuasion situation, your audience will be totally
aware of what you're doing. It's like seeing a police car on
the side of the road--it jars us back to reality. If the
persuader is skilled, he or she will use the Laws of Persuasion
so the message is delivered below the radar.
Understanding the Laws of Persuasion involves understanding the
human psyche. Such knowledge empowers you to improve your
persuasive abilities. It magnifies your effectiveness in
relationships, improves your parenting skills, enhances your
leadership ability, and helps you sell yourself and your ideas.
In short, it maximizes your influence.
In his book Triggers, Joseph Sugarman estimates that 95 percent
of the reasoning behind a consumer's purchase is associated with
a subconscious decision. In other words, most buying is done for
reasons a person hasn't even fully formulated. Dr. Gregory
Neidert estimates that our brains actually run on idle 90 to 95
percent of the time. Let's face it, thinking is hard work. It is
human nature to conserve cognitive energy. Thinking burns three
times as many calories as watching TV. Those who use their
brains for a living have traditionally been among the highest
paid professionals. Consider the incomes for doctors, lawyers,
and engineers, just to name a few. Most of us feel we don't
have the time or even the desire to think on the level that
these professionals do each day.
What are the main reasons we choose not to think? First,
sometimes the amount of information available is so
overwhelming we don't even attempt to digest any of it.
Sometimes our decisions simply aren't weighty enough to warrant
the effort of researching all the available information.
Consciously and subconsciously, from the bombardment of
information we receive, we selectively choose what we will
acknowledge and what we will ignore.
Whether we realize it or not, we love shortcuts to thinking.
When we buy an item, we don't always take the time to research
the product or read the latest consumer guide's ratings on the
product. Instead, we often rely on the salesperson's advice. We
might just buy the most popular brand, or we might bring a
friend along for his opinion. Although we would never admit it,
we sometimes even buy an item just because of its color or
packaging. Certainly we know this is not the best way to make
decisions, but we all do it anyway, even when we know we might
make a mistake or feel regretful afterwards. If we thoroughly
considered every single decision, we would constantly be
overwhelmed and we'd never get anything done.
Recall a situation where you where persuaded or acted without
thinking?
The Laws of Persuasion are so powerful because they capitalize
on two very predictable things: one, what we expect from human
nature, and two, how people will respond in certain situations.
People react predictably under a given set of circumstances. If
we learn to recognize how the Laws of Persuasion work, we will
know how to use them in our interactions with others. We will
also become more aware of how others will attempt to use them
on us.
There are two paths to persuasion: the conscious and the
subconscious. Both paths can persuade others to your way of
thinking, but each path uses a very different means of
processing information.
In the conscious path, both you and your audience make an
active or conscious attempt to understand, define, and process
an argument. A person who is interested in your persuasive
attempts will be highly motivated to listen. As such, she will
also be able to consciously evaluate your message by carefully
weighing the pros and cons of the evidence you present.
On the subconscious path, the listener spends little or no time
processing the information. This approach results in those
automatic triggers we previously talked about. These knee-jerk
reactions happen when you follow your intuition or use a mental
shortcut. Your mind reaches a decision without doing any logical
processing. These subconscious decisions are largely driven by
instinct and emotion. Individuals who spend lots of time on the
subconscious path do so because they lack the time, motivation,
desire, or ability to really listen to your message. They're
not really involved in the subject. They use their instinct or
emotions instead of their intellect. Passive processing and
automatic decision triggers rule their decision making.
Our minds are programmed with automatic persuasion triggers.
Most of us experience persuasive situations without realizing
or thinking about it. Master Persuaders know what these
triggers are and how to utilize them to their advantage.
Understanding the Laws of Persuasion helps us become aware of
how we are influenced without having conscious knowledge of it.
Learning to influence and persuade takes time, skill, and
experience. What most people don't realize is that we already
instinctively use many of these laws in our daily
communications. The same Laws of Persuasion that we unknowingly
use every day are the very same ones Master Persuaders use
deliberately, consciously, and consistently. Master Persuaders
make persuasion a habit. Think about how conscientious you were
when you first started driving. Now, after years of practice,
driving a car doesn't require as much thought or focus. Master
Persuaders understand the rules of persuasion and practice them
constantly. They can apply the techniques subconsciously,
without even thinking about them. For them, the application of
persuasion has become second nature.
Application Questions
1. Why do you think most decisions are made on a subconscious
level?
2. Can you think of a time when you bought something and
rationalized it later with conscious thought?
3. How can you use this information to benefit you in your
ability to persuade?
About The Author: Kurt Mortensen's trademark is Magnetic
Persuasion; you should attract customers, just like a magnet
attracts metal filings. Claim your success and learn what only
the ultra-prosperous know by going to
http://prewealth.com/mistakestoavoid and get my free report "10
Mistakes that Cost You Thousands."
from the animals, we really don't spend much of our life
reasoning. Most of the time our minds get stuck on cruise
control. Thinking takes up too much time and requires too much
energy. Imagine having to think about every decision we make.
It wouldn't leave us much time to accomplish anything else,
would it? Most of us have a systematic way of looking at the
world. When this mode is operating, our minds are perfectly
primed to automatically respond to persuasion triggers. I call
these triggers the Laws of Persuasion.
The Laws of Persuasion operate below our conscious thoughts.
When employed properly, your prospects don't even realize
you're using them. On the other hand, if you blunder your way
through a persuasion situation, your audience will be totally
aware of what you're doing. It's like seeing a police car on
the side of the road--it jars us back to reality. If the
persuader is skilled, he or she will use the Laws of Persuasion
so the message is delivered below the radar.
Understanding the Laws of Persuasion involves understanding the
human psyche. Such knowledge empowers you to improve your
persuasive abilities. It magnifies your effectiveness in
relationships, improves your parenting skills, enhances your
leadership ability, and helps you sell yourself and your ideas.
In short, it maximizes your influence.
In his book Triggers, Joseph Sugarman estimates that 95 percent
of the reasoning behind a consumer's purchase is associated with
a subconscious decision. In other words, most buying is done for
reasons a person hasn't even fully formulated. Dr. Gregory
Neidert estimates that our brains actually run on idle 90 to 95
percent of the time. Let's face it, thinking is hard work. It is
human nature to conserve cognitive energy. Thinking burns three
times as many calories as watching TV. Those who use their
brains for a living have traditionally been among the highest
paid professionals. Consider the incomes for doctors, lawyers,
and engineers, just to name a few. Most of us feel we don't
have the time or even the desire to think on the level that
these professionals do each day.
What are the main reasons we choose not to think? First,
sometimes the amount of information available is so
overwhelming we don't even attempt to digest any of it.
Sometimes our decisions simply aren't weighty enough to warrant
the effort of researching all the available information.
Consciously and subconsciously, from the bombardment of
information we receive, we selectively choose what we will
acknowledge and what we will ignore.
Whether we realize it or not, we love shortcuts to thinking.
When we buy an item, we don't always take the time to research
the product or read the latest consumer guide's ratings on the
product. Instead, we often rely on the salesperson's advice. We
might just buy the most popular brand, or we might bring a
friend along for his opinion. Although we would never admit it,
we sometimes even buy an item just because of its color or
packaging. Certainly we know this is not the best way to make
decisions, but we all do it anyway, even when we know we might
make a mistake or feel regretful afterwards. If we thoroughly
considered every single decision, we would constantly be
overwhelmed and we'd never get anything done.
Recall a situation where you where persuaded or acted without
thinking?
The Laws of Persuasion are so powerful because they capitalize
on two very predictable things: one, what we expect from human
nature, and two, how people will respond in certain situations.
People react predictably under a given set of circumstances. If
we learn to recognize how the Laws of Persuasion work, we will
know how to use them in our interactions with others. We will
also become more aware of how others will attempt to use them
on us.
There are two paths to persuasion: the conscious and the
subconscious. Both paths can persuade others to your way of
thinking, but each path uses a very different means of
processing information.
In the conscious path, both you and your audience make an
active or conscious attempt to understand, define, and process
an argument. A person who is interested in your persuasive
attempts will be highly motivated to listen. As such, she will
also be able to consciously evaluate your message by carefully
weighing the pros and cons of the evidence you present.
On the subconscious path, the listener spends little or no time
processing the information. This approach results in those
automatic triggers we previously talked about. These knee-jerk
reactions happen when you follow your intuition or use a mental
shortcut. Your mind reaches a decision without doing any logical
processing. These subconscious decisions are largely driven by
instinct and emotion. Individuals who spend lots of time on the
subconscious path do so because they lack the time, motivation,
desire, or ability to really listen to your message. They're
not really involved in the subject. They use their instinct or
emotions instead of their intellect. Passive processing and
automatic decision triggers rule their decision making.
Our minds are programmed with automatic persuasion triggers.
Most of us experience persuasive situations without realizing
or thinking about it. Master Persuaders know what these
triggers are and how to utilize them to their advantage.
Understanding the Laws of Persuasion helps us become aware of
how we are influenced without having conscious knowledge of it.
Learning to influence and persuade takes time, skill, and
experience. What most people don't realize is that we already
instinctively use many of these laws in our daily
communications. The same Laws of Persuasion that we unknowingly
use every day are the very same ones Master Persuaders use
deliberately, consciously, and consistently. Master Persuaders
make persuasion a habit. Think about how conscientious you were
when you first started driving. Now, after years of practice,
driving a car doesn't require as much thought or focus. Master
Persuaders understand the rules of persuasion and practice them
constantly. They can apply the techniques subconsciously,
without even thinking about them. For them, the application of
persuasion has become second nature.
Application Questions
1. Why do you think most decisions are made on a subconscious
level?
2. Can you think of a time when you bought something and
rationalized it later with conscious thought?
3. How can you use this information to benefit you in your
ability to persuade?
About The Author: Kurt Mortensen's trademark is Magnetic
Persuasion; you should attract customers, just like a magnet
attracts metal filings. Claim your success and learn what only
the ultra-prosperous know by going to
http://prewealth.com/mistakestoavoid and get my free report "10
Mistakes that Cost You Thousands."
