How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 157

let’s say you are about to meet somebody who you need to like you. What you are going to say is this: “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you. Everyone has told me that you are a very open minded, fun person. I like meeting people like that.” Now several things have happened here: 1) Because we as humans want to conform, what is going to happen is that this person will want to prove society right by now behaving the way you said! Since he or she believes that everybody else that knows them thinks that they are fun and open-minded they will behave like that so that way everyone is right! This is an incredibly powerful technique that has yet to fail me! 2) You have flattered them without seeming like a kiss up! Because you aren’t the one who said it, “other people” said it so you are off the hook! You are merely the messenger but it definitely still puts the other person in a good mood. Technique #3: The Foot in the Door Effect This is also known as “The Yes Train” and I remember the first time I tried it I was floored at how well it worked! I had first read it in a persuasion book by Kevin Hogan many years ago and had dismissed it. Then I started seeing it more and more in different publications and decided to give it a whirl. Let’s just say that it works incredibly. Basically it’s this: While you are talking to someone get them to say yes, and continue to get them to say yes. What this does is that it gets the person used to saying yes to you so when the time comes to ask them whether they want to buy a certain product, or whether they want to go on a date with you, or whether they want to buy you that pretty sparkly four carrot ring (as my current girlfriend keeps pestering me for) they will do it! Getting a person to say yes is very simple. While you are talking to them ask, “Are you an open minded person?”- they will say yes. “Do you like having amazing times?”- yes. “Do you enjoy long walks on the beach?”yes. “Do you want to meet new, fun adventurous people?”- yes. “Do you 157