The fastest way to persuasive power

by Blair Warren

One of the fastest, most reliable ways to experience more persuasive power is to place chemistry above strategy.  That is, focus on those with whom you have a natural chemistry and forget those with whom you do not as soon as possible.  In other words, stop trying to “push a rope” when it comes to persuasion.

The truth is there are going to be some people - maybe even many people - with whom we cannot build a deep level of rapport.  I don’t care how hard we try to pace or lead, amaze or delight, or simply charm our way into their good graces, these people are simply out of reach for us.  Sure, we may be able to snag one of these people with tremendous time and effort, but to do so is more often than not a terrific waste of time.  Instead, identify these people as early as possible, then forget about persuading them as soon as possible.

This strategy may seem useless when we’re faced with a specific individual we must persuade, but it’s not.  When we spend less time trying to persuade the unpersuadable, we have more time to spend on the “must have” relationships in our life.  And as a result, even these “must have” relationships often take on a new feel.  They become less “imperative” and more cooperative - but not if we’re wasting our time on the unreachable.

Posted on Wednesday, February 02, 2005 at 11:10 AM

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