Persuasion advice is all the rage these days — but does it really work?
Whether it’s yet another influencer dishing out obsolete Ben Franklin quotes (nothing against Ben but the world was a simpler place 300 years ago), or some book telling you to “create urgency,” one thing is clear: Somehow, the world is full of more unpersuasive people than ever before.
Curiously, some of the least persuasive people are actually professional salespeople. Be honest, when is the last time a salesperson REALLY influenced your decision to buy something?
It may happen on rare occasions, but it’s definitely not the norm. (This is why whoever sold you your last car/refrigerator/couch/TV/dishwasher probably doesn’t work there anymore.)
Personally, I’ve noticed 4 levels of professional grade persuasion:
1) Tricksters. This is the type of person you’ll often find working at car dealerships, or leasing apartments. They think persuasion is about tricks, gimmicks, and being slick. They’ll tell you blatant lies, like, “You better act quickly — there’s only 1 unit left at this price!”
2) Pot-Shotters. Think of the salesperson who accosts you at Costco trying to get you to sign up for DirecTV. These people believe that persuasion is a numbers game. Go after enough shoppers, and some will inevitably say yes…right? This salesperson’s real game is facing loads of rejection. Their mantra is, “Next!”
3) Relationship Builders. These are usually smart people with a generous helping of people skills they can use to sell just about any solid product or service. They don’t just know your name, they remember all of the details, right down to your exact needs and preferences, and even your kids’ birthdays. At the low end you might find them selling gym memberships; at the higher end they can sell anything from advertising to pharmaceuticals, Beverly Hills mansions, and even private jets.
4) Invisible Persuaders. These are the only true persuasive masters. You usually won’t find these people selling on the front lines — they’re usually operating at scale, orchestrating the persuasion of tens of thousands (or even millions) of people every day. They make it look easy because you never see the invisible strings they are pulling. For example, they may tell a simple story…then stand back as herds of people do whatever they say.
I don’t know about you, but that last category interests me the most. Not just because they can teach us the most about how to be persuasive, but also because learning and internalizing these lessons can help you be more resistant to persuasion — a very useful quality.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you real examples of Invisible Persuaders in action, including one who made an art out of stealthily persuading very powerful people — without them ever realizing it.
In the meantime, care to take a guess as to what industries or jobs you might find Invisible Persuaders working in? Hint: They’re all around us, and tend to hide in plain sight. You can find them in just about any industry, but you’re more likely to notice them in certain jobs or fields.
Just for fun, leave a comment below and tell me 1 off the top of your head.
Hi, It is very difficult to say who to believe but all the people under the sky can never be unscrupulous — you can’t put all the eggs in the same basket; persuasive technique is an art till it is not being used for all the nefarious means to cheat others only. It is the judgement between classifying bad and good that matters in a given situation. For example, if I may attribute it personally — I don’t think your online presence as a mere eyewash; you try to ‘persuade’ the recipients with your no-nonsense, simplistic approach to guide others… Read more »
Hola! I’ve been following your website for a while now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas!
Just wanted to say keep up the excellent work!
Unfortunately, we’ll never find out who the very best are…
I’d have to say, Carlos Zuma.
Taught me how to convince my department chair (a real bugger!) into letting me skip 3 pointless courses.
I’d also say Danny himself—convinced me to get SSFU.
Bingo Bango.
I’d expect to find Invisible Persuaders in marketing (especially online).
I’m going with cats and lizard people. Yeah, lizard people.
In all seriousness, secretaries and personal assistants. I’ve seen them work some magic.
Off the top of my head? Steve Jobs.
Bloggers, YouTube personalities, thought leaders, commentators, media
Hi Danny,
Thanks for always challenging and engaging us!
Invisible and often insidious — gotta be the make money online/passive income spielers.
Off the top of my head, I’d say your close friends are relatively better persuaders compared to a stranger. And they’re “all around us” (assuming we talk to them often). This is why testimonials are powerful. If our peers approve, then it could be worth checking out.
Good piece, Danny, clearly persuasive writers that cause action – whether social media, blogs or email posts. A very worthwhile competence to help people connect their needs/desires to a rational presentation.
Just for fun, I think you forgot one sales type. The empty suit that happens to be somewhere where customers show up to buy, but they add no value. Watch this fun bit about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUh1eGf57DY
Sellers of online classes who have learned there is more money in selling than doing.
Hi Danny,
I know Rich Schefren is definitely an invisible persuader. C’mon, the man practices hypnotism! 🙂
This may not be what you had in mind when you mentioned the ability to influence millions of people; however, in the aggregate, his disciples (and their “downline” spawn) have grown intractable tendrils into the visible Web.
From thought leadership to questionable tactics, I think it mostly started with Schefren.
Cheers,
Mitch
The internet of things sounds like part digital Lifestyle part machine world and as the internet spread from physical world lot is all about creating smarter interconnected spaces in in which everyday items,
Politics? (That’s the first one that came to mind). But also people who sell online courses. 🙂
It sounds complicated a werewolf adventure with industry-leading
Bang on target, most of the following strategies including the good old treature Hunt hybrid business truly transforming society
You literally read my mind.
lmao
You sure about that? 😐
Hi Danny,
I’m going to go with the inbound folk — people like Marcus Sheridan (the Pool Guy) who educate the target audience, giving them everything they need to make a buying decision.
Best,
Sharyn
Sales people
Whenever i want to buy anything, starting from an apartment or a car or even take a course, they talk my ears off until they make me see the world smiling at me, but it doesn’t usually smile
There’s the invisible persuader who wrote the email that made me click to get here and leave a comment.
Exactly what I was thinking.
HA! Yep! Good call!
Most persuasive person I know…hands down…
My Wife!
When she wants something… She’ll set the scene, ask questions that lead directly to the inevitable conclusion she’s after…
And makes it look like since I came to the conclusion myself… It must be sensible.
Wow! Lucky you. lol
Hmmm… interesting topic.
I’m guessing we’d see these people in high-profile PR positions, as campaign advisers for politicians, writing for well-respected news organizations… and sitting in our inboxes, persuading us to come comment on their blog post 🙂