“For to tempt and to be tempted are things very nearly allied – whenever feeling has anything to do in the matter, no sooner is it excited than we have already gone vastly farther than we are aware of.” – Yekaterina Alexeyevna, Born Apr. 21, 1729. If persuasion is a fishing pole, emotion is the […]
The Art of Sinking Your Persuasive Fishhook Right in Your Prospect’s Face Read More »
“A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.” – J. P. Morgan, Born Apr. 17, 1837. Morgan was talking about parsing the reasoning behind the market moves his competition were making. But we are going to approach it backwards. If you want to persuade and influence people
The Real Reason People Do What They Do (And How To Use It Against Them) Read More »
“We imagine that we want to escape our selfish and commonplace existence, but we cling desperately to our chains.” – Anne Sullivan, Born Apr. 14, 1866. This one is going to be really uncomfortable. Ready? See in that quote where she says “imagine”? That imagination is why we can sell people stuff all day long
The Ugly Difference Between a Buying Brain and a Selling One… Read More »
“The purpose of narrative is to present us with complexity and ambiguity.” – Scott Turow, Born Apr. 12, 1949. Scott writes fiction, unlike us. But his point holds, because we DO use complexity and ambiguity. The purpose of narrative in copy is to give COMPLEXITY to the problem the prospect is facing. We give it
The Difference Between Fiction and Copy is in Where You Put the Confusion… Read More »
“Lying increases the creative faculties, expands the ego, and lessens the frictions of social contacts.” – Clare Boothe Luce, Born Apr. 10, 1903. Lying is powerful. Whether you call it telling tales, self-delusion, pretending, make believe, whatever – if you want to get good at what we do, you need practice. If you want to
To Gain Persuasive Power, Practice Practical Lying in Person… Read More »
“The ability to speak is a short cut to distinction. It puts a man in the limelight, raises him head and shoulders above the crowd.” – Lowell Thomas, Born Apr. 6, 1892. Getting on stage to teach copy at marketing events was easily the biggest factor in my rapid rise to recognition and success –
Speaking Publicly is the Shortcut to Authority on Any Topic (If You Don’t Do It Wrong) Read More »
“The first thing we become convinced of is that man is organized so as to be far more sensible of pain than of pleasure.” – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, Born Apr. 1, 1755. The persuader would do well to learn that when it comes to making someone take a desired action, there are two general forces
Honey May Catch More Flies Than Vinegar, But Vinegar Makes More Sales… Read More »
“No writer should minimize the factor that affects everyone, but is beyond control: luck.” – John Jakes, Born Mar. 31, 1932. A positioning secret which probably seems counterintuitive to many, is to admit that your success is due in large part to luck. And I don’t mean like a gambler’s cocky bragging about how you’re
Admission of Luck Makes Success Seem Attainable to Those Who Would Buy Advice From You Read More »
“Things have to be believable, not in a literal, photographic sense, but in an emotional sense – capturing the essence of the situation.” – Michael Foreman, Born Mar. 21, 1938. Emotional authenticity is key. What people frequently call “hype” is when the writer’s enthusiasm is inauthentic. It feels forced and faked, and therefore what you’re
Conjuring Emotion in Your Reader is Easy – Just EXPLAIN Them Read More »
“A strong emotion, especially if experienced for the first time, leaves a vivid memory of the scene where it occurred.” – Algernon Blackwood, Born Mar. 14, 1869. You ever see that movie “Inception” where that team of mental mercenaries implants an idea into someone’s memory, so that they mistake it for their own? I can
How to “Inception” Your Ideas Into Other People’s Brains – With Only a Pencil and Paper… Read More »
