Introduction My Persuasion Journey began with a university education and a degree. I then went off to a graduate school to master the world of business. Upon graduation, I was thrust into a management situation where I had to manage salespeople, motivate customer service, and coordinate with other department managers. Then the shocker hit. I had learned the important business topics in graduate school, but that learning didn''t seem to matter to real human beings. Although what I had learned was valuable information and important for business, it did not prepare me for the human side of business. I had to learn how to deal with human emotions. I needed to know how to persuade other managers to help me, to influence and inspire others, and to increase sales.

Sure I could read a balance sheet, understand accounting, and comprehend economics, but I had not mastered the priceless skill of persuasion that studies show is 85 percent of our success in business. I soon found that some managers would resist a great idea just because it was not their idea. Some people would clash just because of their personalities. Coworkers would get upset with one other for the strangest things. Ah, the emotional side of business! In short, I discovered that we all persuade and influence. We all have to work with other people for a living. I realized that, if I could not influence others or help them influence themselves, the workday would be long, and productivity would suffer. I also realized that the ability to persuade and influence was good time management: Getting others to want to do what you want them to do and to do it the first time.

Then my Persuasion Journey led me to become an entrepreneur, and these skills became ten times more critical. I had to learn how to market, sell, do Web promotion, get referrals, and convince others that I was their best choice. These experiences pushed me to research and master the world of persuasion, negotiation, and influence. INFLUENCE: AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR: Sales professionals Parents Business managers Negotiators Marketers/advertisers Leaders Lawyers Teachers Entrepreneurs Everyone (We all influence.) Persuasion permeates every aspect of our lives. How can someone be an effective manager, entrepreneur, or sales person without persuasion skills? We have all seen the old style of management: Do it or you''re fired. Sure, this results in short-term compliance, but it also results in long-term resentment and mistrust. It hurts people''s ability to lead, and it definitely does not result in effective, long-term persuasion.

So I dedicated my life to finding the powerful, honorable, win-win forms of persuasion, negotiation, and influence. These missing ingredients are contained in Maximum Influence. Learn them and use them, and you''ll change your world and your income. I appreciate all the feedback from leaders, salespeople, entrepreneurs, and marketers to update and revise the Laws of Persuasion. My goal has been to help persuaders discover that the old techniques no longer work. The 12 Laws of Persuasion stand true. In this second edition of Maximum Influence , I have updated the studies, fine-tuned the applications, and reveal additional cutting-edge persuasion and influence techniques. Persuasion and influence have dramatically changed in the past 20 years.

Social media have changed the way we communicate. Your consumers, your prospects, and your customers all have changed. According to Advertising Age magazine, they are bombarded with more than 5,000 persuasive messages a day. Roselli, Skelly, and Mackie point out that "even by conservative estimates, the average person is exposed to 300 to 400 persuasive media messages a day from the mass media alone." In this digital age, people are better educated and more skeptical than ever. If you use the same outdated tactics you learned years ago, you''ll lose your ability to influence. Have you ever had potential customers who you knew needed your product or service? They wanted your product or service, they could afford it, but they still didn''t buy from you. What happened? It was a perfect fit for both parties.

As you master persuasion and influence, you will understand your prospects'' mindset and their decision-making process, and you can help them persuade themselves. Through research, I have found that most people use only three or four persuasive techniques. This is like trying to chop down a tree with a pocketknife because that is the only tool you have. When you follow the steps I outline in the following chapters, you will be equipped with countless techniques, strategies, insights, and tools to influence anyone in any situation. You will find yourself starting to exude Maximum Influence. To help you as you learn the techniques and strategies of Maximum Influence, let me outline what I call the Five P''s of Success. The first P is your psyche, or mindset, the mental aspect of the game (self-persuasion). It''s a critical skill for all successful people.

You will not be able to achieve your goals until you can visualize them. The universe will not reward you physically until you believe in your goals mentally. All the best techniques and tools will not help you until you first believe in yourself. Unfortunately, most of the people we know tend to bring us down. When you tell them about your dreams and the things you want to accomplish in life, they can be very discouraging. They will give you the list of all the reasons you can''t do it. When you have the right mindset, you know where you''re going and what you want to accomplish. Anything that people say is not going to matter.

The right psyche involves knowing what you want and having a plan to get it. When your mindset is in its proper place, you will always follow your heart and find untapped persistence. This motivation is the driving force that determines why people are successful. The second P is for presence. Have you ever noticed how some people can influence others effortlessly? Have you seen them enter a room and everyone notices? People instinctively like them and want to be influenced by them. They command attention and influence with everyone they meet. This is the power of presence. Presence is a function of confidence and charisma.

A good presence attracts people to you. They want you to persuade them. We have all met charismatic people. They are captivating and inspiring. They instantly command our attention, and we tend to listen to every word out of their mouths. Presence is the ability to empower and influence to believe in you and trust you. In essence, presence is a source of empowerment, encouragement, and inspiration. You don''t have to be born with charisma.

Charisma is a skill that can be learned. The next P is personal development. All top producers have a personal development program. There is a direct relationship between your personal development program and your income. Personal success expert Brian Tracy says, "If you can get yourself to read thirty minutes a day, you''re going to double your income every year." I know from personal experience that this technique works! Millionaires have libraries in their homes. Studies consistently demonstrate that those who are learning and growing every day are more optimistic about life. They are more enthusiastic about where they''re going and what they hope to accomplish.

Those who aren''t learning and growing every day become negative, pessimistic, and doubtful about themselves and their future. Turn your car into an income center by listening to educational and motivational material. When you''re at home, turn off the TV and read a book. There are two ways to learn in life: You can learn by trial and error, attempting to figure things out on your own. That route is expensive. Or you can learn from somebody else, who''s already been there and done it. Somebody has already figured out everything you need to learn about life and has written a book, created a seminar (or webinar), or put it on audio. So invest in your future by investing in your personal development.

The fourth P is passion. More than anything, passion will allow you to recruit the hearts and minds of your audience. Do you have passion and heartfelt conviction for your product or service? We love people who are excited, animated, and full of passion. When you have passion for something, you''re excited about i.