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Real Persuasion Is Impossible Without Patience, Discipline, And Strategy
Three uncommon techniques to achieve lasting results
I was 22 years old, traveling alone in London, lugging around a backpack with enough crap to last me a month. There must have been neon signs surrounding me with arrows pointed in my direction, tourist.
On my first or second day, still gathering my bearings, a kind old lady came up to me, droopy eyes and a hopeful smile. She handed me a sickly-looking flower.
“Thank you,” I said.
“For the children,” she said.
It took me a few seconds, but yeah, I understood the choice. I could give the woman a dollar’s worth of change and feel good about helping her care for the children. Alternatively, I hand the rose back and wrestle with the emotional trauma of rejecting someone trying to care for dozens of homeless kids in a rickety shelter with leaky pipes subsisting off of oatmeal and stale crackers.
Years later, I recalled that experience when I started working with a mentor who trained me on the art of persuasion.
Let’s break it down.
She wins my attention by way of her surprise offer. She keeps my attention because she’s a sympathetic figure. Her gift then triggers an…
