{"id":1461,"date":"2014-10-11T13:18:36","date_gmt":"2014-10-11T13:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meincorporated.me\/?p=1461"},"modified":"2014-10-11T13:18:36","modified_gmt":"2014-10-11T13:18:36","slug":"persuade-anyone-anything-ten-seconds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meincorporated.me\/?p=1461","title":{"rendered":"How To Persuade Anyone Of Anything In Ten Seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"James<\/a><\/p>\n
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James Altucher<\/a>Influencer<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\"You\u2019re on the most important elevator ride of your life. You have ten seconds to pitch- the classic \u201celevator pitch\u201d.<\/p>\n

Love or Hate. Money or Despair. And you may never get this chance again. As PM Dawn says, \u201cI feel for you. I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are books about this. But don\u2019t waste your time. They are all garbage.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been on both sides of this equation. I\u2019ve had people pitching me.<\/p>\n

But mostly, I\u2019ve been scared and desperate and afraid to ask someone to give me, want me, love me, all in the space of an elevator ride or in the time it takes one to ride an elevator.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the hardest thing for me was when I was doing my \u201c3am\u201d web series for HBO.<\/p>\n

I had to walk up to random strangers at 3 in the morning on the streets of New York and convince them within 5 seconds to spill their most intimate secrets to me rather than kill me.<\/p>\n

Not quite an elevator pitch but the same basic idea. I had a lot of practice. I probably approached over 3000 people cold.<\/p>\n

In some cases people tried to kill me. In one case I was chased. In other cases people opened up their hearts and I am infinitely grateful to them.<\/p>\n

The ideas below have worked for me in the hundreds of times I\u2019ve had to be persuasive. Either in writing, or in person. In business and in friendships and in love. I hope variations on it can work for you. You decide.<\/p>\n

A) WHO ARE YOU?<\/p>\n

People want to know they are talking to a good, honest, reliable person that they can trust and perhaps even like, or love.<\/p>\n

Yes, love.<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t love you by looking at your resume.<\/p>\n

You have to do method acting. Imagine what your body would feel like if they already said \u201cYes\u201d even before you open your mouth.<\/p>\n

You would be standing up straight, smiling, palms open, ready to close the deal. You have to method act at the beginning of your pitch.<\/p>\n

If you are slouched and your head is sticking out then your brain is not as well-connected to your nervous system and you won\u2019t be in \u201cflow\u201d.<\/p>\n

I can drag out the science here but this is a Facebook status update and not a peer-reviewed scientific paper for the Justice League of America.<\/p>\n

The reality is: when you\u2019re slouched over, not only are you not using the full potential of your brain, but you look untrustworthy.<\/p>\n

B) RELAX<\/p>\n

Think about how you breathe when you are anxious and nervous.<\/p>\n

I will tell you how I breathe: short, shallow breaths in my upper chest.<\/p>\n

So do the reverse before a ten second pitch.<\/p>\n

Breathe deep and in your stomach. Even three deep breaths in the stomach (and when you exhale try to imagine your stomach almost hitting your back) has been shown to totally relax the mind and body.<\/p>\n

People sense this. Again, this builds trust and relaxes you.<\/p>\n

Now, even though you haven\u2019t said a single word, you\u2019ve probably done the two most important things for persuading someone.<\/p>\n

C) UHHH. YEAH. UHHH. MMMM-HMMM. UH-HUH<\/p>\n

I have a hard time with this. It seems natural to say, \u201cyup\u201d or \u201cright\u201d or \u201cuh-huh\u201d or whatever.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the facts (and, again, there\u2019s been studies on this): people perceive you as stupid when you do this.<\/p>\n

Just keep quiet when someone is talking.<\/p>\n

Then, when someone is done speaking, wait for two seconds before responding. They might not be done yet. And it gives you time to think of a response. If you are thinking of a response while they are talking, then you aren\u2019t listening to them.<\/p>\n

People unconsciously know when you are not listening to them. Then they say No to you.<\/p>\n

D) THE SIX U\u2019s<\/p>\n

FINALLY, now we\u2019re getting to the heart of the matter. THE ACTUAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF PERSUASION<\/p>\n

By the way, I\u2019ve googled \u201cthe 4 U\u2019s\u201d and each time I get a different set of 4. So I\u2019m going to use the 4 that have worked for me the best.<\/p>\n

This is not BS. This is not a way to convince someone to do something they don\u2019t want to do. This is a way for you to consolidate your vision into a sentence or two and then express it in a clear manner.<\/p>\n

This is the way to bond and connect with another person\u2019s needs instead of just your own pathetic wants.<\/p>\n

You can use this in an elevator pitch, on a date, with your children, on your mother, whatever. But it works.<\/p>\n

Think about these things when talking:<\/p>\n

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  1. Urgency\u2028\u2028\u2028Why the problem you solve is URGENT to your demographic. For example: \u201cI can never get a cab when it rains!\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. Unique\u2028\u2028\u2028Why is your solution unique: \u201cWe aggregate 100s of car services into one simple app. Nobody else does this.\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. Useful\u2028\u2028\u2028Why is your solution useful to the lives of the people you plan on selling to or deliver your message to: \u201cWe get you there on time.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. Ultra-Specific\u2028\u2028\u2028This shows there is no fluff: \u201cOur app knows where you are. Your credit card is pre-loaded. You hit a button and a car shows up in 4-5 minutes.\u201d\u2028\u2028Of course the example I give is for Uber but you can throw in any other example you want.\u2028\u2028I\u2019ll throw in a fifth \u201cU\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. User-friendly\u2028In other words, make it as easy as possible for someone to say \u201cyes\u201d. Like a money back guarantee, for instance. Or a giveaway. Or higher equity. Or testimonials from people you both know. Etc.\u2028\u2028OH! And before I forget, a sixth U<\/li>\n
  6. Unquestionable Proof\u2028\u2028This can be in the form of profits. Or some measurable statistic. Or testimonials. Or a good wing-man. Whatever it takes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    E) DESIRE<\/p>\n

    A lot of people say you have to satisfy the desires of the other person in order for them to say \u201cyes\u201d.<\/p>\n

    As much as we would like to think otherwise, people primarily act out of self-interest.<\/p>\n

    The less they know you, the more they will act of self-interest because to do otherwise could potentially put them in danger. We all know that kids shouldn\u2019t take candy from strangers.<\/p>\n

    In an elevator pitch, the investor is the kid, what you are asking is the candy, and you are the stranger. So their gut reflex, unless you make the candy super-sweet, is to say \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n

    So make sure you make your candy sweeter by sprinkling in their desires.<\/p>\n

    And what are their desires?<\/p>\n