Sure enough. Tony Robbins said that to a woman crying her eyes out when
we worked with her on stage.

And guess what happened.

She stopped crying.

In fact, she just stopped.

Finally she stammered, "What do you mean?"

And Tony told her she was crying so hard it looked like someone peed on her
face.

She was silent and than began to laugh.

Tony was able to move her to a place where he could work on her problem.

A lot of the people you meet as a persuader are stuck in their own minds.

And we as persuaders need to be able to ask them - "Who Peed On Their Face".

However, I suspect if you aren't on stage like Tony AND you don't have
Tony's leverage,
that might not be the wisest strategy.

Instead, let me show you how I persuade today using Kenrick's Persuasion
Interrupts.

Go here to view the short video:

http://www.maxpersuasion.com/persuasion_interrupts

Gordius, who was a poor peasant, arrived with his wife in a public square of
Phrygia in an oxcart.

An oracle had informed the populace that their future king would come riding
in a wagon.

Seeing Gordius, the people made him king.

In gratitude, Gordius dedicated his oxcart to Zeus, tying it up with a
peculiar knot.

An oracle foretold that he who untied the knot would rule all of Asia.

Many people tried to undo the knot but all to no avail. The penalty for
failing to untie the knot was death.

In 333 B.C. Alexander the Great had invaded Asia Minor and arrived in the
central mountains at the town of Gordium;

He was 23 years old. Alexander was undefeated, but without a decisive
victory either.

He was in need of an omen to prove to his troops and his enemies that the
outcome of his mission - to conquer the known world - was possible.

In Gordium, by the Temple of the Zeus Basilica, was the ox cart, which had
been put there by the King of Phrygia over 100 years before.

The staves of the cart were tied together in a complex knot with the ends
tucked away inside.

Having arrived at Gordium it was inconceivable that the young, impetuous
Alexander would not attempt to tackle the legendary "Gordian Knot".

Alexander climbed the hill and approached the cart as a crowd of curious
Macedonians and Phrygians gathered around.

They watched intently as Alexander struggled with the knot and became
frustrated.

Alexander, stepping back, called out, "What does it matter how I loose it?"
With that, he drew his sword, and in one powerful stroke severed the knot.
Alexander the Great went on to conquer most of Asia before his death.

This story isn't about Alexander the Great.

It's about YOU.

It's about cutting through all of the nonsense and making more sales.

It's about connecting with your customers in a new way.

You've never experienced the power of my all new program.

Here's the sword that's working today. Click here to watch the video

Before I get into the 'away' perspective in the towards/away continuum, I want to make a distinction between a truly negative personality and a person who is inclined towards moving away from a problem.

There are some people who think, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' I am not of that opinion. Putting on a happy face for everything is dishonest, even if it's framed in the positive mental attitude way of turning lemons into lemonade or problems into challenges. I see the value in it, but I also see the value in really indulging in the ups and downs of life, experiencing the lows so that the highs feel so much more intense.

Conversely, I don't like to be around people who constantly complain and view the world through the distorted lens of their inconvenience and misery. That kind of vibration, on a sustained basis, will bring your energy down guaranteed.

I am of the opinion that I'd rather have people be honest and accurate, and whether it is positive or negative is beside the point.

With that said, the 'towards and away' continuum is a filter that some (not all) people use when describing their circumstances in a particular context.

Say you've elicited your client or prospect's highest criteria and it turns out to be security. And you say, 'So ultimately, what will having security do for you?'

Now, security is a value that can be either towards or away, so you've got to listen very closely to the answer to this question to determine their direction.

'Security. . .It's going to completely keep me safe. I'm not going to have to worry anymore because I'm just sick and tired of worrying. I don't know what the stock market's going to do and I'm heavily invested in it and I just am tired of worrying.'

Is this person moving towards a solution or away from a problem?

Well, that's pretty obvious. They're definitely trying to move away from the problem.

With 'away' people, one of the prongs on the key to persuasion is what I like to call 'backing the ambulance up to the door'. It's like poking at a wound or sticking your tongue at a sore tooth. (Some people actually do that!) It's like rubbernecking at an accident. It's like helping them wallow in that feeling of fear and worry in order to show them the path to . . .in this case, security.

My response: 'Well, exactly. That's perfectly understandable. Because, really, the stock market is a really terrifying prospect right now. I mean, people have no idea how devastating it's going to be when that thing finally crashes again. And I can totally understand that feeling of sickness and worry. Having no parachute, no safety net, no cushion would definitely be cause for worry. My clients have moved beyond that fear and are naturally safe and secure as a result of working with me.'

Determination of towards/away is a really powerful tool that enriches rapport immeasurably. Don't ever try to force the away oriented person to see the silver lining or look through rose colored glasses. Just go along with them and bask in the fear and horror that you can eventually relieve them of.

Until Next Time,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

If you missed "Persuasion Continuum: The Key To Your Prospect's Particulars", go read it now.

When I last left you, you were either completely confused about the Persuasion Continuums or you were well on your way to understanding one of the slickest tools in the persuasion toolbox.

To recap: Continuums work most powerfully when you find that the prospect you're influencing is at either end of the continuum not more or less in the middle. In other words, the powerful continuums are the ones where the person is extreme.

Let's say that your prospect is at the far right side of the continuum at the far 'towards' side. And let's say for 'internal/external', well they're right dead in the middle. They don't seem to go either direction, they don't seem to really care. I just would ignore the internal/external in my languaging because that one just isn't going to make a big difference. (I'll get into more detail on the 'languaging' in an upcoming article.)

These continuums are organizing principles for people; they're a filter, a way of looking at things. And, lucky for us, they're habitual, meaning, people tend to keep the same perspective within the context in which you've inquired.

Sometimes big life changes can make these things change, but basically they are a set way of looking at the world.

I've talked about lenses before ("Adjusting Your Lens") and this is a similar concept. Continuums shape the way we view the world.

We have the 'towards and away' lens. We have the 'internal/external' lens. We have the 'options/procedural' lens. These lenses, when you understand them, enable you to focus straight into the mind of the person you're influencing. This is where they start getting real powerful.

The idea is to learn to adjust your language to take advantage of the continuums you hear like notching a key to fit into a lock.

Most of us, we just assume that everybody else thinks the same way we do.

Wrong! They think the way they do.

The very first step is to learn to put your mind into a white board state. You're there to be marked upon by the way your prospect thinks and speaks and you define yourself by those strategies.

I am not talking about changing your values or your beliefs. I'm not talking about changing who you are at your core. I'm talking about changing the way you express yourself to influence another person.

As an example, are you what you eat? Are you the shoes you wear? Are you the car you drive? Are you the city you live in? You are none of these things and you are made up of all of these things. You're a sum total of a great bunch more than what you eat, wear, drive, and where you live.

Are you a belief? No, but you're closer to that than you are a shoe. Are you a value? Well, that's part of who you are. You're part of all those things. When you combine it together you have you.

It's really important to understand that when you change your language, you're not changing who you are, you're changing your shirt, you're changing your shoes, you're changing your tie.

I realized that it's important to have a particular look and so in the last little over a year, I've conformed to that look a little bit more.

Am I inherently different as a person? No. I carry around 140 pounds less fat than I used to, but I still have the same passions and hopes and dreams and beliefs and core values. If I wear a suit or a T-shirt, I'm still the same person.

I'm changing the perception of my message and that's what continuums are. They're a way for you to change your verbal shoes. To change your verbal pants or shirt, and the key to this is to develop flexibility in the way you talk, to have a wardrobe, to take advantage of what the person you're influencing is using and not default to your own continuums.

When we're pushed into a corner and we have to come out swinging, we're going to simply do what it is that we know how to do. And from there, we hope to improve. Every time you're in front of a prospect, you're in a corner, so to speak, and you do what you know how to do as best as you can. The goal is to have flexibility, to increase that.

Remember, that as the context changes from like work to home to love to health, so too will the way a person uses a continuum including not using that continuum at all in some, but not other contexts. Don't assume that because you know the continuum in one context that it will hold up in others.

Are you starting to get it? Odds are, if you've read Persuasion Continuums I and II a few times, the light is starting to come on. Coming soon: Backing the Ambulance Up to the Door: The 'Away' Perspective.

Until Next Time,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Recently I heard a comedian tell this joke, 'I have the idea that one person's dream is another person's nightmare. For example, it's my dream to sleep with Cindy Crawford. I'll bet you anything that would be her nightmare.'

Some of us like to take tests. Some of us like maps. Some of us actually enjoy cleaning. Our differences are what make us unique. And our differences are what can make persuasion unbelievably powerful.

The key to unlocking your prospect's particulars is finding the key, deciphering their messages and understanding that all of our keys are uniquely configured.

This is a strategy that will make it easier for you to grasp persuasion continuums and how you can take advantage of them in your life.

Persuasion continuums are an interesting phenomenon. What is a persuasion continuum? If you were to draw a straight line on a piece of paper and if you were to put one of the directions of the continuum on the right side and the opposite on the left side, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say 'continuum'. These are patterns that exist in the minds of people and they exist in particular contexts. As the context changes, so too can a continuum. They won't always hold the same across all contexts.

In future articles I'll explore these more specifically, but a few of the continuums we're working with are: 'towards and away', 'sameness and difference', 'internal and external' and 'options and procedures.'

A lot of these are intertwined with or are dependent upon or utilize your understanding of criteria. If we define criteria as that what which points people to relevance, we are in fact giving people relevance.

You've heard of WIIFM. What's in it for me? Well, that, in essence, is the concept of criteria and values. Is there something here for me or is this not for me? That's the big question everybody has when they come to talk to you.

Continuums are content free strategies, meaning they're not dependent on what you're going to be saying, it depends upon the context that you're talking about.

So if you're an advisor and you're talking to people about their finances, then that's the context with which these will hold, then they'll hold today, tomorrow, next week, next year. They tend to not change over time much if at all.

What are we doing here? We're increasing rapport, increasing our persuasion skills and creating magical differences fast.

The continuums I've mentioned are ones that we can spot and find everywhere. There are significantly more but over the next few articles, we'll just be focusing in on these four.

Phew! This is some deep, powerful persuasion and if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, it's perfectly natural. This discussion of continuums will be continued in an upcoming article but if you're as fascinated by this stuff as I am, and can't wait for more, check out my Persuasion Factor program.

P.S. The discussion of continuums now continues in my post "Persuasion Continuum II: Getting in Deeper".

Enjoy,

Kenrick E. Cleveland