One of the bonuses of learning to persuade is that we have the ability to work our skills on ourselves.   When we apply self-persuasion, we can naturally accomplish anything we set our minds to.

However, we must set the stage for productivity and there are a number of things we can do to increase our capacity to achieve.  These are simple, practical, and sometimes elusive activities and mindsets that come easily for some and are more of a challenge for others.  With persistence, comes progress.  I promise.

One of the most passive and pleasurable (though sometimes hard to attain from a time management standpoint) is getting enough sleep.  Our brains recharge us as we sleep allowing our bodies to cleanse, repair, and rejuvenate on a deep cellular level.

In terms of maximizing your productivity, think about your own internal rhythms and when you get the most done.  Are you an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ full of energy in the mornings type of person?  If so, try adding ten or twenty minutes to your morning by going to sleep a little earlier.  Conversely, if you’re a night owl, determine when you are at your peak in terms of getting things done.

These next two ideas may seem time consuming, but the energy you will get from them will help you incredibly in all aspects of your life.  Proper nutrition and exercise. UGH!! I know, it’s hard to eat right, junk food tastes good, it’s too difficult to exercise, it takes way too much time. I know, I know.  I used to think exactly the same way, but the myriad benefits you will gain from incorporating these into your life will more than make up for the effort and time you invest.

As creatures of habit, we do the next step instinctually.  Creating a routine helps with both starting a new, healthy habit and eliminating an old, unhelpful habit.  Success comes about as a result of your intention.   We’ve all been in ruts and know that they have a negative frame attached to them.  I’m not suggesting we all get ourselves in ruts where we can’t see the forest through the tress.  I am suggesting that we learn to do certain things without thinking--like taking your vitamins or starting the day out with a light and sound session, or working on your universes or expressing gratitude for the good things that come to you.  These are all routines that have a positive impact on us.

And lastly, creating stress free situations and environments is crucial.  Even if your work requires a certain amount of stress, if you’re constantly under deadlines you have got to make sure there are places in your life when you can simply decompress.   Sleep is not enough when it comes to decompressing either, so there has to be a hobby or meditative state or prayer or quiet time or time in nature, playing golf, playing cards with the grandkids... whatever pleases you--in order to unwind.

Incorporating these five steps into your life will boost your productivity, not to mention your health, well being, and peace of mind.

Warmly,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Dear Persuader,

“There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between.” -- Pat Riley

We’ve all been there. . . that perfect moment in the business life of a sales professional when we’ve made the sale and turned that prospect into a client.  It feels good.  We’ve done our job well.  But maybe something seems a little off.

This feeling is something to pay attention to.  Commitment is a tricky thing, a loaded word with connotations of “being stuck” and these days it seems many people are terrified of commitment in all arenas.

What should you be watching out for?  When a person gives you a commitment the biggest thing to look for is, are they congruent.  Is the person hemming and hawing?  Do they say things like, “I can probably swing that.”  The word ‘probably’ is a dead giveaway.  So is the word ‘try’.  If someone’s trying to buy or make a commitment, they’re not actually buying or making a commitment.

Were they really congruent when they gave you the ‘yes’ answer? Or were they less than specific?  “Yeah, I reckon so,” they might say.  Well, ‘reckon so’ doesn’t mean they fully agree to it necessarily.

You might be able to hear it tone of their voice (which is a hard one to describe in writing, but you know . . . they stop and start and um and uh).  Does their tone, when they agree, make you feel that they are really not committed?

You need to really evaluate if you’ve gotten a commitment from somebody, are they congruent?  Do they mean it?  If you spot any of the things like I just mentioned, the wisest thing to do is to stop and find out what the issue is.  It’s easier to fix an objection or a problem right then than it will be later on when you gloss over it (and letting the little nagging doubt grow into something larger) and just assuming or trying to convince yourself, well they must have been telling me the truth.  After all, all prospects tell the truth, right?  Just like all sales people do.

The thing is, we are truth tellers.  We tell the truth for all the obvious reasons, not the least of which is, that we want our unconscious mind to believe us.

It’s really important if you see any issues of congruency that you stop and say, “Listen, you know, you told me this answer but I’m just wondering if there’s anything else going on there that we need to explore.”   And then at that point, you’ll be able to deal with it and it won’t become a festering sore that will eventually erupt and lose you the deal.

Here's to staying committed!

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Dear Persuader,

Spring is an exciting time for me, an exciting time for my continuing students, and an exciting time for MAXpersuasion. Spring is when our new students join us.

For existing students, the early weeks of a new MAXpersuasion year are a chance to review and reflect on all that has been accomplished. For new students, it’s a whole new world opening up, a world resplendent with both breakthrough techniques never before taught, and tried and true strategies and persuasion practices culled from the wisdom of ancient works to modern.

I find when beginning a new journey I like to have a map. I like to know where I’m headed and the many ways I can travel to get there. With this in mind, the first thing I go over with new students is the core philosophy of persuasion, the organizing principles that we’ll be studying as we proceed.

Orienting ourselves to maximize our learning begins with harnessing intention. To the extent our intention is working on our behalf, we will experience an amplification of the learning process, an acceleration of how well we do, and an effortless easing of the negative to positive in our lives.

Think of intention as our compass. It guides our behavior and our words, keeps us on track, and helps us anticipate what we’re going to need to make persuasion happen and create the results we desire. The intention process begins with initiating communication with our Other-Than-Conscious mind. This is a two-way road, allowing us to interact with and guide our Other-Than-Conscious to act within our parameters and by our request.

The next step is to externalize what we’ve begun inside with the process of creating trust and rapport with our prospects and clients. Trust is at the heart of every persuasion. Start with this simple truth and you will go far. There’s a name for (attempted) persuasion without trust: coercion. Trust can be learned as can the process of rapport building, and as we begin to build upon our skill sets of persuasion, these are two of the building blocks.

Once these are established, The Cleveland Method will go on to teaching you how to fully and completely get to the core of what your prospect or client wants, not on a shallow level (i.e. I want a new house), but on a deep core value level (i.e. I want to provide security and comfort for my family). This information is pure gold. With it, you can quickly and adeptly tailor your presentation to fit with exactly what your client wants. Instead of throwing all sorts of useless information at them (as with features and benefits selling), you are zeroing in on EXACTLY what they want.

As we continue on our journey together we’ll learn language strategies to create results the likes of which you’ve never before experienced, we’ll discover how to determine specifically what our prospects are saying and determine their models of the world so that we can better direct our words and actions for results. We will go through suggestion patterns which is all about knowing what to say, but also what NOT to say. (There is a list of words that will muddle up any presentation, discussion or communication and that list will be revealed and explained.)

Another core element of our process is the concept of framing. Is it a miserable gray day outside? Or is it a perfect day to cozy up to the fireplace and watch a movie? The frames we set for ourselves, our families, our clients determine how successful we will be. Frames exist in every human interaction and are really the structure of how we view the world. Knowing and understanding these unlocks tremendous opportunities that will make your skills soar.

After we’ve oriented ourselves to working with this powerful knowledge with the utmost integrity, The Cleveland Method delves into social influence skills. This information is dangerous in the wrong hands and have been used throughout history for evil (Hitler’s mass control techniques, cult indoctrination) and for militaristic benefit (the Chinese stratagems, mind control techniques generated in the U.S. military). We also learn how to eliminate resistance and use social influence always ethically and with integrity (without which, a sales person will never rise above mediocre).

We learn about core drives and how to manipulate (not a bad word) these core drives of our clients to sell. We discuss metaphor and storytelling as a way to deliver a pointed, pertinent message that will first, put our clients into a trance, and then easily drop into their subconscious the things we want them to think, feel, believe. Sound powerful? It absolutely is.

Metaphor can be thought of as the ultimate delivery system. I go through many strategies to make using metaphors easy and powerful. We then learn and apply The Hero's Journey to our personal stories and craft those stories to become so powerful that they'll surely sway all those that hear them.

As with any good road trip or sojourn, there is always a fair amount of “soul searching”, that kind of figuring stuff out on a deep level that happens when you have nothing but the open road in front of you. One focus of The Cleveland Method is Universe System.

We use this as a way to re-define the structure of our own selves on a personal, business and public level. The results of taking action with ourselves and using pinpoint precision to identify what's important in our own lives is so powerful and so extraordinarily important in our businesses. When you become capable of truly defining yourself, you'll find that it opens more doors than you ever thought possible.

I’m so excited to begin this journey with you now. If you have ever thought for even a moment that you'd want to study with me... now is definitely the time.

I've just restructured, repriced and revamped my coaching group for the launch of it's 7th year to make it a no-brainer for anyone who has a need to increase their income.

Please contact Kim at kim@maxpersuasion.com or (775) 562-4625 for registration and pricing.

To your success!
Kenrick E. Cleveland
@KenrickC

Hi Persuader,

We live in a world of distractions and this, I feel, is an understatement. We have so much coming at us from all arenas. . . Even as I sit here typing this, I’m getting alerts that I have new e-mail, I’m getting instant messages from my assistant,  the dog wants to play, nature calls, I’m thirsty, the phone rings.  Phew.  It’s exhausting just to write a paragraph with all of the other things intruding on concentration and focus.

There’s an old saying, ‘If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.’  By scattering our energy, we are not giving adequate attention to the important task at hand.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, ‘Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.’

There are so many things we can and may be thinking about when we are interacting with a prospect or client. Our internal dialogue may have us worried about our breath or maybe we’ve got something stuck in our teeth. We might be worried about what the mechanic is going to tell us when we call them back or if the kids got to school on time. Issues large and small will battle for our attention and really what we need to be doing is focusing on our prospects and moreover, focusing intently on our prospects criteria and values.

I think of this focus as a flashlight. For example, if we aim our flashlight at a wall out in front of us, we might think we’re seeing quite a bit.  But say there’s something on a shelf that you really want to see. . . what do you do? Well, if you have a flashlight like mine, you have the ability to make the beam wider or narrower. When it gets narrower, it penetrates further. And when it’s wider, it shows me more space, but less distance.  By beginning to focus laser-like on one aspect, we can see more clearly what we want to see (in this case, what we want to know is what our clients want).

As persuaders, I would say one of the things to focus with our flashlight upon is the identity of the person that we’re talking to.

What did I just do? I adjusted the flashlight. I got clearer about where I wanted to focus.

I like to imagine that the client is a white board, I’ve wiped clean, wiped myself clean, and now they’re writing themselves onto that board of which I’m becoming a part of.  If we can focus on identity as persuaders, this would be a key area for which we can develop parts, a key area that we can frame and reframe. It’s a very powerful area.

The whole point of what we’re s persuaders is to learn to shine that light in various ways to best understand and provide what it is that our clients and prospects want. So take a deep breath the next time you are interacting with a prospect, and really focus that beam on them shutting out all other distractions.

Kenrick

Hi Persuader,

A friend and marketing genius I know recently said to me, “A recession is a transfer of wealth from the scared to the bold.”  This statement stopped me cold in my tracks.  It’s an incredible revelation and a whole new frame around this the current predicament we find ourselves in.

Money is still being spent out there, folks.  The million dollar question is, is this money going to be spent with you or is it going to be spent with your competitors?  Say there’s been a decrease in spending by 5 or 10 percent.  If you do the math that means 90 to 95 percent of the money is out there for the picking.

What distinguishes a skilled sales professional, business owner, real estate agent or financial planner from the rest is the realization that now is the time to boldly hone your message and target your clientele and the ability to enact this honed message.  What does that mean?  For one thing, it means that now is not the time to skimp on your marketing.  Now is the time to reach out to your prospects and clients and delve deep into their values, their needs, their core drives and utilize your persuasion skills fully.

Most people believe that persuasion is something that is done externally to someone else.  This is only half the story.  Persuasion is something that we first and foremost need to apply to ourselves.

To that end, I’m going to share with you the first thing you need to do in this fear-based economy.  This is a revolutionary idea. It’s invaluable.  And yet, it’s somewhat scary.  It’s what is making my students more money than their competitors and helping to keep their clients from straying at the same time that they’re acquiring new clients.

No one likes to be yelled at, no one likes to be on the receiving end of anger or frustration or disappointment or fear or devastation, and yet my advice to you is: get comfortable with being the recipient of all of this.  Here’s the big secret:  Allow your clients to vent.  Most sales professionals will try to diffuse this or wiggle out of it.  Many will become defensive and unload excuses.  Simply put:  Sit there and take it.   I promise that the venting process will allow your prospect or client to release this fear and anger and disappointment.  It’s not going to eliminate it, but it will go a long way to getting them to the point where they are again open to receiving your message.

This most certainly gives you an incredible advantage!

Warmly,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Hello Persuader,

Hey everyone, I've just emerged from my persuasion lab where I've created a new motivational recording for you.

It's called "The Intention Multiplier."

If you've studied my works or trained with me, you'll note that I talk often about setting your intention before your persuasion work.

To me, it's integral to my work and success as a persuader.

I don't just walk in and accept whatever happens.

The first step to success is setting your intention.

And since most people never set their intention, I thought I might help you ramp
up your persuasion skills by creating the "Intention Multiplier" recording.

You can't BUY this recording anywhere.

But I will GIFT it to you if you will do me (and you) a small favor.

I'd like to know what your persuasion needs are and I've constructed a short survey.

I'm interested in creating courses and seminars that fit your needs.

So here's the bribe -

I will give you the "Intention Multiplier" recording if you help me help you by
filling out the survey.

Just answer all of the questions and you'll be directed to a secure download page.

I look forward to serving you better and this will help me laser target your needs.

https://secure.maxpersuasion.com/survey/

Hi Persuader,

A number of years ago, several of Milton Erickson's students decided to play
a trick on the master.

They knew that he had legendary powers of observation but they wanted to
know....

Just how good was he.

Erickson taught his week long seminars in his home.  All around the room
were little artifacts and souvenirs.

Along the back wall, out of the obvious line of sight, one of the students
took a small statue of an owl and lay it down on its side.

When Erickson was wheeled into class, he promptly began the class and
explain his theories through stories and inductions.

Hours later, his wife came in to wheel him out of the room.  The class was
disappointed. Erickson hadn't noticed.

Mrs. Erickson had nearly wheeled Erickson out of the room when Erickson put
up his hand to stop her.

You know that thing that you were concerned about?

Well, I don't give a hoot about it.

Erickson had known all along and turned the tables on the students.

Can you imagine how effective Erickson was as a persuader?

He could literally read the minds of the people in the room.

When you know what your clients are thinking, guess what happens to your
closing rate.

It soars.

So please check out http://www.unconsciouspersuasion.com

And let your sales soar.

Talk with you soon,

Kenrick Cleveland

Frankly, people doubted me.

They told me no one has strategies that can work at increasing sales in
today's economy.

They told me that even if they worked, they wouldn't work in THEIR
particular field.

You know what I did?

I gave all I had to the Persuasion 911 series.

And people responded.

I didn't even have room for all the testimonials I received.

These are people who took action on what I've been teaching.

They took action and immediately noted - these strategies work.

So if you think there isn't anything new to learn, you better get your butt
on the last two calls.

This is ALL NEW material I've been developing.

When you sign up, you'll get access to the calls you missed.

As long as you sign up during the series, you get the discount price.

WARNING: the price goes up by $200 next week.

No, I'm not kidding.

This call series will take your breathe (and your doubts) away.

Get with the program.

Pick up the phone and dial 911.

That's Persuasion911.

http://www.persuasion911.com

Go out and persuade someone,

Kenrick Cleveland

Hi Persuader,

I'm so excited to be beginning a new chapter with my students. In the last month we've embarked on an amazing, transformative, and very practical journey together that starts with a pen and piece of paper (or for those of you who don't know how to use a pen and piece of paper anymore in this world of iPhones and laptops -- all you need is a blank Word document to get started).

I am basing this teaching on a multitude of research I've done over the last 30 years and some of the luminaries in the power of story such as Joseph Campbell and his work on the Hero's Journey, and Dr. Jim Loehr (the chairman and CEO of The Human Performance Institute) in his book "The Power of Story".

Our stories are unique tools in which we can harness our power of to affect those around us. This can be in business, sales, with employees, in seduction or with our spouses, with our children, and even with people we come into contact with in life either on the phone or in person -- bank representatives, grocery store clerks, mechanics, police officers, our kid's teachers.

All great speakers use stories. One of the main differences in the last election was Barack Obama's ability to persuade (I've been saying for over a year that if the race were all about persuasion, Obama would win hands down). Another big difference was Obama's knack for storytelling and how he was able maintain a narrative that was compelling. It's a classic 'rags to riches' story and it resonated very deeply with many people who would not have otherwise voted for a democrat or who would not have otherwise been of the mind to vote for an African-American (for whatever reason).

Tony Robbins also has a 'rags to riches' story which he tells during his talks. (On a side note, when I entered 'rags to riches' into Wikipedia, I found a fascinating list of celebrities and politicians who have the same basis for their stories.)

But even if you grew up middle class and haven't struggled financially in life, you have a story and likely, a fascinating story. If you're not where you want to be in life, if there's something you haven't achieved, then there is work to be done on your story.

In "The Power of Story" Dr. Loehr talks about how the stories we tell ourselves and others are oftentimes flawed and keep us locked into situations that are unsatisfying. By simply rewriting our stories, we can transform our lives. It's a simple process, but by no means easy. It is deep work that has the potential to create a bit of upheaval in your life and the benefits will be immeasurable.

It's time to evolve that story. So take that pen and paper and start with "you" and ask yourself these questions: Where am I going? How did it come to this? What do I want? What's the meaning of my life?

This is the jumping off point. I'm right here with you. I've begun my journey and my students are beginning their journeys. If you have an interest in joining us in this learning, contact Kim at Maxpersuasion.

Until Next Time,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Hi Persuader,

Lately I’ve been really exploring the power of stories in both my own learning and in my teaching. We all have a story with many story lines, interwoven throughout our lifetimes. This has been an incredible journey bringing up memories I thought were long gone. My story today has to do with setting little markers for yourself. When you have a goal, parsing off the route to this goal, helps make the steps manageable.

When I was a kid, my father and I went hiking on the Pacific Crest National Trail. We had big backpacks, food for two weeks, a topographical map (though we didn’t need it, but dad brought it for teaching purposes, I think), canteens, sleeping bags, a tent, and most importantly for me, blister pads. My dad carried with him a folding chair so that when we stopped at night, he’d have a comfortable place to sit. He dropped off our car quite some distance away and had somebody drive us to the trailhead and drop us off. We drove for half a day to be able to then hike this far over two weeks.

We started off at the top of a summit. As I stared off into the distance, I couldn’t believe how long it was going to take us to get back to our car. I remember thinking to myself, there’s no way we’re ever going to reach it. No human has ever walked so much. (We hadn’t gotten to the Lewis and Clark part of school by that point.)

The first day, every step hurt, I was miserable and couldn’t experience the beauty. After that we got into a rhythm. We would make little markers for ourselves, when I make it up that hill or to that tree, I get a sip of water.

Before I knew it, I was standing at the summit of one of the major hills that I had seen from our trailhead starting point. As I looked back at all the ground we had covered and I thought, I can do this. I looked at the map and thought, hey, we’re more than half way there. I can most definitely do this.

Another thing I strongly remember from this very long hike with my dad was that he entertained and probably distracted me with the storylines and a little bit of dialogue from the James Bond movies that had come out over the past few years, the mid to late-60s, of which we were both fans. So really, when I think back, I’m reliving multiple stories within the story of this special time with my dad and the wonderful life experience he gave me for those many miles.

These kinds of realizations started to sink in. I continue to use this process to look at how I can see things that seem insurmountable as merely stepping stones instead of a brick walls, and I realized, at that moment, the brick wall had become a summit.

Until Next Time,

Kenrick E. Cleveland