Articles from this Author

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  1. Pacing And Leading

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-17
    Pacing involves establishing rapport and making persuasive communication easier; leading involves steering your prospect toward your point of view. Pacing and leading will enable you to direct a perso...

  2. Engaging The Five Senses

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-17
    We were all born with five senses, each one helping us to make generalizations about the world. You should engage all five sensations when trying to persuade an audience. However, keep in mind that th...

  3. Getting Your Foot In The Door

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-17
    One aspect of the law of dissonance is the urge to remain consistent with our commitments. Even if someone begins with a small request then follows it up with a larger request, we still tend to remain...

  4. It Is How, Not What You Say

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-17
    The words we use and the way in which we use them can have a huge impact on how we are perceived by our audience. As Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the d...

  5. Advertising Pitfalls

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-17
    Perhaps the greatest obstacle to good advertising is excess. Ads can end up so crammed with ideas and features that they appear dense and uninviting. If over designed, they can become more artistic th...

  6. Discovering Internal Motivation

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-11
    You can't change a habit unless you replace it with another one. The same is true of motivation. You can't change how someone is motivated unless you replace the undesirable motivation with a desirabl...

  7. Close More Sales By Not Allowing Your Prospects To Think It Over

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-11
    People put off until tomorrow only those decisions they lack the confidence to make today. We live in a society where no one has time. How ironic is that we don't have time to do the things we want,...

  8. Emotional Types Mastery

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-11
    Over the centuries, philosophers have tried to categorize the very many complex emotions of humanity--no easy task. Philosophers argued emotions are largely influenced by one's time period and culture...

  9. Foundational Principles Of Persuasion

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-11
    Central to understanding persuasion is the concept of neutrality. The laws of persuasion are neither good nor evil. They simply exist. Just as nuclear power can be used to create electricity or an ato...

  10. Advertising In A Nutshell

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-11
    The bottom line of all advertising efforts is an obvious one: to attract customers and bolster sales. But often, small business advertising is wasted on a shotgun approach that doesn't focus on the co...

  11. Secrets Of Successful Negotiators

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-10
    Persuasion occurs when your ideas are so convincing that the other party ends up adopting your point of view. With persuasion, there is no compromising as there is in negotiation. Rather, the other pa...

  12. The Impact Of Suggestion

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    Expectations influence reality and create results. Individuals tend to make decisions based on how others expect them to perform. As a result, people fulfill those expectations whether positive or neg...

  13. Rhetoric Selling

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    One's ability to persuade meant great social prestige in the ancient Greek world. Homer regarded the rhetorical skills of Nestor and Odysseus as tremendous inborn gifts. It was Aristotle who first i...

  14. Telling Stories

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    Paint the picture for your audience. The more you can create the setting-the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings-the more your audience will be drawn in. Remember, you want the experience to ...

  15. The Psychological Aspects Of Closing The Deal

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    The call to action is the most important part of your presentation. This is where your audience understands exactly what you want them to do. It's where you define yourself as a persuader instead of a...

  16. Power Of Persuasion

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for better income and having a better income. Ask yourself, how much income and money have you lost with your inability t...

  17. Vision Precedes Victory

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    Vision that is shared is cohesive and bonding. A common vision pulls people together toward the same goals and objectives. Influential people have clearly defined visions that are forward-looking and ...

  18. The Bait And Switch

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-09
    If you can get someone to mentally commit to a product or a decision, he is likely to remain committed even after the terms and conditions change. This is why when stores, for example, advertise very ...

  19. Assume The Sale

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-08
    The power of suggestion can also be extremely effective when you engage the emotions in your tactics. For example, when your car salesman says, "You're really going to love how this car handles in the...

  20. Stirring An Audience

    by Kurt Mortensen - 2007-01-08
    Are we rational human beings? Do we follow all forms of logic? Do we only act if it feels right? Do we even want the facts all the time? Have you ever tried to persuade an emotional person with logic?...