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Art of Persuasion

Recently I made this statement…

“If there was one skill you could learn that would almost guarantee the success of your Internet business, it would be copywriting.”

Ryan Healy picked up on that statement and wrote a very interesting post over on his blog at:
http://www.ryanhealy.com/skill-of-copywriting/

His post is basically stating that copywriting is one element in the larger skill of communication. For example, in your business, in addition to writing copy for a website, you may also communicate your business ideas with partners. You might network at meetings. You will use communication in other forms other than just written.

Ryan says, “It’s my belief that communication is the most important skill you could ever learn.”

I don’t know if I can 100% agree that communication is the most important skill, because coming up with the original idea of course is on the same level. Creating outstanding products that customers naturally want to tell others about is also important.

But we can easily agree communication is one of the most important skills in your business.

Let’s even take it one step further. Persuasive communication is one of the most important skills you would ever learn in your business.

You have to persuade people to clicks on your ads.
You persuade them to sign up for your list.
You persuade them to read your emails and blog.
You persuade them to read your sales copy.
You persuade them to buy your product.
You persuade JV partners to promote you.

And it continues down the list. If you can’t persuade others, your business is dead in the water.

That’s what the May Monthly Mentor Club newsletter is all about: persuasive communication in all its forms.

It’s interesting how closely the different forms of marketing cross each other.

For example, I studied a $3,000 course on public speaking (I bartered a seat at a workshop for it). The big theme of the course was to create your speech almost exactly like a sales letter. You start with an attention grabbing headline. You tell the emotionally grabbing story. You provide proof that you know what you’re talking about.

And right on down the list until you finish with a close and guarantee on your offer. The course was a little too aggressive sales oriented for me as I like to educate and teach during any live presentations…and NOT do a one hour sales pitch.

But the course itself was teaching you how to do a one hour or longer sales presentation that looked like you were educating the prospect.

I couldn’t follow their system because I really do want to give value in any spoken presentation, but the core of the course shows that speaking persuasion runs right along the lines of written persuasion.

Those same copywriting skills can be applied to all the other forms of persuasion as well. And those books on how to be a successful sales person apply to your written copywriting.

Copywriting is salesmanship in print. If your goal of a speech is to sell a product, then your speech is salesmanship. If that speech is designed to educate, you’ll still have to use your skills of persuasion to influence the students to take action on what you taught them.

Here’s something to think about. We always seem to think about persuasion when it comes to selling. What about persuading others to do what’s right for them even when you’re not in a sales situation?

Isn’t that what school teachers and pastors should be doing? They can’t just provide information, as information alone won’t be valued. They have to persuade their listeners to take action on that information.

Yet most of them have never studied persuasion skills. Is it any wonder why we have so many problems with education?

As a business person, studying persuasion is an essential tool. This could be in the form of materials on person-to-person selling, copywriting, speaking, or even psychology. It doesn’t matter as they’re all after the same goal – persuading others.

This post is an excerpt from May’s Monthly Mentor Club which will be sent out Friday morning, May 9th. The full print issue contains information on how to learn top persuasion skills, website layouts, preparing to write copy for the web, how to write sales copy online, and more. Subscribe to it today if you’re not already a member…

Written by Terry · Filed Under All 

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Comments

17 Responses to “Art of Persuasion”

  1. Bryan Reed on May 8th, 2008 8:07 am

    On a side note, a time I’ve found myself using persuasion techniques (unknowingly) is with a large company’s customer service representative. Especially the outsourced ones. When you use them, it’s amazing how much power the customer service rep actually has to help you.

    I guess that is why “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is such a classic.

  2. Ryan Healy on May 8th, 2008 11:37 am

    Terry – Thank you for the mention, and on my birthday no less. :-)

    I’m really looking forward to the next newsletter.

    Ryan

    P.S. The new blog design is great. Very clean and professional.

  3. Carole DeJarnatt on May 9th, 2008 9:05 am

    It was my birthday also so Ryan and I share the same date. I also am looking forward to the newsletter. It will be the first one for me. The materials I received for becoming a subscriber are enough to keep me busy a long time after I receive the newsletter in the mail.

    I want you to know I used one of your sayings when working with a client the other day who does not enjoy the selling process of his business. I told him to just look at it as educating his customer instead of selling to them and it makes the information and the process much easier. He thought that was an awesome idea! I did give you recognition when informing him where I read the information.

    Thanks for your value you give in each and every post!

  4. tony edward on May 9th, 2008 1:02 pm

    I am now persuaded to check out the Monthly Mentor Club. If it’s as good as the high quality knowledge you share then I’m in. I have just ordered Robert Cialdini’s “influence” from Amazon to continue my persuasion studies.

    I really like this blog. It’s very clean looking, easy to read and professional. I found it through another blog (ref: woodymaixim.com).

  5. ideal4investors on May 10th, 2008 3:49 pm

    Getting your JV partners to promote you is an important step. And also getting your customers to promote your business for you.

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  12. Nesher on June 6th, 2008 2:46 am

    Thank you for submission your article to the 5th Edition of the “Bringing more traffic to your blog” Blog Carnival. The edition was published today: http://blogging4good.blogspot.com/2008/06/bringing-more-traffic-to-your-blog-june.html

    Have a good weekend!

  13. Amos Lewis on June 11th, 2008 3:09 pm

    Hello:
    I just stumbled across your blog and I think it will be helpful in starting my on-line business. Do you all use any copy-writing software? I’m a graphic artist by trade and copy-writing is new to me.

  14. Terry on June 12th, 2008 5:44 am

    Hi Amos,

    Welcome here. I’ve used some software for copywriting but I wouldn’t consider any software program essential. What I would consider essential is learning the basics. See this post: http://www.terrydean.org/how-to-get-a-copywriting-education-for-under-100/

    Terry

  15. Justin Hall on July 16th, 2008 3:16 pm

    Hello,

    I’m wondering if you offer advertising for a quality product to your newsletter?

    If so, I’m very interested.

    Please let me know if you are open to this.

    Thanks!

    Justin

  16. Terry on July 16th, 2008 3:51 pm

    Hi Justin,

    At this point in time I do not sell any advertising on my sites or in my newsletter.

    Thanks for asking though.

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