Kurt W. Mortensen - Maximum influence : the 12 universal laws of power persuasion

Maximum Influence

The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion

Second Edition

Kurt W. Mortensen

American Management Association

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mortensen, Kurt W.

Maximum influence : the 12 universal laws of power persuasion / Kurt W. Mortensen. Second edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-3209-9

ISBN-10: 0-8144-3209-3

1. Persuasion (Psychology) 2. Influence (Psychology) 3. SuccessPsychological aspects. I. Title.

BF637.P4M67 2013

153.852dc23

2012047022

2013 Kurt W. Mortensen.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

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Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Key to Success

The Automatic Yes

Contagious Cooperation

Create and Maintain Interest

How Praise Releases Energy

How to Get Anyone to Do a Favor for You

7. The Law of Dissonance
Internal Pressure Is the Secret

The Leverage of Language

Create the Environment of Influence

Logical Mind Versus Emotional Heart

The Impact of Suggestion

How to Make Price (or Time) a Nonissue

The Art of Social Pressure

Get Anyone to Take Immediate Action

Your Prepersuasion Checklist

Foreword

N apoleon Hill said, Persuasion is the magic ingredient that will help you to forge ahead in your profession or businessand to achieve happy and lasting personal relationships. As we all know, persuasion is the skill of the ultraprosperous. It is how people gain power and influence. It is how people create staggering wealthhow businesses thrive, how books are published, how properties are purchased, and how websites sell millions of dollars worth of product. Persuasion is the lifeblood of powerful and effective day-to-day living. The art of persuasion is what makes the world turn.

I have known Kurt Mortensen for years. A master of persuasion himself, he exudes every quality and possesses every skill set forth in this book. Through this book, Kurt has provided the most complete, comprehensive work on persuasion and influence I have ever read. Nowhere in persuasion literature have I ever seen the art broken down into such thorough and easy-to-understand concepts, covering every aspect of persuasion imaginable. Never before has it been so easy to understand human behavior and how to use it to your advantage. Based on true-life examples and exhaustive psychological and sociological research, Kurt imparts of his wisdom, knowledge, and experience with insight, wit, and enthusiasm.

The powerful, time-tested, and proven techniques in the following pages will equip the reader with the tools necessary to make profound life changes. These very laws of persuasion have made me millions of dollars and have helped thousands of others apply them in both their business and personal lives to strengthen relationships, to create wealth, to transform careers, to influence lives for the better. Each one of the laws discussed will improve your success dramatically, even doubling and tripling your income. I only wish I had had this kind of information earlier in my career! It would have limited the number of lessons I had to learn at the school of hard knocks.

One of the number one skills you must learn in building your financial empires is persuasion. Reading this book will be a truly life-changing influence for anyone who applies the principles so thoroughly and carefully outlined. Maximum Influence is a must for the library of anyone who wants to be in control of all aspects of his or her life. Reading this book will not only make you a student of persuasion, but also a learned scholar.

Robert G. Allen
Author of Nothing Down, Creating Wealth,
Multiple Streams of Income, and
Coauthor of The One-Minute Millionaire

Acknowledgments

A big thanks to all the customers, clients, partners, and employees who helped make Maximum Influence and Advanced Influence a reality. I want to express my love and appreciation to my loving wife Denita. She is my light and the main reason for my success. I also want to thank my children, Brooke, Mitchell, Bailey, and Madison, for their love, laughter, and support throughout this project and throughout my life. Family is what makes life a joy and our dreams worth pursuing. I also want to express special thanks to my colleagues and students, who made this research possible.

Introduction

M y Persuasion Journey began with a university education and a degree. I then went off to a graduate school to master the world of business. Upon graduation, I was thrust into a management situation where I had to manage salespeople, motivate customer service, and coordinate with other department managers.

Then the shocker hit. I had learned the important business topics in graduate school, but that learning didnt seem to matter to real human beings. Although what I had learned was valuable information and important for business, it did not prepare me for the human side of business. I had to learn how to deal with human emotions. I needed to know how to persuade other managers to help me, to influence and inspire others, and to increase sales. Sure I could read a balance sheet, understand accounting, and comprehend economics, but I had not mastered the priceless skill of persuasion that studies show is 85 percent of our success in business. I soon found that some managers would resist a great idea just because it was not their idea. Some people would clash just because of their personalities. Coworkers would get upset with one other for the strangest things. Ah, the emotional side of business!