Life is change; persuasion is change. As a Master Persuader, you must be able to create and motivate change. Understand most people will resist change and burrow into their comfort zones. We tend to follow the path of least resistance. However, change is the only thing that can lift us up from where we currently lie. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Man's mind, stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions." We all want to become a better person and to be "stretched" to accomplish more things, but we are stuck in our daily patterns.

As you go through the Pre-Persuasion Checklist, find out how resistant to change your audience is likely to be. Will persuading them be like breaking through a brick wall or a cardboard box? Are they ready to make changes because of their circumstances and surroundings? Are they already trying to change? Some of your prospects will oppose you and blatantly resist your persuasive message. This is great news--this means they are listening and it's a sign of involvement. If the audience gives no feedback, then they are not involved in your message.

There are three ways people make changes in their life. One is through drastic change. This could be a heart attack, a personal tragedy, or losing a job. These events force people to change their lives. They did not feel a need to change until threatening, life-changing events occurred. The second is through gradual change. This is a process that evolves from events or personal relationships. Gradual change happens over time, so much so that you usually don't notice that it is happening. The third way people change their lives is through internal change. This can come from inspiration or desperation, but either way, you have consciously decided you are going to make changes in your life.

To get change to stick, you must make sure three things occur, whether within yourself or your audience. First, there must be a long-term, enthusiastic commitment to change. You have to decide there is no other option. The second thing is that you must be willing to pay the price, persisting even when you feel weak. Third, you have to know where the change is taking them. How is this going to affect their lives? What are the end results?

The biggest obstacles to change are lack of motivation, lack of knowledge, and fear. People will not change if they don't know where that change is taking them. We naturally watch out for our own future and want to prevent harm from reaching us. As a persuader, you need to create a vision for your audience, one that shows them what they will be like in the future. If you can get people to see themselves in the future and witness where that change will take them, they will be more willing to embrace change. Understand that people will resist change unless sufficient reinforcement and tools are provided to assist them. Without having this knowledge, their attitudes won't change, and if their attitudes won't change, then their actions won't change.

Motivation is a call to action. It inspires change, movement, and focus. It is what makes the world turn. The Art of Motivation is a must for Master Persuaders. How do you motivate in such a way that prompts people to take the actions you want them to take? How can you plant the seeds to encourage motivation? As a persuader, one of the keys to success is to motivate yourself and others. We have all had days when we did not feel like doing the things we knew we needed to do. It is useless to persuade and have others agree with your point of view if you can't get them to take action.

Many think motivation is useless because it doesn't ensure long-lasting results. This can be seen in what I call the Desperation Cycle. The Desperation Cycle shows how human nature influences us to take the easiest path instead of the best path. In persuasion, we need to pull people out of the Desperation Cycle and into permanent, long-term motivation. We all know we are creatures of habit. We are like water following the path of least resistance. As creatures of habit, we dwell in our comfort zones. This is a place where we don't have to think or spend much energy analyzing our surroundings. In this zone, we become complacent, comfortable, and resistant to change. We live by habit and routine.

We don't stretch or strive for excellence in the comfort zone. We consider change only when the pain of our current situation becomes too intense to ignore. Fear of the unknown and fear of making mistakes are also reasons why we stay in our comfort zone. We love our comfort zone because it is a safe place where we can reduce our mistakes and keep our failures to a minimum. Mark Twain said, "A cat that steps on a hot stove once will never step on a hot stove again but neither will it step on a cold one." The comfort zone is safe and warm, but it keeps us paralyzed and unmotivated.

In the Desperation Cycle, we first feel safe in our comfort zone. Then fear even begins to creep in there. We realize we haven't accomplished any of the things we need to do. Suddenly, we fear what we are becoming, where we are going. As we contemplate this destination, we panic and work frantically to save ourselves. This frantic rehabilitation lasts just long enough for us to see exactly how steep the hill is going to be, or how long the marathon really is, and then the excitement dies. We numb ourselves to these stark realizations and find ourselves lulled back into the comfort zone.

Let's say you have a high school reunion coming up and, over the past number of years, you have been enjoying some of life's finer foods. Over the years, your pants have become a little tighter and tighter. You don't want to go the reunion in this fat stage. You begin to fear what it's going to be like to show up at your reunion looking this way. Panic hits and you vow that you will lose weight before the looming event arrives. You starve yourself. You even start to exercise. The pounds come off and you go to your reunion. Then the cycle comes full circle. You get home and think it'd be nice to continue shedding the pounds, but you realize it's harder than you thought. You begin to enjoy the finer things in life again, just a little bit. The weight returns and you start the cycle all over again.

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life.Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence.Think about it.Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done.Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across?Were you unable to convince someone to do something?Have you reached your full potential?Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals?What about your relationships?Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.