Persuasion for Profit: Houdini and the Secrets of Packaged Perception
August 14th, 2008 · by J.P. Micek · Filed Under: New Media Marketing Strategy · Offline Tribal Seduction · Online Persuasion · Personal Branding · Tribal Seduction · Tribal Seduction Strategies
What’s the secret to attracting attention and winning over people’s hearts, minds and pocketbooks? It’s the ability to influence and persuade. It’s what all business owners, sales pros and politicians want — but most start from the wrong place
Persuasion start with Self-Influence™
Mention persuasion to the average person and ask them where persuasion is focused — outward (on other people) or inward.
99 out of 100 will say "on other people." After all, isn’t the idea to win friends and influence people? Isn’t that what we should be focused on?
Yeah, sure – that’s the ultimate goal. But unless you master Self-Influence™ your persuasion skills will always come across as mechanical, un-natural.
Think about it. If you can’t influence and motivate yourself to take action — how can you ever effectively motivate anyone else?
The fact is you won’t. People’s perception will immediately be one of suspicion. Not a good place to start a relationship, I’m sure you agree.
Have you ever heard of Harry Houdini?
Well he wasn’t like today’s magicians, only interested in filling a theatre in Vegas. He was an artist. He could make an elephant disappear in the middle of a theatre filled with people, and do you know how he did that?
By controlling people’s perceptions.
Perception is reality.
Until you control people’s perception of you, your brand, your persona, and who you really are at your core – you will never attain the levels of influence and persuasion that you want.
And yes! That applies online too because there is NO hiding behind your screen. Not anymore!
Online persuasion
It’s easy to see influence and persuasion at work in the off-line world. You meet people and immediately begin either building or breaking rapport with your first face-to-face meeting. You’ve got all five senses working for you.
At first glance online persuasion of that same level may appear to be a near impossible goal. At best, most people see online persuasion as a process of mechanical manipulation; tricks and black-hat triggers used to induce people to hand over their cash.
If we were still living in the online world of Web 1.0, true online persuasion would be difficult. That was an online world where conversations were limited, and being a Marketplace Molester was the bastardized definition of begin “persuasive.”
But have you noticed that going online is a different type of experience today?
With the New Media marketplace powered by people and participation, a more natural form of persuasion can be employed. Audio and video along with instant interaction and ongoing conversations simply make online persuasion another dimension of the off-line face-to-face world.
“The catch”
Online or offline — you can’t just jump in and start trying to influence others. That’s like building a pyramid from the top down.
(For a full-size printer-friendly version, download the Tribal Seduction Power Pyramid™ PDF here.)
Far too many people start from the wrong place and fail to establish the foundation that will support their successfully persuading an ever growing Tribe in today’s marketplace.
You need to start from the bottom up, inside out.
Here’s why…
If you want people to trust you and fall under your spell, it’s not about “making up” a persona or image. You need to take your strengths and the magnetic aspects of your persona and make them larger than life.
To maximize your ability to persuade in marketing, sales, management, or any area of life – that means starting with understanding your natural communication style.
We each have our own unique Communication Code™. That code determines how we communicate with the outside world, how others perceive us, and how we talk to ourselves. It’s an essential element in the Self-Influence formula. And it’s the easiest place to start.
The good thing is that, when it comes to your natural communication style, you can adapt. And that ability to adapt gives you control. Control over how others perceive you, and control over how you manage and motivate yourself.
The better you understand yourself, the better you will be at getting what you want. In fact, what you don’t know about yourself could keep you from getting what you want.
Today’s New Media Marketplace isn’t Romper Room
Focusing on Self-Influence first takes patience and maturity. It’s not for everyone. It’s a matter of doing things a little differently to make a LOT more money.
Some people are still looking for the easy way to riches. The magic bullet or secret potion. And that’s ok for people who want to end up struggling and eeking out a living waiting for that pie-in-the-sky payday.
But if you’re serious about achieving the wealth and lifestyle you want, sorry – playtime is over!
Houdini used Self-Influence to survive his life-threatening illusions and win over the world. Moguls like Oprah and Trump have mastered it. Branding power-houses like Gene Simmons and thought leaders Seth Godin know it, live it and profit from it.
They all know their practical strengths, Communication and Motivation Codes™. They mastered Self-Influence long ago and excel at persuading though perception… the reason they are where they are today.
How are you doing?
If you’re trying to persuade your Tribe and influence groups of people, have you worked your way up the Power Pyramid™; constantly working to improve your Self-Influence™ and Personal Persuasion?
- If not, what’s holding you back? What is your greatest challenge in creating a persona and packaged perception that will persuade your Tribe?
If you’re not happy with the results you’re getting at the top of the Power Pyramid, what are you doing about it?
- Are you willing to focus on influencing yourself BEFORE trying to win the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of millions?
- Have you identitifed your practical strengths; the abilites and skills that will add value to other people’s lives?
- Have you broken your Communication Code™ to determine how the stress of challenges, interaction with people, details and even day-to-day tasks impact how others percieve you?
- What about your Motivational Code™? Do you know exactly what gets you jumping out of bed in the mornign ready to roll without any coffee?
- How are you packaging those together with your Persona to create a Personal Brand that creates the perception you want people to have?
Spill your mind. Share your thoughts in some graffiti down below. 
>> To see how Self-Influence translates into the power to persuade crowds and create raving fans, download the Tribal Seduction Power Pyramid™ PDF here.)
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| John Paul Micek is a co-founder of the international business coaching company RPM Success Group ® Inc. He and his partner Deborah Micek are authors of the hit book Secrets Of Online Persuasion, and creators of the BLOG i360™ New Media Marketing Site Creater. | |
5 Responses to “Persuasion for Profit: Houdini and the Secrets of Packaged Perception”
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Hey guys,
this is one of the best articles i have read lately. concise and very perceptive. it is much easier…(and more fun) to focus on our strengths rather than lollygag around with our weaknesses.
good going.
paul montelongo
The tricky thing when comparing building anything such as a business or social network to the construction of the great pyramids of Egypt is that the method of construction for these monuments have not yet been discovered – in fact it is my belief – unlike the example you are suggesting in the article, that the Egyptian Pyramids were begun at a point at what would later become the top of the pyramid – right at the top of the sand – then gradually adding stones underneath and while digging away at the sand and thus leaving the towering pyramid to stand on it’s own pointing towards the sky but without the building up but rather the adding base to the bottom – which in fact is exactly how most companies – small businesses and corporations alike are first created – with the entrepreneurial head and perhaps a few partners and then with the adding gradually over time – the support staff and increasing departments as the company itself grows – in many situations the original creator of the company remains at the top or pinnacle of the company and the entire organization which follows is added on below and then the shareholders as well – acting very often ad the king pin for what is built underneath him or her –
what does remain important in either case of use of the example is that the individual and their strengths as well as their weaknesses do remain an important element which determines the strength and weakness of that which is built *(in my case) underneath them –
and while one may argue or point out that the organizational structure of many companies, groups, networks do seem to vary greatly from the form of the hierarchy and into more of a quasi unilevel structure – if this is so and therefore the trending towards which in the future all organizational structures will tend towards – in may then be incorrect to utilize the pyramid in any example as has been utilized in this article – for if the pyramid is constantly and consistently utilized as the example it will be virtually impossible for structures to deviate from that type of structure simply because it is constantly utilized as the example which is followed and therefore followed it is -
Walter ~ Interesting point you raise re: the “actual” construction of the real pyramids in Egypt. And while I enjoy deep philosophical discussions, most people could care less about such things. They’re looking for solutions to challenges they can quickly grasp and put to use.
The pyramid is not an “example” of how to “build a business hierarchy” that will lock people into a structure as you propose. The Power Pyramid is merely a visual metaphor representing where the true power to influence and persuade comes from.
Metaphors like the Power Pyramid work because people “get” the point quickly, remember it more easily, and can put it to work in their lives more efficiently.
If, then, I were to use a visual metaphor to represent where true power is coming from, I would utilize, within the entire Universe, our very own solar system – with the Sun at its center and with Earth revolving around the Sun as the sphere of influence – one in relation to the other – where if the Sun looses its power or strength either as far as its heat – light rays or gravitational pull or any combination of these thereof – this will then most definitely effect the Earth’s ability, care concern and ability (or any combination of the above) to stick around in its current orbit – one other vital point in this visual metaphor would be that there is a constant variation in the distance (diameter of the orbit) that Earth is away from the Sun in its path of revolutions around the Sun and for me this more closely resemble reality and the need for constant monitoring of the Self – in my example.
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