Welcome to step 6 in our series on earning more and working less.

One of the big differences between enjoying a hugely successful business and having ordinary results is your ability to persuade people to buy from you.

But, even though persuasion is an essential business skill, it’s sometimes seen as a negative word. The truth is it’s really about understanding what people want and showing them how they can get it.

And the reality is that most people in business don’t do it well. They actually undersell the service and value they provide.

If you genuinely believe in your product or service, you really have a moral obligation to explain convincingly to prospective clients about how you can help them.

However, the way you present yourself to them will determine whether they buy from you and build a long-term relationship.

Create personal impact
Potential clients and partners make judgments within a few seconds of meeting so that first impression is crucial. Here are 7 tips for instant positive impact:

1. Talk about solutions: Talk to people about how you can help them, not what you do or your “label”. It’s problem-solvers who make money.
2. Be enthusiastic: If you don’t show enthusiasm for what you do and how you help people, you can’t expect others to be interested.
3. Look confident: Dress a little better than people expect you to (but not too much). Stand and walk with confident body language.
4. Act like an expert: Talk with the confidence of being an expert. People want to be led and advised by an expert so act like one.
5. Develop rapport: You can help someone feel comfortable with you by matching them in some way - say in their body language or words.
6. Be persistent: You should be willing to talk to any individual or audience who might be a potential market for you.
7. Be yourself: Ultimately, be yourself. Your clients want a real person, not a fake business personality.

Use the science of persuasion
Fortunately the field of persuasion has been well researched so there is a range of proven principles and techniques you can use to create more powerful influence.

For example, the principle of “authority” states that people follow the advice of people they perceive to be experts.

To position yourself as an expert, you need to take action - for example by speaking and writing articles. And it’s best to focus on a clear niche. If you have appropriate qualifications and certificates, don’t hesitate to display them.

One way in which your expertise comes across to people is in the amount you charge. Make sure that you’re charging enough, whether it’s in the price of your products or in your hourly rate. If you charge low prices, then that’s the value people will attribute to the information you’re giving them.

The more you can develop your ability to persuade others of the value of your services, the more successful you will be in business and in life.

The good news is that there are straightforward steps you can follow to improve your persuasion skills. And following these puts you at a huge advantage as not many people know how to persuade successfully.

When you have the power of persuasion in your marketing, the next step is developing an effective plan for getting your message across.

We’ll talk about that in the next tip. See you for that in a couple of days.

P.S. To make your marketing easier and more effective by harnessing the power of persuasion, check out http://www.PersuasiveMarketingSystem.com