For instance, there’s the “hard sell” approach used by salespeople, where after the pitch, the closing techniques are brought into play, to clinch the deal. (And yes, these techniques do work - I’ve earned some nice product commissions this way.)

And then there’s what I call Very Subtle Selling. Let me explain…

I’m doing research for a product I hope to launch in February 2009, and I came across a beautiful example of Very Subtle Selling:

It was a ScanAlert press release from 2007, in which they announced the results of an analysis they’d done on 2.6 million online sales transactions - and according to their studies, shoppers were taking 80% longer to buy things in 2007 than in 2005. (You can see the press release here - it’s in PDF format.)

Anyway, while the content was useful for the product I’m working on, what particularly fascinated me was the gently persuasive way in which they showed how “cautious shoppers” were on the increase, and one of the ways of increasing sales was to increase trust.

They never explicitly made the connection, but right at the end of the press release was their company’s “bio”, which explained that they provide a HACKER SAFE trustmark for sites to display, as one of the ways for a site to increase trust.

The press release thus provided valuable information for those who sell on the Internet, but it also provided a justification to potential buyers of its products - that increasing the perceived trust can increase sales!

To my mind, this is a brilliant example of Very Subtle Selling. Nowhere are they throwing tantrums and demanding people buy now or else.

The subtle communication of that press release is, “Hey… here’s a good reason you might want to consider using trustmarks (which we happen to provide).”

Think about the people who buy trustmarks. Many of them are going to be in corporations, and answerable to someone higher up in the corporate ladder. The press release gives them the justification they need to spend money on a trustmark. If their boss asks them why they’re spending the money, all they need to do is pull out the press release - nice and simple!

Very Subtle Selling isn’t the best way of selling in all contexts (i.e. a salesperson probably won’t make a whole bunch of commission just being subtle), but there are times when it can be much more persuasive than an “in-your-face” sales pitch.

A good toolkit usually has lots of tools in it, of different shapes and sizes - because one tool doesn’t always do the job. Similarly, being an Optimal Persuader is partly about knowing lots of different ways of doing things, and knowing when to use (or not use) a particular technique or strategy.

So make sure your toolkit has more than item one in it, and get hold of your free copy of 7 Secrets To Optimal Persuasion to give yourself the advantage that others don’t yet have.

For instance, Michel Fortin (@michelfortin) just recently “re-tweeted” (i.e. passed on someone else’s twitter message) a quote from Blair Warren (@blairwarren) which really made me pause for thought. Here it is…

An idea doesn’t have to be original to be powerful. But often it must be presented as original for it to be heard.

Now, this got me thinking in two ways - firstly about the content itself.

Think about the latest “how to” book you read. Almost all of the ideas in that book have probably apeared in some form in an earlier book… but the current author has presented those ideas in an original manner that convinced you to read it.

The ideas have been repackaged and recombined, and perhaps the author has added their own experiences and viewpoint into the mix, to create something “new” and compelling, but still based on “old” ideas.

So maybe it’s worth considering how can you repackage “old” thoughts in “new” ways that are compelling and persuasive.

Second of all, I began thinking about the ability of Twitter to transmit some really powerful thoughts. If you want to be re-tweeted (or quoted), can you boil down your most powerful, most memorable points into a short, punchy message that’s easy for people to share with others?

(For Twitter, they need to be 140 characters or less, which is the maximum you can use per Twitter message.)

We might easily forget complex ideas and thoughts - but simple quotes, jingles and catchphrases stick in the mind, do they not?

For example, consider this phrase you may have heard before:

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

Now, I don’t really care whether you agree with this statement or not - it doesn’t matter in the context of our discussion.

In 7 short words, it sums up an argument… and it puts the argument into a memorable form that can be passed along easily.

It’s not meant to be the whole argument, it’s not meant to replace a rounded out discussion of the issues, but those 7 words convey the essence of a point of view, that can be used to persuade others.

Seth Godin might call them ideaviruses. In the context of Twitter, I’m going to call them twittoids - short, profound thoughts of 140 characters or less.

Hey, would you like to participate in a fun experiment to test the true power of Twitter?

Let’s see how quickly we can get this “twittoid” concept into the collective voice of Twitter. All you have to do is re-tweet the twittoid concept to your followers…

Twittoid - a short, profound thought or message of 140 characters or less, that can easily be shared.

By the way, it’s not a twittoid unless it’s reasonably profound. So your twitter about what you had for breakfast today doesn’t count! I’m sorry to say, but it’s highly unlikely to be re-tweeted.

Anyway, apart from creating a new word, what’s the re-tweetable “take away” message from this post?

For Twitter… profound and brief, and you’ll be the chief.

Hmm… that’s the best I can do for now

And yet, that’s what people often do, even without realizing it. For instance, a person might say to you in a discussion:

“I don’t agree with that…”

“I see where you’re coming from, but…”

Or if you’ve ever encountered a salesperson, they might “overcome” your objection like this:

“I understand why you say you can’t afford my widget, Mr Jones… and in many ways you’re right… but…”

Each of these three examples are basically different ways of telling the other person they’re wrong. Sure, the wording may be more polite than saying, “You’re wrong!”… but the meaning is basically the same.

Another side effect of subcommunicating “You’re wrong” is that it implies “I know better”.

Now, maybe you do know better… maybe you are right… but how do you feel conversing with an arrogant, cocky, my-way-is-always-best kind of person?

Optimal Persuasion isn’t a battle of egos, it’s about being as persuasive as possible. Occasionally, being arrogant and cocky works, but more often it’s just a turn-off. You can be confident, without being arrogant.

Here’s a rule of thumb I like to keep in mind, especially when I need to persuade or make a request:

In the context of persuasion, HOW you say something is equally or more important than WHAT you say.

In my free report 7 Secrets To Optimal Persuasion we discussed how everyone has their own “map of the world” in their mind, based on their own unique beliefs, perspectives, experiences and values.

Rather than telling them how wrong they are (in whatever way), why not first recognize that their opinion is valid and valuable, based on their “map of the world”, and then help them to expand their map.

As I said in the report, this is not merely using reassuring clichés like “I know where you’re coming from…”, but it means really making an effort to understand their point of view, which I showed you how to do in the report.

Only when you understand their map, can you help them to expand it, using stories and metaphors, and “What if…” scenarios.

So put aside your ego… and start being Optimally Persuasive!

And make sure you’ve grabbed a free copy of my report, 7 Secrets To Optimal Persuasion.