Persuasion is one of those skills that gives you a leg up on the competition. When it comes to sales, there is no award for second place. And advantage you can get goes a long way towards coming in first place! Make sure you regularly tune up your persuasion ane influence skills. These are skills that can atrophy over time if you don't use them. And when you need to use them...it's too late to learn! So why not use Maximize Your Influence to stay fresh!

In Kurt's geeky article moment, we learn what motivates people to pursue their dream job. Because we all need money, most of us end up selling out our dream job. But if it's something you really want, you need to have a vivid mindset. Having a vivid, clear picture of your future will make you sink or swim. This equally applies in sales. If your prospects don't have a vivid and clear picture of what it'll be like to use your product, they'll say no.

Continuing on, Kurt and Steve wrap up the series on the 4 R's of Resistance. The 4th "R" is "Representative." In other words...it's YOU. Sometimes people will resist doing business not because of the product, the price, or something else. It's just something about you. This has been discussed at length on the show. People do business with "better looking" people. This doesn't mean you have to be a model. But it is time to ask yourself some questions. Are you dressing fashionably (but not over the top)? Are you over weight? Are you still sporting the same haircut you thought looked super cool in 1982? Take a hard look at yourself. You want too look good...but not too slick.

Beyond looking good, it comes down to rapport. Increasingly, however, prospects are getting a lot better at sniffing out the "bs" that sales people throw at them. The best way to connect is to initially prove your worth. Once you do this, your prospects will subconsiously give you permission to connect with them and "shoot the bull" as they say.