In the hopes of improving personally and professionally, Clay and I are reading a book called "The 7 Triggers to Yes". The idea behind the book is to refute the idea that, as Aristotle taught, logic and reasoning should convince anyone. Instead, author Russell Granger points to newer evidence that our emotions control the vast majority of our decisions. Our reasoning, higher level brain doesn't typically get involved in routine decisions.

So as "salesman," (or influencers, or leaders - we all fall into those categories, if not true salesmen), we need to identify the triggers that get peoples' emotional decision-making to go in our favor. The triggers he describes:

1. Friendship
2. Authority
3. Consistency
4. Reciprocity
5. Contrast
6. Reason Why
7. Hope

I've just finished the intro and the friendship trigger section. This one is what you might expect: liking the person trying to influence you is critical, how to identify with your "partner" (as Granger calls the person we're trying to influence) and make him identify with you, the use of mirroring in attitude and dress. Pretty standard sales stuff in this section. I'm anxious to hear about the rest, though.

I've always considered reason to be the key. If I construct a good enough argument, who could resist? Yet people do, time and time again. I'm hoping this gives me some insight I haven't gleaned before.