Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary

If I know my product better than my consumer, why bother listening to them? That question is not only simplistic, it’s arrogant. The correct answer is simple: you don’t know how your product intersects with the real life of a real person unless you ask them.

Absolutes are deal-breakers. Never use language that suggests universal or unanimous agreement. Audiences don’t like to hear words like always, everyone, or all the time because it suggests a certainty and uniformity that no one believes exists. In fact, avoid the word never, because people will conjure up exceptions in their minds. The minute they

Don’t mistake volume for enthusiasm. Shouting is one of the worst mistakes communicators make in demonstrating passion. Nobody wants to be yelled at, even when they agree with you. In reality, the most passionate—and persuasive—people speak the softest when it matters the most.

Here’s your answer. In a 2010 national survey of consumers, notice that respected and valued actually finish ahead of well-serviced. That’s as good a sign as any that the process of customer service is less important than the result.

One of the most important components of persuasion is referencing that which people already believe and then using it as a springboard for the leap of faith you want them to take.

People-centered winners expertly employ imagery, metaphors, and stories. They make you step out of your perceptions, if only for a moment, to explore their vision on their terms. They ask us to “close our eyes,” to “imagine,” and to “think about what it would be like.” In essence, they’re linguistic tour guides who take you on a journey to their de

Winners know what makes people tick by effectively tapping into our fears and aspirations. By listening very carefully and then repeating almost word-for-word exactly what they’ve heard, winners know how to articulate compelling needs—and products to satisfy those needs—that people didn’t even know they wanted. Says Harrison, “As long as I can keep