Maximum Influence Summary
5 min read ⌚
The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion
What if we told you that all your dreams could come true?
And you do not need magic for that to happen – what you need is complete control of the power of persuasion.
In our summary of “Maximum Influence” by Kurt W. Mortensen, we teach you everything that the power of persuasion can do for you, and how you can learn to control it.
Who Should Read “Maximum Influence”? and Why?
There are two types of books in this world: those that present you some kind of information, and those which make you feel something.
“Maximum Influence” is the best of both worlds: it teaches you how to get all you want while making you feel uncomfortable over the thought of how easy it actually is to manipulate people into doing something you want.
We recommend this book to those who want to achieve their goals the easy way: by altering the thoughts of those who stand in their way.
About Kurt W. Mortensen
Kurt W. Mortensen is a speaker and author on the topics of persuasion and motivation.
“Maximum Influence Summary”
Do you want all your dreams and wishes to come true? Do you want to have no problems getting promoted?
What if we told you that all things you wanted to happen regarding your career could happen?
Yes, we are serious.
All progress connected to your career comes from three things: motivation, influence, and persuasion.
Now, we will talk more about one of the three: persuasion.
To understand it, first, you need to understand neutrality. In other words, you can learn how to be more persuasive, and it will give you great power, but it is vital that you learn how to control it and use it in positive ways.
If you do not believe us, let us refer you to studies which show that the use of persuasive selling skills accounts for around a quarter of gross domestic product in the U.S.
Now that we have gotten your skepticism out of the way let’s continue our exploration of persuasion.
There are two ways to influence people: subconsciously or consciously. The trick is knowing when is the right time to use each of these ways.
Next, we will give you twelve tactics which you can use to practice influence over people and shape your success.
If you master them, there is nothing that can stop you.
The first law is the law of dissonance, which gives you insight on the reasons why someone chooses one course of action over another.
To understand this law you need to realize that people are shaped by their values, beliefs, and attitudes. Whenever they feel that their approach conflicts with their beliefs, they will try to change something.
They mostly react in two ways. Either they will go back to their comfort zones and deny that a situation exists, or change and reframe your values, so they are more in line with what is happening, or even try to rationalize the conflict and minimize its significance.
The second law is the law of obligation, or otherwise known as the law of reciprocity, is the feeling that you need to return a favor whenever someone does something for you, no matter how small it is.
The third law is the law of connectivity which makes you believe that the closer you let someone get to you, the more they are likely to manipulate you.
Next is the law of social validation, which is using social pressure to persuade someone to make a decision. The logic behind this law is people being social animals. In other words, what you see others doing becomes a guide which saves you time and energy by directing your course of action.
If you create products which receive social validation, more people will use them.
The following law is the law of scarcity, which once you understand, will help you to persuade people to act quicker.
Scarcity pushes people to act. So, when you get this, you will know that if you make your products seem scarce, you will create an urgency which will make people buy them sooner.
Law number six is the law of verbal packaging, which accentuates the power of language.
Following this law is the law of contrast, which states that contrasting one item with another one can help create perceived value.
This law is the reason behind the higher asking price than a sales price.
Then, there is the law of expectations, which explains the power of influence your expectations have on the behavior of others. Think of placebo effects in various forms.
The ninth law is the law of involvement works because of human curiosity. You can use this to your advantage, and push people one step closer toward making a decision. Always tell a good story, since us humans are wired for stories, and we get inspired by them.
The law of esteem means that praise you give for an achievement releases energy that you can use. The key to proper approval is to try always to be honest. The closest to praise is acceptance.
The law of association will help you create the environment which will enable you to close a sale. To get an illustration of this law, just think of celebrity endorsements.
Many companies want celebrities to represent their brands because customers respond better to star endorsements.
Finally, the law of balance keeps a healthy balance between the people’s minds and hearts.
In many situations, people make decisions led by their emotions, and then they try to find justification for their behavior, using logic.
Key Lessons from “Maximum Influence”
1. The Twelve Tactics of Influence
2. Effects of The Law of Dissonance
3. Tactics for Using Scarcity in Marketing
The Twelve Tactics of Influence
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- “The Law of Dissonance”
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- “The Law of Obligation”
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- “The Law of Connectivity”
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- “The Law of Social Validation”
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- “The Law of Scarcity”
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- “The Law of Verbal Packaging”
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- “The Law of Contrast”
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- “The Law of Expectations”
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- “The Law of Involvement”
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- “The Law of Esteem”
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- “The Law of Association”
- “The Law of Balance”
Effects of The Law of Dissonance
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- Bait and switch
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- Brand loyalty
- Public commitment
Tactics for Using Scarcity in Marketing
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- Exclusive memberships
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- Singular items
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- “By invitation only” sales
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- Offers for products that are “not available in stores,”
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- Going out of business sales
- “Exclusive one-time offers.”
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“Maximum Influence” Quotes
Nearly every human encounter includes an attempt to gain influence or to persuade others to our way of thinking. Click To Tweet You rarely see large corporations downsizing their sales forces. Sales professionals are assets to the company, not liabilities. Click To Tweet If your attempt to persuade is a win-win, others will be eager to do what you want them to do. Click To Tweet We have heard that repetition is the mother of all learning; it is also the mother of effective persuasion. Click To Tweet Obligation has been used as a persuasive technique since the beginning of time. Click To Tweet
Our Critical Review
“Maximum Influence” offers convincing and grounded advice on persuasion.
However, it is only a roadmap, which will tell you the way, but the exact techniques need to be accompanied by years of experience to work.
So, when it comes to the question of how useful this book can be to you – all we can say is that it depends solely upon your persistence and patience.
Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.
