Hey, I want to thank you for reading this blog post today. It just goes to prove what an intelligent, creative, and thoughtful human being you are. I mean that sincerely. Why do I say that? Well, that’s who this blog is aimed at. And there aren’t that many of us. So, you are one of select group.

Do you want to extend your influence? Here’s a quick tip… find a common ground between yourself and the person/people you are trying to influence. It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to sell someone something, or to persuade them to a certain way of thinking, or to get them to do you a favor. If fact, it works if you’re just trying to get someone to like you.

We like people who are similar to us. We all know that. And studies have both verified it and quantified it. We also are suspicious of people we don’t like. And of people who are not like us. Them durn foreigners. (Of course, that term can be applied to people who are just like us EXCEPT for ….)

So we like people who are similar to us and we dislike people who aren’t. So what?

The “so-what” is that we LISTEN to people we like and we IGNORE people we dislike. (If you don’t believe it, try listening to talk radio for a bit. Talk about seeing/hearing the principle in action.) How are you going to influence someone who is ignoring you? (They might not appear to be ignoring you, but their mind is filtering out anything you say that they don’t already agree with.)

In order for us to get people to hear us (so that we CAN influence them) we have to get them to like us in some measure. And to do that, we need to find something that THEY acknowledge makes us similar.

It can be based on almost anything… from the same town or region; or the same school or college; the same industry; the same hobby; the same love of a particular piece of music; the same initials or name; the same birth date or month; and on and on.

However, it has to be something that differentiates you and them from the crowd. Just the both of you having two eyes or two ears or other common things won’t work. It doesn’t have to be exclusive to just the two of you, but the more selective it makes the two of you, the stronger the effect.

Now, re-read the first paragraph. Every word I wrote in it is true. And sincere. It is also an example of the principles of this tip for influence. (And I don’t mind pointing this out because I really don’t have anything to hide.)

Try this out and tell me out it works for you.

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A couple of weeks ago, I posted 3 Low-cost Keys to Finding More Sales. In the current issue of my newsletter, I talked about a couple of more. Here’s a recap of it.

Key 4 -Find ways to add value to a sale.

The first step is to make sure that what you are offering for sale is worth more than you are charging for it. When you do this, quite

But sometimes, additional value can be added that will help the customer quickly make a decision in your favor. The idea is to make buying from you a “no-brainer” in a way that is good for your business overall. A good way to to do this is to offer a bonus – something that the customer would like but that doesn’t take much extra from you.

Let’s look at a wedding cake business. Her price is competitive to the bakeries. She has better flavor than they do. She is offering custom design and exquisite decoration (and getting paid a reasonable return on it.) As she speaks with the bride, the bride may be impressed but still hesitant. An offer to throw in a dozen decorated cupcakes (for the snacking pleasure of the wedding party before the wedding or as honeymoon treats) can add a strong pull. And for the business owner, to do some cupcakes at the same time as the cake is a snap – very little extra cost and time, but great return.

There are lots of ways to add a bonus that is meaningful to the customer but easily produced by the Creative.

Key 5 – Find a natural, related market.

Every business has its target market. And that target market should be the primary focus of the business. But for every focused target market, there are several related markets that have some overlap with the target market.

The idea is to find a market that is naturally related to your primary business so that you can easily expand your offerings without having to acquire new skills or to start all over in acquiring customers. You leverage the resources, marketing, and customers that you already have.

For instance, a saddle maker has a natural secondary market in the tack that completes the equipment needed to ride a horse. It is so natural, that many times you see them combined – a saddle and tack shop. But that is not the only secondary market. Of course, what often comes to mind is to carry additional items in horse care or horse adornment (mane and tail braids, etc.)

But another natural, related market is custom belts and hatbands that are tooled to match the saddle and tack. When you already have a saddle customer (current or previous), you have an opportunity to be the one who meets his related needs/wants. And you don’t have to make the sales at the same time. Suggest the secondary line to existing customers (perhaps through email or a postcard mailing to them.)

For tack makers, consider that many customers who have horses also have dogs. Here is an opportunity to offer the customer matching leads and collars for the dogs (matching the horse tack.) It uses basically the same materials and techniques and expands the line without having to acquire a whole new customer base. Yet, it can open the door to new customers.

Every target market has some overlap with other markets, what is the overlap in your market that you could sell to with little added effort?

Did you find these helpful? My newsletter subscribers got a lot more information on this in the last issue, with more on its way. It’s another good reason to subscribe.

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