One sentence persuasion magic (27 words)
This post is about the principles tyrants like Adolf Hitler and cult leaders like Jim Jones have used to masterfully persuade people to join their cause and do unimaginable things.
Things that nobody even asked them to do were so unimaginable and so cruel that some of these monsters were dubbed “bigger Nazis than Hitler”. On the other hand, Jim Jones’ followers didn’t only die for their leader willingly – they did so eagerly. (He led a mass suicide of over 900 people in 1978.)
But these powerful principles are not just for madmen. These principles are regularly used by marketers, salesmen and entertainers to get you to do exactly what they want you to do.
These are the principles for anyone who must connect with others (don’t we all?), and make these connections pay off in some way. Most ad campaigns and all kinds of relationships are built on these principles.
The best part?
There is nothing particularly difficult to understand about these principles. They are self-explanatory and even obvious.
But to dismiss them because they are SELF-EXPLANATORY and OBVIOUS is a grave mistake that – even intelligent and reasonable – people make.
Want to guarantee yourself failure and frustration?
Then don’t pay attention to what I am about to say, close this page right now.
By doing that, you won’t just guarantee frustration for yourself – you’ll also send the people you want to connect with into the hands of others who will eagerly fill the needs you ignored (or didn’t even know about).
Still here?
Good.
Think you need some advanced technology or psychic powers from the beyond, in order to get a hang of these principles?
Don’t worry, you don’t need any of those.
Charismatic leaders and hypnotic seducers have been around as long as there have been men to lead and women to seduce. If they didn’t need AGI or cosmic powers in their corner, why do you?
The ONLY thing you need is a fundamental understanding of human nature – which you are learning now – because persuasion is based on the most basic human desires.
Are you ready to learn the most fundamental principles of human nature and persuasion, distilled in a single sentence of 27 words?
But be careful, these powers can be used both for good and for evil, as you’ve seen in the examples above.
Once you get them into your brain, there is no going back.
Okay, here it is:
“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies.”
Got that?
Here it is again, in bullet points for easier consumption.
People will do anything for those who:
-- Encourage their dreams
-- Justify their failures
-- Allay their fears
-- Confirm their suspicions
-- Help them throw rocks at their enemies
Okay okay, this is not scientifically proven (as far as I know), nor does this explain EVERYTHING about persuasion. Mastering persuasion is a lifelong endeavor, after all.
But these principles are very simple, immediately applicable and useful for anyone who wants to get better outcomes in life.
While these insights seem like common sense, they are anything but common practice – except among master persuaders.
Here’s each one explained in a simple and short way.
Encourage their dreams
People will often discourage your dreams “for your own good”. Your friends and family wish you the best, but they’re often steering you towards a “safe” path rather than what might really be best for you.
Then a stranger (or a “guru”) comes along who seemingly believes in you and encourages your dreams.
When this happens, you give that stranger power over your life, while those closest to you lose their grip….simply because they didn’t encourage your dreams.
Encourage people’s dreams and they will help you make yours a reality.
Justify their failures
You’ll see Jocko Willink spreading extreme ownership, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Goggins and Gary Vaynerchuk spreading the idea of hard work and being responsible for your own life.
Strong people with the right mindset will get attracted to that and thank those role models for steering them in the right direction in life. And yes, accepting responsibility is essential for gaining control over your own life.
But convince others they are NOT responsible for how their life turned out and you’ll gain a strong influence over theirs.
Take a look at politics and you’ll see how this game is played at its best.
Allay their fears
What do you do when someone is afraid? That’s right, you tell them not to be afraid and expect that to do the trick.
Does it ever work? Hahaha you know the answer to that.
But what do master persuaders do? They work with us on allaying our fears, on making the fears smaller in our mind or disappearing completely. They present evidence, offer support and tell us stories.
What don’t they do? They don’t tell us how to feel and expect us to feel that way.
Confirm their suspicions
Let me guess – “I knew it!” is one of your favorite things to say.
That’s because you feel a surge of superiority when you “knew” something from the beginning and then have those suspicions confirmed.
And you feel attracted to the person who confirmed your suspicions and who aroused that feeling of superiority. That’s most likely a master persuader.
Confirm the suspicions of those who are desperate to believe them and you’ll rule over their lives.
Help them throw rocks at their enemies
What unites people the most? Love, family, a common purpose, cause for good, money? No, no, no. Nothing unites people like having a common enemy – the “us versus them” mentality.
That’s easy to see in wars. This country against that country. This religion against that religion. Or even in sports – people will literally kill each other because they support different teams. How sick is that?
And yes, all people have enemies. It can be another individual, a country, a religion, a rival club, an illness, you name it.
Those who are on your side are more than friends, they’re partners. Those who are on the other side, well…
What is missing here?
Have you noticed what is missing from that persuasion sentence above?
Here it is again, let’s see if you catch it:
“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies.”
Noticed anything?
Alright, I’ll tell you.
It doesn’t say anything about YOU.
There isn’t a word about your wants, your needs, your hopes or your concerns. There isn’t a word about what you think. Nor is there anything about what you are selling or what you want them to do.
It’s all about the other person, the one you want to persuade or seduce.
What else?
It says nothing about your intentions – whether you wish them well or want to do what’s best for them.
It doesn’t say people will do anything for those who:
-- Are pleasant
-- Are eloquent
-- Educate them
-- Are reasonable
-- Treat them fairly
-- Do what’s best for them
-- Come across as intelligent
Yes, these should be more important. But that’s not how life works. When you focus on the basic principles of human nature, these don’t matter.
By focusing on the basic principles of human nature, you can create relationships in which people naturally want to do things for you.
The key difference here is persuading people to get them to do your bidding.
Let them do it on their own, without being pushy. Because the harder you push, the more resistance you get. And when you focus on what you want, people will surely resist.
But one thing people rarely resist is someone meeting their needs, someone focusing on them.
When that happens, people naturally have a desire to reciprocate. That desire is scarily powerful and they will go to the end of the world to repay the favor.
This is the really frightening part and the real secret to getting what you want.
People will leave their families to join cults. They will pick up arms and kill the “enemies”. They will break off marriages. They will do anything for people who fulfill their deepest needs.
That’s because the duration of relationships is negligible compared to the depth of relationships – and depth is based on fulfillment of our deepest needs, not on blood relations or marriage certificates.
Okay…
Now that you know the secret of human nature and persuasion, tread carefully – this can be used both for good and for evil.
Sincerely,
Filip “Future Cult Leader” Stanojevic
P. S. This post is inspired by Blair Warren’s One-Sentence Persuasion Course. It’s a 13-page report you can get here: LINK. Download it or make a copy for your own Drive.