Business News and Information

I always thought the ability to influence and the ability to persuade were much the same thing. If you can influence someone’s behavior it’s probably because you persuaded them to see something your way, right?

I headed to the dictionary to confirm my theory. Merriam-Webster defines “persuade” as:

1: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
2: to plead with: URGE 

Well no surprises there, I expected it to have something to do with argument. We’ve all heard someone say “that was a persuasive argument.”

Now for “influence:”

3a: the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command [...]
4: the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways : SWAY

Hum, apparently I was wrong.

I have always been a very persuasive person, as a child I learned quickly just how easy it was to convince relatives to give me what I wanted (especially my dad). I’m ashamed to say I’ve even argued with professors for better grades, and won! One more than one occasion I’ve received a B when I earned a C, or worse. Numerous teachers and classmates have told me I should be a lawyer. My dad said I could sell ice to an Eskimo.

But I’m tired of persuading, arguing require too much energy. I want to learn to influence, a much trickier matter.

259 words later I’ve come to my point. Those genius business gurus over at VitalSmarts, also known as the consultation firm that brought the world Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations have written another tome sure to become a must-read for everyone from moms to middle-managers. Influencer – The Power To Change Anything, promises to give novices and experts the information necessary to influence change in their world.

As an author for the Know More Media network I will receive a copy of this book, an offer that has me positively giddy with excitement.

So excited that if I wasn’t about to receive a gratis copy I would over to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble and pre-order it. Those eager enough to order by October 1 will receive a 34% discount (I apologize to my reader, the link to take advantage of this offer is in the books title above, however the October 1 deadline has passed so it’s no longer relevant).

Enter you order confirmation number at http://www.influencerbook.com/offer and you’ll receive access to a free case study video about influencers around the world.

Tim Stay, Chief Innovations Officer at KMM wrote an excellent post about the books upcoming release, his excitement is palpable. You can read that article here.