10 Commandments of Con Men, Pickup Artists, Magicians, Door-to-Door Salesmen, Hypnotists, Copywriters, Negotiators, Political Propagandists, Stand Up Comedians, and Oscar-Winning Screenwriters

Con men, comedians, door-to-door salesmen and other “influence professionals” rely on common human psychology and neurology to move people from A to B, without force or threats. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they keep rediscovering the same principles, structure, and techniques, which can be used by anyone, ethically, in their business or personal lives. Here are the 10 techniques or “commandments” of such influence professionals, which you can find in this book: COMMANDMENT I: How to convince a stranger on the street to hand over his gold watch, wallet, or house keys, after just a few seconds of conversation. No lying needed. Also makes for "by far the strongest appeal" in a sales letter, according to a legendary A-list copywriter. COMMANDMENT II: Follow this commandment to take away the sting from objections to your offer, and put the focus on the shortcomings of the alternatives. Simple, counterintuitive advice from "simply the best sales trainer in the business." COMMANDMENT III: If you are a man on a date with a woman, and it's not going well, ask to hold your date’s hands. Don’t explain why. A little trick, adapted from the work of the greatest hypnotherapist of all time, to seamlessly lead to a fast seduction, sale, or agreement. COMMANDMENT IV: In the 1975 mega-hit Jaws, Steven Spielberg famously didn’t show the shark for the first half of the movie. The deep, primordial psychology of why that made Jaws so scary can be summed up in this two-word commandment. Crucial for salesmen, hypnotists, comedians, pick up artists, and others. COMMANDMENT V: A-list magicians, copywriters, and screenwriters religiously follow this commandment, much more closely than their B-list colleagues. Follow this commandment yourself, and you can sell even the most far-fetched story. Disregard this commandment, and even the truth you tell will sound suspicious. COMMANDMENT VI: The best way to respond when someone accuses, mocks, or criticizes you. A trick used by pickup artists, which works on men as well as women. (Politicians obey this commandment too, too, from Andrew Jackson in 1828, to Ross Perot in 1990, all the way to Donald Trump in 2016.) COMMANDMENT VII: Honor this commandment and you will be able to hide a secret in plain sight. Top performers like magician Tony Slydini, copywriter Gary Bencivenga, and comedian Emo Philips use it to perform impossible-seeming feats of influence. COMMANDMENT VIII: A simple, mechanical way to change the tone of an interaction from one of suspicion and distrust into one of respect and collaboration. A commandment illustrated by the most dramatic presidential election comeback of all time. Can be applied to any sale or negotiation. COMMANDMENT IX: A possibly repulsive commandment, extracted from a comedy routine that's been called the "best joke in the world." Also applies to salesmen, pickup artists, and others who try to influence. BONUS: How to make this commandment easier to obey, even if you find it hard to stomach. COMMANDMENT X: Thou shalt negotiate in the bathroom. Straightforward advice from a man who’s been called the “the world’s most feared negotiator.” Also can be used for a hypnotic induction that compresses 5 weeks of hypnotherapy down into 3 minutes. Some of these commandments will be familiar to you. Some might be new. A few might be possibly repulsive. But all will tell you important things about your own mind, the minds of others, and how the two relate. But you do have to read these 10 Commandments in order to start following them. So why not get started now, while it's fresh in your mind? Get your copy now and find out how lessons from the top influence professionals can help you succeed. View Less