People are constantly looking for someone to help direct them in their lives and to assist them in making the right choices. Demonstrating confidence in everything you do will spur others to put their trust in you.

Sometimes we may have to pretend we're more confident than we really are, hence the saying, "Fake it 'til you make it." I've seen plenty of people of only average to mediocre ability influence more effectively than others who were more naturally gifted than they were simply because they exuded higher confidence. The people we admire and look up to the most are usually the type of people who know what they want and how to get it.

People who doubt themselves and lack confidence in themselves will always struggle to effectively influence others. If you're perceived as doubtful or unconfident, your prospects will feel that way, too-about your product, about your idea or about anything else you might ever try to present to them. It is said that the most lasting impression is made within about the first four minutes of an encounter. So, be sure you demonstrate confidence in those first four minutes because the cement dries fast! Realize that nothing can replace a bad first impression, even if you try to make up for it later. Fixing a first impression is like fixing a wrecked car. Even after exhaustive time, effort and expense have been exerted, you still know it was wrecked, and you're even more apt to detect anything else that might be wrong with it.

Avoiding Too Much Confidence

It is important to know that coming across as too confident will likely have the opposite effect on your audience than you intended. That is, rather than gaining people's confidence, you'll turn them off, quite possibly alienating them for good. In fact, if you make a mistake or do something inept, people are more likely to be won over by you if you can laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously. Coming across as self-absorbed or egotistical will make you appear incredibly unbecoming in the eyes of your prospects. Being more sincere and natural, on the other hand, will make you appear more approachable and likable. According to Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerilla Marketing fame, confidence is the number one reason why people are persuaded to buy. When the buyer has confidence in your selling strategy, your ability to influence him increases.

Kurt Mortensen

Kurt W. Mortensen is one of America's leading authorities on persuasion, motivation and influence. Kurt spent 15 years researching personal development and motivational psychology and is currently a professor on the university level. He offers his speaking, training, and consulting programs nationwide, helping thousands achieve unprecedented success in business and personal endeavors. Kurt is author of Maximum Influence, an Amazon.com bestseller and is endorsed by Stephen R. Covey, Brian Tracy, Robert Allen, and Mark Victor Hansen.

?This is truly remarkable information,? said Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. ?It is based on solid scientific research and extensive field experience. It contains unbelievably comprehensive and fresh new angles and insights to persuasion, using immensely practical examples.?

"This is a great,? said Brian Tracy, Author of Advanced Selling Techniques. ?Magnetic Persuasion shows you how to immediately influence and persuade other people in every area of your life."

Mortensen received a bachelor?s degree in Communications/Advertising from Brigham Young University in 1992 and an MBA in Marketing and Consumer Behavior from the University of Pittsburg in 1993. He presented on the speaking circuit with Brian Tracy, Dennis Waitley, and Les Brown.

He teaches that success in every aspect of life depends on the ability to persuade, motivate, and influence others. He combines scientific research with real-world studies to provide the most authoritative and effective arsenal of proven techniques for persuading, influencing, and motivating others.

?Kurt has provided the most complete work on persuasion and influence I have ever read,? said Robert G. Allen, Author of Nothing Down, Multiple Streams of Income, and The One Minute Millionaire. ?Nowhere in persuasion literature have I ever seen the art and science broken down into such thorough and easy-to-understand concepts, covering every aspect of persuasion imaginable.?