Ever heard the phrase, “It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it”? That’s what I’m getting at. That phrase has become endemic in advertising circles. It suggests that content is less important than style. And it’s bullshit. Are you really persuaded more by how someone looks that what they are saying? If you are then you’re an easy mark for a con artist and good luck to you. Even the name ‘con artist’ should tell you something about the lost art of persuasion – who decided that conning someone was artistic?

Persuasion is about being consistent – and remaining consistent. And the best way to be consistent is to tell the truth.

Ford cars used to advertise themselves with the slogan “Quality is Job 1”. It worked because it persuaded Ford car buyers that their cars were well built. Then they changed it to “Built for the road ahead” which didn’t mean anything, it was irrelevant, not persuasive. The only thing it communicated was that “Quality was no longer Job 1” at Ford. Why would the ad agency with the Ford account put out an advert that lost credibility? Because they don’t know any better. They have lost the art of persuasion.

Are you thinking to yourself, “How do I learn the art of persuasion?” Well stop thinking because the answer is, “you can’t.” You may as well ask yourself if you can learn the art of honesty. You either ARE honest or you’re not, you either ARE persuasive or you’re not.

The question you should be asking is, “What is the best way to get information about my products and services across to potential customers?” The answer is, you’ve probably guessed it, “Tell the Truth!”

Unless you intend to con people out of their money by selling them stuff they neither want nor need then you believe that your product or service is something they will want. So tell them why. Tell them what so good about your product, tell tem what it gives to them, tell them why it’s great value, just make sure you tell them the truth because that’s the lost art of persuasion. Trust is worth getting, a customer who trusts you is worth far, far more than the value of the product they bought. But once that trust is gone, it’s gone.