rarely argue with their own conclusions, making an effective
story a virtual Trojan horse for the persuader’s ideas.
“I remember reading a story many years ago about Ted
Turner. Though I can’t recall the author, the title, the maga-
zine, or anything substantive about the article, there was
something about it I will never forget. In it, there was a very
brief account of the author riding along in Turner’s vehicle
as they got to know one another. At one point, Turner unex-
pectedly stopped his vehicle and, without saying a word,
walked over to a soda can lying on the ground. He picked it
up, threw it into the back of his vehicle, and continued driv-
ing. With that single anecdote the author painted a picture
of an environmentally friendly and conscientious man. Had
he simply said those things about Turner, they’d have gone
unnoticed. But by showing Turner in action, the author al-
lowed me to make that conclusion on my own. And not only
have I never forgotten it, I’ve never questioned it.
“Without a doubt, we are more committed to what we
conclude than what we are told. If we come to believe some-
thing is false, virtually nothing will convince us it is true. If
we come to believe something is true, virtually nothing will
convince us it is false. The problem is, despite our faith in our
conclusions, they often lead us astray without us even being
aware of it. While few of us give this a second thought, mas-
ters of persuasion never lose sight of the fact that people
sometimes believe what they are told, but never doubt what
they conclude.”
Again, keep these ideas in mind as you move through this book
and consider writing your own Hypnotic Selling Stories.
As you can imagine, you’re dealing with phenomenal power here.
Use it wisely.
Your Connotation Is Showing