Last week, my boss sent my team an article by the Harvard Business Review on how to get your colleagues to get on board with your ideas.

I thought it was an excellent read that highlights the importance of persuasion for success and leaves you with applicable advice that extends beyond the workplace.

When I think of persuasion, I think of salespeople. And when I think of salespeople, I think pushy, slimy, and aggressive.

But true effective persuasion is an art that requires elegance.

So, I did some digging on how to become more persuasive and found the secret of the most successful salesperson ever.

But more on that later…

Without further ado,

TODAY’S MENU

• 💡 Selling: The Skill Nobody Taught You

• 🧠 100 Tips For a Better Life

• 🍪 On Ultra-Processed Content

• 🤗 Stop Looking For Creative Hacks

— Santi

P.S. If you love THE WORK, share it with a friend. And if you hate it, share it with an enemy.

The Secret of the World's Greatest Salesman

Nobody can teach you how to be more persuasive better than Joe Girard.

You see, in the Guinness Book of World Records, Joe is listed as the most successful salesperson ever.

And guess what?

Joe didn’t write ads or sell real estate, nor was he the head of a pyramid scheme.

Joe sold cars.

That’s right, he was a humble car salesman from Detroit.

In his 15-year career, Joe moved more than 13,000 vehicles. That’s about 5 cars a day.

So how does a Detroit car salesman who works with everyday customers become one of the most successful salespeople in history?

Girard offers a simple answer: “People want a fair deal from someone they like.”

When asked about his approach to getting people to like him, he simply says, “I tell them that I like them.”

While seemingly simple, that answer is based on science. Our friend Joe is a master in the principles of persuasion.

We’re more likely to say ‘Yes’ to people we like.

And the simplest way to get people to like you is to tell them you like them.

Each month near a holiday, Girard would send a greeting card to every one of his customers in the mail. Inside, they found this simple message from their old friend Joe.

The message?

"I like you - Joe Girard."

When it’s time to buy a new car, who do you think those customers call?

What ideas, products, or services are you trying to “sell”? Does your target audience know you like them? Just hit “reply” to this email and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!