Tom Leu "seeing things" … perspectives on music, marketing, & motivation

Criss Angel Persuasion

Why is illusionist Criss Angel so successful? Why do you know his name? It’s not because he does neat magic tricks.

The answer: Persuasion.

Criss Angel is a master persuader.

- He persuaded many others to believe in him and his vision.

- He persuaded his family and friends to not only support, but to finance his vision in the early days.

- He persuaded television executives to produce and air his show that made him famous.

- He persuaded everyone to pay attention. And ultimately, getting attention comes from being persuasive.

- And he’s persuading you to read this article right now…

All successful people are master persuaders. Very simply, Criss Angel knows how to get what he wants from other people by giving them what they want. He gets what he wants by making other people feel the way they want to feel.

Did you get that? 

Give other people the universal feelings they want (feelings of hope, happiness, & inspiration for example); get them to emotionally respond to you, and you can now write your own ticket and do whatever you want to do. The most successful entertainers, politicians, and religions understand this. As long as your motives are good; everybody wins.

Criss admits he’s not the best magician or musician there ever was, but he has an internal drive that made his success inevitable. This dedication to persuasion makes the difference. And since success and persuasion are interrelated, it’s important to recognize some key elements that need to be present. 

1. Be different. If the product isn’t new, the delivery method has to be. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel but you need to offer a new kind of wheel perhaps. What’s your point of difference? What makes you unique? Don’t just be another magician; be a different kind of magician who delivers magic differently. Do this in a big way.

2. Be big. Be hard to ignore. Create a buzz by your difference. Make it impossible for people to not know of you. It takes balls to be big. People don’t pay attention until they have to. People don’t give their attention to that which doesn’t get their attention in the first place. You have to be out there and be taking calculated risks to blaze trails.

3. Be willing to fail. Risk taking and risk talking are not the same thing. I’ve heard it said: “If you don’t try, you’ve already failed.” Don’t just talk about it; take action. Don’t fear the failing. Fear the procrastinating. Try new approaches when old ones falter. Don’t fear the detractors. Fear having NO detractors. True fans will find you.

4. Be a people person. Study the science of persuasion and the art of influence. Since you’re reading this now, you already know there’s tons of great stuff out there. (Kevin Hogan and AJ Kumar are two of my personal favorites). Learn. Pay attention to people the way most people don’t. Notice the unnoticeable. Tune in and fine tune how you interact with others. Give people what they want and they will reciprocate.

Criss Angel: love him, hate him, or don’t care about him; you know of him. That’s the point. And the Persuasion is the difference.

©2009 Tom Leu