Pure Persistence Power

Today I start with a quote by Dale Carnegie. "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

No hope at all. Think about that. For most people that signals the end. For us persuaders, that's a challenge, an exciting opportunity and a call to action. There's always hope.

Many years ago I had a cat who was the embodiment of persistence. I had a giant antique armoire in my living room and this piece of furniture was too low for him to crawl under, but it was the perfect height for a mouse to hide under.

There was a spell of time when this cat sat guard next to this piece of furniture all day and night watching and waiting for a mouse who had taken shelter there.

My cat had a goal that he was going to attain no matter how long he had to wait. He eventually caught it and played with it for hours while strutting around proudly show his prize to us.

The mouse went to mouse heaven and despite the fact that we had no more mice, the cat sat vigil in that corner for weeks, maybe reliving his victory and hoping for another chance to show what he was made of.

The key to persuasion is persistence. Persistence increases your success rate incredibly. Follow up and follow through. Place that second, third, fourth call. Don't accept 'no' for an answer.

In order to get the energy you need for that extra push, you'll need intention, objective and desire.

You've also got to have your mindset clear. Negativity and self doubt have NEVER served you well and yet sometimes these are the old tapes we play in our heads. This outdated conditioning needs to be dispelled, banished from our lives.

Seek the encouragement of friends, coworkers, allies, family.

With all that said, there's a point of diminishing return and if you've spent a sufficient time being persistent and it has proved futile then by all means, give up. There is no point at all in beating the proverbial dead horse. Your time is worth money and when you come to an impasse, it's time to cut your losses.

I'll leave you with a W.C. Fields quote: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it."