"what’s in it for them?" solve that and you solve business & life

let me give you a cheat code. 

this will apply to everything in your life, not just business. 

but if you apply it to business, you will make a lot more money 

the code is simply:

“what’s in it for them?”

that is the most important question to solve in the realm of persuasion, 

and in life, the person who can master the art of persuasion plays in a different realm than others. 

this is true for business, dating, relationships and politics. 

often times, people cannot articulate what they actually want, but when it’s in front of them, they know it immediately. 

the master persuader isn’t a manipulator. 

he is a great observer of what people respond to, whether negative or positive. 

and he uses this information to his advantage. 

ironically, asking “what’s in it for them”, is the most effective way of getting what YOU want.

i’ll give you an example:

whatever you feel about him, Donald Trump is a master persuader. 

Trump is not president because he’s a selfless public servant. 

he’s president because he wanted to be president. 

he likes being in charge. 

he wants to feel powerful and wants to leave behind a legacy long after he is gone. 

but that’s not exactly a unifying message to get people to vote for you. 

so his message had to resonate with the american public regarding the issues they are dealing with now, 

and his entire persuasive campaign was centered around what americans struggled with most now, 

Trump had to ask “what’s in it for them?” before he had any hope of gaining their votes. 

now he wants to leave behind a legacy, he wants to be remembered as a very important person in american history, 

so he needs to follow through with his promises in order for people to remember him. 

again, “what’s in it for them” to remember? leave something behind worth remembering. 

for the single dudes, 

do you want that hot girl at the bar to come home with you?

what’s in it for her? 

assuming she too wants to get laid,

but wait, 

maybe she wants to drink good wine, and engage in good banter with someone first. maybe she’s looking for a vibe. to be courted a bit. 

she can’t tell you what it is she is looking for exactly, but once its in front of her, she will know. 

your job is paying attention to see if you are the right match for her in that moment, and if not, you move on. 

and in business, 

you want someone’s money for a product or service you offer. 

“what’s in it for them?” why should they pick you?

remember, in business you don’t win with a unifying message like you do in politics.

in business you win by directly speaking to your audience and excluding everyone else. 

night clubs do this very well. 

despite popular belief, night clubs don’t sell overpriced alcohol, or music, or even “hot girls”. 

night clubs sell status to men who can afford it. 

they do this because they understand their customer base are men that want to signal their wealth, and to feel important. 

they know their customers will have nice cars they want to show off, so they offer them VIP parking in front of the building. the rest of the peasants can park around back. 

they know their customers want to feel important, which is why they create artificial lines outside the venue that only bottle service guests can skip. 

they know if they allow girls in the club for free, then these guys will be more inclined to show up and better yet, spend lots of money. 

and the minimum table spends and inflated alcohol prices only work because everyone knows getting a bottle with the light show costs thousands. 

you might think it’s wasteful, but that’s because you are not their customer. 

and if you are a girl and feel important cause you can get into the hottest venue without waiting in line, i’m sorry to break it to you my love, you are just part of their product. 

and if you are a dude who hates nightclubs, cause a bouncer was mean to you, or made you wait in line…trust me…they don’t want you there anyways. 

nightclubs ask “what’s in it for them” when it comes specifically to their customer base, cater to their customers’ every needs and tell everyone else to fuck off. 

remember the cheat code, 

it can get you very far in life. 

- vessal

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