Persuasion is a beautiful art. It's one of those things that not everyone can do well. And, those that do it well often do it by accident. It's an elegant dance that can be learned when you break the individual pieces down and analyze them.
When you think of persuasion, influencing or selling, you probably think of the manipulative used car sales type. We've all seen the stereotypical slick salesperson obviously out to part you from as much of your money as possible without considering your desires or providing real value. That's not what I like or encourage.