7 Lessons of Non-Powerful Influence

Author: Su Chunli / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Influence begins with the shaping of one's appearance and attire. A disheveled person has no influence in society. — Mark Twain
Non-power influence relies on personal charm to affect others, and the display of personal charm starts with one's image. To influence others, one must present a good image, so influence begins with image. In fact, every influential and successful person relies not only on outstanding talent and excellent qualities but also, more importantly, on their ability to showcase the charm of their image, allowing followers to associate their image with the future they pursue. An outstanding image is also a crucial factor in attracting countless followers.
1. A good image is necessary to influence others
If a good start is half of success, then a good image is half of influence. A good image is necessary to gain others' recognition and follow.
(1) A good image is very important
In modern society, everyone is promoting themselves and influencing others. Image is a personal trademark. To successfully promote oneself and influence others, one must be "packaged" as a brand and must have a unique image. Liu Tian is a business manager at a company. The young man is handsome, and his well-tailored suit makes him appear mature and sophisticated. No matter how difficult the business, as soon as he steps in, success follows. When Liu Tian first joined the company, like most people, he started as an ordinary salesperson, visiting office buildings and high-end hotels every day for business. After a few months, however, he had not closed a single deal. He never imagined that his own image was affecting the progress of his business.
When Liu Tian was hired, the company provided a uniform suit, but he had to pay a 300 yuan deposit. As a fresh graduate, this was his first job, and he had little money. Moreover, he disliked the suit's formality and decided not to wear it. Liu Tian preferred casual attire. He thought it was ridiculous for a man in a formal suit to ride a bicycle, so when he visited clients for business, he ignored the company's requirements and went in his usual casual clothes.
One day, when Liu Tian knocked on a client's door, the woman who answered through the door said, "You're late. He took his child to the river. Go find him there." Liu Tian, thinking he was there to fish, was about to showcase his eloquence, but the door was already closed. As he dejectedly walked down the steps, a girl greeted him, "Hey, want to play tennis with me?" Since the business deal was off anyway, having a pretty girl to chat with was a good distraction. Liu Tian played three sets of tennis with the girl, who was very impressed with his skills. During their conversation, Liu Tian told her he was a salesperson at a company and had bad luck, failing to persuade clients. The girl asked, "Do you always wear casual clothes when meeting clients?" He nodded. The girl picked up her tennis racket and said to Liu Tian, "I'll only talk to you on the tennis court. If you show up dressed like this to my house for business, I won't even acknowledge you!" Is that really the case?
The next day, Liu Tian put on a suit and knocked on the client's door again. This time, he was successful—almost unbelievable! From then on, he started paying attention to his appearance and attire, and his business progressed rapidly. A year later, he became a department manager.
Liu Tian's business was about selling himself. To sell oneself, one must first influence others. Only by using one's own strength to move and influence others can one succeed in business. Comparing the two situations, we find that image plays a huge role in personal influence. With a good image, others will recognize, accept, and be willing to cooperate with you. Conversely, if others are afraid to approach you, how can you influence them? Therefore, when cultivating non-power influence, one must never overlook the issue of image. Image is not just a simple concept of clothing and appearance but the display of a person's comprehensive qualities in motion. The content of image is very rich, including your attire, speech, demeanor, cultivation, lifestyle, education level, family background, where you live, what car you drive, and who you associate with. These clearly define you: your social status, how you live, and whether you have potential for development.
The comprehensiveness and complexity of image provide great flexibility in shaping a successful image. For those who do not lack ambition and aspirations, they no longer need motivation or more encouragement. They only need to operate according to the principles of success. The successful "image" concept provides a winning rule for the game of successful people from another perspective. P1-4