The art of persuasion as taught by one of the world's most sought-after speakers and pitchmen
In this daring book, Joel Bauer teaches you how to persuade by making your messages entertaining. Learn the secrets behind "The Fright Challenge," "The Transformation Mechanism," and other persuasion tactics used by pitchmen, carneys, and conjurors to convince people to their way of thinking. Along with coauthor Mark Levy, Bauer has taken these ethical, entertainment-based techniques, and has made them practical for everyday use-capable of influencing one person or a thousand, in business and in life.
Joel Bauer (Los Angeles, CA) is an expert in performance-based live marketing who The Wall Street Journal online referred to as "undoubtedly the chairman of the board" of corporate tradeshow rain-making. Mark Levy (Chester, NJ) has written for the New York Times, has authored or coauthored three books, and is the founder of Levy Innovation, a consulting firm that makes individuals and companies memorable.

JOEL BAUER is one of the most sought-after public speakers in America, addressing some 200 audiences each year. His clients include such organizations as 3M, Canon, General Motors, IBM, Intel, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Panasonic, and Philips.The Wall Street Journal Online has referred to him as undoubtedly the chairman of the board of corporate tradeshow rainmaking.

MARK LEVY is the founder of Levy Innovation, a marketing strategy firm that makes people and companies compelling. He has also written or co-created four books, includingAccidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing, which has been translated into five languages.

Acknowledgments xi

1 Draw in the Listener 1

2 Change the Moment 13

3 The Transformation Mechanism 22

4 The Body Metaphor 40

5 The Paper Metaphor 53

6 The Quick Pitch Opening 66

7 The Quick Pitch Body 78

8 The Slogan Pitch 90

9 Convince with Samples 101

10 The Power of Free 112

11 The Power of Gifts 125

12 Solid Proof 133

13 Dynamic Clarity 150

14 Be Distinct 159

15 Overcome Resistance 176

16 The Look 186

17 The Platform Pitch 197

18 The Mechanism Emergency Kit 213

Index 233

About the Authors 241