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Business persuasion techniques may be broken down into several areas, all under the umbrella of marketing, whether or not this is advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations and publicity or even direct selling.

How do you go about persuading others? A logical approach is not necessarily the correct one. Sure, your products are great, but remember, people buy from people. Before you start marketing the product or service you have to market yourself. Once the buyer believes in you then it's easier for him to believe in your product.

The first stage is therefore to market yourself, your strengths and your ethics to the appropriate market. You have to persuade the other party that you are somebody who they would like to do business with.

It is important to focus on one's intended mission and the amount of exposure required accomplishing it.

When judging the consumer, one must make tangible decisions which centre on the four P's of marketing - product, place, price and promotion.

Advertising may take, as you are aware, many forms in the first attempt at persuasion: television, radio, billboards, magazines, keyword internet search, banner ads, e-mail and newspapers.

Personal selling is used when marketers wish make direct contact with the buyer, whereby a salesperson can personalise the message to fit the buyer's needs and situation; very importantly, the salesperson can also field objections and questions in the interactive process.

Present theory holds that personal selling is a problem-solving and consultation process - this has been quoted in the past as having evolved over the years in four stages: music man, animated catalogue, magic formula, and problem solver.

In the early part of last century, it was deemed that the salesman's charming personality that enabled him to charm the customer into buying. Later, animated catalogue was considered the best way to sell, an example being vacuum cleaner sales people whose sales presentations were rehearsed catalogue readings. In the 1930's, the slick pitch or magic formula was in fashion, e.g. encyclopedias where the salesman would control the presentation and lead the customer down a mapped-out road to a sure sale.

Today, academics agree that personal selling still requires some element of pizzazz and catalogue-like product knowledge, but sales forces must also have extensive knowledge of the prospect's needs and buying processes to be successful. Sales people should sell benefits that solve customer's problems rather than simply peddle products.

Bridge-building is an essential part of the persuasion technique in that it creates the right atmosphere whereby the other elements of the process, providing homework has been done, to be completed to their maximum effect? It is also important to remember that where residual income is involved, that a man convinced against his will is of his own opinion still and the customer must have a small desire in the area of your product or service, which may be nurtured using the aforementioned process.

This process is forever evolving and ongoing reviews make your business persuasion skills even stronger.