A 30-Day Plan

to Get Noticed,

Get Promoted,

and Get Ahead

A 30-Day Plan

to Get Noticed,

Get Promoted,

and Get Ahead

(continued from front fl ap)

(continued on back fl ap)

Praise for

T H E A RT O F B U S I N E S S S E D U C T I O N

“Mark Jeffries’s unique communication approach has great value in the business world. Simple, usable, and effective ideas!”

—Robin Ashbrook, Vice President, Reveille Productions

“These are methods that just work! Mark Jeffries has captured smart techniques that are an essential part of business success.”

—Alison Masters, Group Director, Central Marketing, Microsoft

“Being successful in life is all about grabbing an opportunity and running with it. The Art of Business Seduction clearly shows you how.

This is a must-buy book!”

—Mel Robbins, syndicated radio host

“This is the ultimate guide to success! I am going to encourage my whole team to read this book!”

—Michael Holtz, CEO, smartfl yer

Become a

MASTER OF BUSINESS

SEDUCTION in just

30 DAYS

In business, you need an edge. In every business situation—to get that job, get that promotion,

lead that negotiation, make that sale—you need to win people over. In highly competitive situa-tions, you need to stand out, get noticed, and be remembered. The Art of Business Seduction gives you the edge you need.

This is a concise personal success plan that teach-es you how to make the smart moves and say the right things to succeed in any business setting. As the “Business Seducer,” Mark Jeffries utilizes the raw power of seduction to provide you with a proven system for becoming a Master of Business Seduction, giving you the tools to size up any busi-ness situation, think and act on your feet, and get exactly what you want.

After only thirty days of using the author’s straight-forward L-WAR (Listen, Watch, Anticipate, React) approach, you’ll be able to:

■ Translate the subtle clues in the voice, body language, and handshake of whoever you’re engaging

■ Maximize the persuasiveness of what you say and how you say it

■ Use networking secrets to seize opportunities and beat your competitors

■ Hone your “elevator pitch”■ Deploy your Personal Brand■ And more!

So much in business success depends on fi rst impressions, personal interactions, and other intangible aspects of your behavior. Embrace this important skill-set, develop your abilities, and remove those habits that work against you. Get The Art of Business Seduction and give yourself the tools to attract and win people over, so you can enjoy breakthrough results in business and life.

MARK JEFFRIES is a trusted advisor and communications consultant to the world’s largest and most successful corporations, agencies, and accounting and law fi rms. As a keynote speaker and executive coach, Mark has built a business addressing professional conferences around the world and coaching top business executives, lawyers, and politicians. His leading clients include Ernst & Young, Microsoft, IBM, Boeing, Royal Bank of Canada, HSBC, and McDonald’s. As a leader in the fi elds of strategic communication, infl uence, and soft skills, Mark’s advice is widely sought in the corporate world as well as on TV and radio.

Visit www.markjeffries.com

ISBN: 978-0-470-59618-0

$22.95 USA/$27.95 CAN

Author Photograph: Chris Macke

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

The

ARTof

BUSINESSSEDUCTION

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

The

ARTof

BUSINESSSEDUCTION

M A R K J E F F R I E S

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

Copyright C© 2010 by Mark Jeffries. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 ofthe 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission ofthe Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee tothe Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,(978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requeststo the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department,John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax(201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have usedtheir best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warrantieswith respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book andspecifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for aparticular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representativesor written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not besuitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional whereappropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit orany other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental,consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support,please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800)762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content thatappears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more informationabout Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

ISBN 978-0-470-59618-0 (cloth)ISBN 978-0-470-64304-4 (ebk)ISBN 978-0-470-64305-1 (ebk)ISBN 978-0-470-64306-8 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 30-Day Master Seduction Plan Overview 11

Chapter 2 The L-WAR and Soft Skills Mindset:

Using Innovative Tools to Become a

Master of Business Seduction 23

Chapter 3 Listen 35

Chapter 4 Watching 53

Chapter 5 Anticipate and React 71

Chapter 6 Voice—Tone, Melody, Control, and the

Words You Speak 99

Chapter 7 Networking Secrets 109

Chapter 8 The Elevator Pitch—Going Up 155

v

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

CONTENTS

Chapter 9 Techniquette—The Etiquette

of Technology 167

Chapter 10 Image 179

Chapter 11 Seduction Maintenance: Continuing to

Seduce . . . The L-WAR Journey Never Ends 191

Index 201

vi

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

Acknowledgments

First—Advice For Living—a smart and sharp team constantlyintroducing ideas, challenge, and humor and always keeping meon my toes.

Dan Ambrosio for spotting the potential of the title and trust-ing us to deliver a book worthy of the Wiley Publishing Empire!

My fabulous kids, Ollie and Hannah, who add so muchcomedy, love, and endless examples of core communication.

My beautiful wife, Karen, who is always there for me with somuch love and support.

And my wonderful clients, who trust me to stand up in frontof their people and customers at events all over the world—anexperience that keeps me learning, motivated, and brimmingwith new concepts.

vii

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

The

ARTof

BUSINESSSEDUCTION

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

FM JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:39 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

intro JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:41 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

Introduction

“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.”In this famous scene from the movie The Graduate,

Dustin Hoffman’s character knows all too well the power ofseduction—yet he stands there unable to resist. As in that iconicscene, seduction commonly refers to romantically luring an-other into the bedroom.

But in a much broader sense, seduction can simply be aboutwinning over other people, attracting them, and enticing them.

We all have a memory of being seduced by the charms ofanother. From grade school until now it is hard to resist someonewho knows the exact right things to say and do.

I now know these things. And I will teach them to you.Imagine having that same power in a business setting. A world

where your boss, clients, and co-workers all admire you, respectyou, and are desperate to be around you and help you get whatyou want.

There is no more powerful information you need to put touse in your career. By reading my book and educating yourselfin the Art of Business Seduction you will own that power andput it to use to get you exactly what you want.

1

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

intro JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:41 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

INTRODUCTION

In today’s ultracompetitive business environment, it’s imper-ative that you have enough firepower in your arsenal to comeout ahead in any situation—especially in business. Understand-ing the powers of seduction will give you the edge you need.Whether it’s persuading a ticketing agent to bump you up tofirst class on a cross-country flight when traveling to the othercoast to meet clients, negotiating a greater salary increase duringyour annual review, talking the hostess at the hottest restaurantin town into giving you the corner table when you don’t havea reservation, or scoring a date with the best-looking man orwoman in the room even though that person is clearly out ofyour league, if you’ve had any luck under any such circum-stances, it’s undoubtedly because you were able to use yourcharms to seduce an unsuspecting party. But if you’ve beenstonewalled by the ticket agent, your boss, the hostess, or evenworse, the attractive man or woman, then your powers of seduc-tion need some fine-tuning; or perhaps need to be brought tolife. Don’t be alarmed. This isn’t a case of being unable to teachan old dog new tricks—fortunately, anyone can master the art ofseduction.

The key to being a successful seducer is understanding yourtarget audience and giving them exactly what they want. Ifthis sounds insincere, it’s not meant to be. Yes, seduction ispart performance but this does not mean your actions shouldnot be genuine. As far as I’m concerned, performance simplymeans demonstrating behavior that’s appropriate for a specificsituation—and if this behavior results in a pay raise, job or con-tract, or indeed an upgrade, a reservation, or a date, you tell mewhat’s wrong with that. After all, isn’t the goal of any business(or social) interaction to get what you want; and better yet, getwhat you deserve?

Still, most people do not appreciate that seduction can bea valuable tool in helping them achieve success in business.

2

P1: OTA/XYZ P2: ABC

intro JWBT286/Jeffries May 3, 2010 10:41 Printer Name: Courier Westford, Westford, MA

Introduction

However, you are going to need more than a bit of charm anda wide-eyed and open-minded philosophy to master businessseduction. You must be willing to change your behavior andyour attitude while undergoing the 30-day success makeoverthis book prescribes. By following the lessons in this book, youwill become a master of seduction in just 30 days. It’s a gen-erally accepted scientific fact that if you incorporate behavioralchanges into your life for 30 consecutive days, then these changeswill become inculcated into your lifestyle and in turn becomepart of your routine. Day by day and week by week, this bookwill map out a game plan for making you a master of seduction.This book is both a practical guide to achieving success and ablueprint to living the life of your dreams.

This 30-day program will help you develop a sixth sense. (No,you won’t see dead people!) You will see things before they startto happen—allowing you to think quickly on your feet and reactaccordingly. You will not only become a master of seduction, butyou will also become a master of playing hunches. More to thepoint, you’ll learn to trust your gut more and more. Just as anexperienced parent knows his or her child is sick before the firstsymptoms appear, or a longtime driving instructor anticipateshis student is about to hit the curb when trying to parallel park,or a poker pro knows when to fold his hand even though he isholding a pair of Aces, as soon as you learn the lessons of businessseduction you’ll become adept at playing your hunches. Uponjoining a business crowd in a social situation, you’ll be able toimmediately read and assess the dynamics of what’s going onand your newly honed instincts will kick in, enabling you tobegin the process of seducing your target.

In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell determinedthat if you practice a certain craft (playing violin or chess, forexample) for more than 10,000 hours during the course of yourlifetime, you will become a world-class expert. The beauty of this

3