Persuasion hacks for entrepreneurs?

Being persuasive helps in almost every aspect of being an entrepreneur. Just a few places I can see it being tremendously helpful:

• Hiring
• Writing copy for your site
• Selling your product directly (phone, in person)
• Raising money

So, what are some great hacks on how to be more persuasive?

Here are some old-school persuasion techniques:

Right framing mindset. i.e. A pessimist would frame something as glass half-empty. To frame a persuasive argument, select words that conjure positive images in your audience's mind.

Mirroring technique. Acting as the person listening does, you can create a sense of empathy. Mirroring is basically mimicking movements and body language of the person you are trying to persuade.

Scarcity creates action! If a product is scarce, there must be a ton of demand for it! Or so it appears to the other party you are trying to persuade.

Don't use "ummms" and "hmmms" when you speak. You are way more persuasive if your speech is slow and fluid without using such sentence breakers.

I don't know about "hacks", but what you are describing comes down to:

1. Ability to sell. This is a skill that some people have naturally, but can totally be nurtured and developed. It comes down to building tolerance for hearing "no". The more you do it, the more comfortable you get with the task.

2. Having a great product/idea to sell. Sadly #1 is more important, but if your product is crap the end result will be a) your hired employees quitting b) sales not happening c) customers canceling their orders and demanding refunds d) investors never coming back for later rounds

My "hack" for learning to sell is to just ask for things in every day life - better table at a restaurant, better room in a hotel, upgrades, discounts at stores. Not getting what you ask for doesn't set you back, and you build tolerance for higher volume of asks/tries and lower rate of success. The more you do it, the easier it will get and the more effective you will be.