All his life, Bobby has had an insatiable lust for persuasion, influence and social power.
“Nothing fascinates me more, Akira,” Bobby enthused. “It’s almost like a fetish. I buy every book I can find. And I tear through every page for the juicy bits… like a 14-year-old would with Playboy.
“Last week, I found a new book promising some novel persuasion tricks. I spent an hour devouring it. And then, as I put it back on my library shelf, something struck.
“As I looked across the shelves… all these books… all this knowledge… I’ve not used any of it.
“And as I struggled to recall what I just read… guess what? I could remember nothing.”
Maybe you’ve experienced the same thing as Bobby. You read a book on persuasion, you’re learning something new, and yet it all seems a little… off. And yet, you can’t put a finger on what exactly.
It’s Not Your Fault
Does that sound familiar to you? If yes, then know this–
It’s not your fault.
Why? Because books on persuasion tactics give you exactly that–tactics. And that’s the problem.
Strategy assigns the all-crucial context. When there’s no strategy, there’s no context. There’s no meaning.
Ask a cognitive expert and he’ll tell you this: for an idea to stick, it needs to mean something. That’s why our minds are indifferent to meaningless, contextless tactics. They don’t stick.
And that’s not all. Apart from providing context, an incisive strategy lets you do the smart thing.
Because of the many tactics available to you, you can now cherry-pick those that move you closer towards your goal. You can ignore the rest.
This way, you keep your eye on the prize.
Recall Pyrrhus’ war in Italy. The Roman general could have used every war tactic in the book to prevail at Asculum…
…and yet he threw the battle by choice, driving Pyrrhus into exhaustion and dispiriting abandonment.
And that’s masterful, would you agree?
Context Is Everything
With a clear strategy, you’re never swayed by novelty persuasion tricks. Because when you stumble upon something new, you qualify it first–
Does this tactic fit the context?
After all, as you now know, all tactics are contextual. One may work under certain circumstances and not others. I mean, ask Joe.
So, here are the takeaways.
First. Most popular books on persuasion teach tactics, not strategy. Sure, read them, but don’t get drowned in persuasion porn. Don’t be Bobby.
And this brings us to the second takeaway–
Strategy first, tactics last.
In the Anzai Protocol, strategy is preeminent. Strategy reigns supreme. Because without strategy, tactics are meaningless.
Nonetheless, as an Anzaian, you’ll be armed to the teeth with every social influence tactic that matter–and these may number in the hundreds…
…and yet there’s one–only one–strategy that you’ll ever need.
The ARCI Sequence.