Real Influence Quotes

“To strengthen your interpersonal influence, don’t win arguments. Instead, win hearts and minds.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“Mark Twain once said, “Most conversations are monologues in the presence of witnesses.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“It’s hard to realize that you might be wrong when you think you’re right—especially when your logic, analysis, emotions, experience, and preparation all point toward your conclusion. As Mark Twain said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“Giselle Chapman was hired by Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies at that time. She became their number one sales representative, and went on to form her own consulting company.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“This is why Dr. Gonzalez-Morkos doesn’t jump into treatment issues right then. Instead, she takes time to be emotionally present with her patients and families during the difficult initial meetings. It’s not enough, she says, for her merely to hear them out. She has to get what they’re going through, and they need to get that she gets it. Dr. Gonzalez-Morkos says, “Being emotionally present is about saying what you feel—giving it a name. If you don’t label it—for example, anxiety or fear—then the families don’t think you get it. It’s important that they feel emotionally understood. If not, you’re just talking. You’re not connected.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“True listening, she says, isn’t something that merely happens to you. It’s something to do and to feel, to throw yourself into rationally, emotionally, and physically. Listening is something to engage with multiple senses. It isn’t passive or reactive; it’s creative. And to do it well, you must feel the experience—not just think about it.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“Things do not change; we change. Henry David Thoreau”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“That’s because even if what we want is best for all concerned, other people don’t want it shoved down their throats. They want to align with us, work with us, and be valued by us. They don’t want to be run over by us. If we trample them to get our way, we may get them to do what we want right now, but they’ll be angry about it later . . . and they’ll let other people know.”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

“increase their sales,”
― Mark Goulston, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In