Okay, so the title was a little cheeky – I’m not really going to suggest that you infuse your business with sexual overtones. However, many of the principles underlying the seduction techniques that I teach in my company are about getting the people you care about to like and trust you. Sound familiar?
The same goes for how we treat our colleagues and clients in the business world, and how we want them to perceive us. Just as in a relationship, it’s important to focus on your counterpart, ensuring that his or her needs are being met and that the relationship is enjoyable even in a business setting.
To that end, you can use seduction techniques effectively in the business world to compel people to act in alignment with your objectives, and the following five tips can help you to get started.
1. Be Your Brand At All Times
I tell the women I coach that it’s important that they embody at all times the kind of seductive person they would like to be for a lover, even if they’re currently single – in other words, if their personal seductive brand is all about old Hollywood glamour, then they’re probably going to want to throw out their sweatpants and lounge around the house in some silk pajamas instead. If you are seen embodying something that is contradictory to your seductive persona, you will muddy the waters of the brand you have worked so hard to create.
The same goes for your brand as a businessperson. You should embody the soul of your business or product, and assimilate that into your everyday routine. You never know when you will run into a potential client or colleague, and it’s important that you project a message that is consistent. Even if you’re rushing out of the house or you’re only going to the grocery store, practice making it effortless to be your brand – on days when you can’t dial it up to a 10, aim for at least a 6 or 7. Believe me, it wasn’t easy trying to look seductive on a 7-hour flight to London for a business conference last month, but even Marilyn Monroe still managed to look like a star while sleeping on a plane.
2. Your Pitch Is Not the Focus
How many times have you gone on a first date with someone who has rattled on about their life story — where they went to college, what companies they’ve worked for, what awards they’ve achieved – without even noticing whether you’re interested in hearing it? You can see it in their eyes – they’re not even looking at you. They’re looking up at the little resume in their minds, checking off each detail they thought was important to tell you so that you can get to know them better. It makes for awful conversation.
The same is true of your pitch. Quit staying in your head and making sure you’ve told your potential clients everything they need to know about you, and instead, look them in the eyes and figure out what interests them and what they need to hear that will truly benefit them.
3. Ask Questions
When I’m with someone that I want to seduce, one of the most important things I can do is listen and pay attention. Not only will that make me look good since everyone loves a good listener, but it will also allow me to gather important information about what makes that person tick so that I can tailor my behavior accordingly.
Listen to Arden Leigh’s high-sizzle interview in the accompanying podcast: Seduction in Business.
Ask your clients lots of questions so that you can figure out what they need most – both on an individual level as well as a collective one – from your products or services. That will allow you to further refine your product as well as to know how best to present it.
4. Protect Your Reputation
If your every breakup has been messier than a train wreck, or if you’ve led too many people on with false hopes, or if you’ve simply dated a few people too many, word will get around in your social circle and no one who knows about you will want to be involved with you.
Similarly, you must protect your reputation in business. Practice honestly and aim for your clients’ satisfaction; in this age of the Internet, it’s easy for a few disgruntled people to put a tarnishing smear on your brand. Know which lines you can and cannot cross, and don’t use seduction principles unethically.
5. Make People Feel Good
Finally, understand that the reason that anyone chooses to have a person involved in any part of their lives is that that person makes them feel good. Whether you’re on a date, at a business lunch, or sitting across a cubicle from someone, aim to be the kind of person that other people want to be around. Be a source of pleasure, and both your business AND your social life will become infinitely more fulfilling.
Eager for more advice? Listen to Seduction Coach Arden Leigh’s high-sizzle insights into the use of “seduction” in business situations in the accompanying podcast: Seduction in Business.
