Well. . .it seems like some of my readers have been paying careful attention. I like that. A while back I wrote an article about the eight most common avoidable pitfalls in language--but, if, try and might. Hey, that's not eight! What are the other four? Several people commented on my blog that I was utilizing the open loop method of persuasion by saying there were eight, and only revealing four. Was this intentional? Maybe.

Whether it was intentional or not, it seems to have worked with several folks enough for them to call up my assistant and e-mail me asking for the other four.

Well. . . if you've been awaiting in eager anticipation part two, thanks.

Would have, could have, should have or, if you prefer, woulda, coulda, shoulda.

These three phrases are all past tense which in and of itself isn't a problem, but for persuasion purposes, they have a negative impact on our message.

Keeping our prospects and clients present with us is a huge part of persuasion. We don't want to push them into their heads, into the past, with what could, would or should have been. We want them to "be here now", with us selling to them now, and them buying now.

In addition to their nostalgic taint, these words create a whining atmosphere and reek of regret. Whaa! 'I should have done that. If I had been in a better mindset, I would have taken advantage of the situation. If I would have known. . .things would be so much better.'

Number eight of the top eight words . . .

Can't. I can't. Can't is a negation and negations have the potential to pose a serious threat to your persuasive abilities in essence canceling out all that you have worked to achieve. When I was in high school there was one teacher who forbid us from using the word 'can't'. He wasn't having it.

If you were to say, "You can't use negations", this forces your mind to first picture using negations then in some way negating that picture.

What happens when you say to yourself, "I just can't sleep." Well. . .it turns out, you can't sleep.

When you use a negation, it forces the mind to think about exactly what you do not want it to think about. Having your prospects creating a mental imagine of what you want them to do is the goal here--not having them negate the imagines.

Words like "can't" create the very image you don't want the person to make.

There are some very powerful and creative ways to use negation -- just be careful that you use it properly or not at all until you're comfortable with it.

So now that you've gotten part two, are you happy?