More often that not, your consumer reaches for the "best deal." Whether this "best deal" is in the form of coupon shopping, rebate shopping, or simply searching for the lowest price on the shelf, the consumer is no longer loyal like they were just a few years ago.

I grew up with Crest, Cheerios, and Tide being staples in my home. Now I change brands much more easily. I'm not likely to remain loyal to a brand unless they reward me for my commitment to them, for example, with frequent flyer miles, with the little cars you can buy for your kids at Chevron, or with a Unocal 76 ball to swing from your car antennae. Acquiring consumer loyalty is the reason the tobacco industry spends over $600 million giving away paraphernalia with tobacco logos. We constantly see companies putting their logos on coffee mugs, t-shirts, pens, and mouse pads, to name just a few promotional items. Even though you might not have paid for these items, owning them creates loyalty to the product advertised on them.

Branding yourself takes time, effort, consistency and money. Once a brand is established, the value of the creation will far exceed all previous energy put into sculpting the brand.

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.