The objective of the perfect con, is the victim doesn’t realize it happened to them, and maybe never will. Everyone at one time or another has been conned, taken advantage of, by the sheer influence of someone’s will. Some have no idea, while others are too embarrassed to admit it.
At one time or another, everyone’s encountered a slick politician, shady salesman, a quick talking promoter on TV, or someone who has a “woe is me” sob story.
At times it’s easy to be fooled if you’re vulnerable, or don’t have your BS meter on. The most lethal weapon used when conning, is you’re usually caught off guard.
There’s a plethora of con men lurking in the shadows. Con is short for “confidence” men (or women). What they do is they gain your trust, by giving you the confidence to believe.
They’re found in every social fabric of life, they’re found in all shapes and sizes, of all ages and genders and ethnicity.
There’s a certain stereotype when it comes to cons. The most common being they’re so deceptive, they’re completely believable and unsuspecting.
What we conventionally think is used car salesman are always out to con us, or that door-to-door salesman selling water filters, are scammers.
The best of the best will strike and strike unexpectedly, and at times deceive an entire public.
The Most Obvious
At times, we’re warned of swindlers who work the phones for a phony nonexistent “charity” cause.
They bilk people, usually seniors, out of large sums of money. Then they disappear silently into the night.
There are haunts of handsome men who romances lonely widows, at times charm their skirts off and even marry them. Then they completely wipe out their bank accounts and disappear.
There are multitudes of underground “boiler” rooms who’ll preach phony stocks, perform unneeded and unnecessary home or auto repairs, or feast off the charity of the local church.
Most often, those who happen to perpetrate these acts rarely get caught, like grifters in a shyster movie, or are never brought to justice.
The Art Of The Con
The most successful of con men, the silent sleek and the swift, makes their “marks” feel confident in themselves, then robs them blind.
They make them feel it’s their decision they’re doing something asked of them. It’s their choice to take action, and not because of the influence of the con man.
For the con man themselves, it’s one thing to have plenty of confidence in themselves, but it’s how they get others to believe in themselves to take action.
It’s their influence, charm and persuasion, their snake like movement, as their actions or words injects confidence in others.
This is the skill that’s needed to con people, to place them into a trance, so they’ll do something they otherwise wouldn’t.
To Alter Mood Using Words
The most effective method on how they instill confidence, is by they giving you an emotionally charged influential “pep” talk.
Words which will pump you up, such as they saying, “you can do this,” all with a strong tonality in their voice.
Their words of influence, gives you the confidence to take action, making you think it was your idea.
What they do is apply emotionally charged contagions, to make you feel positive and hopeful.
They use emotional transmitters such as projecting demand or urgency in their voice, which elevates your emotional state. They sound completely assuring when they speak.
Most won’t get inspired or bother to take action, if someone speaks with fear or anxiety.
A motivated proactive voice of a con man sounds convincing, as you’ll feel every word coming out of their mouth. It sounds inspiring with purpose.
Convincing Body Language
A trick that’s used to instantly make you feel more confident, is by they walking and moving like a champ.
What everyone preaches is always stand up straight with an erect head, while expanding the chest. What’s immediately projected is more presence, which makes you look more confident.
This is basic human instinct, before a single word is spoken. What people will do is rely on body language, to judge confidence in another person.
This is used to make the proper subconscious social decisions. What humans will always do, is defer to the individual who looks polished.
Any man or woman who stands up erect, while they strut their stuff when they walk, are always perceived to be more powerful.
It’s not by coincidence that champions, be it a political debate or an athlete, standing up straight and proud, while huffing and puffing to expand their chest, usually wins.
Everyone from drill Sargent’s in the army telling their marines to “stand at attention,” or your mom constantly telling you to sit up straight, is for good reason.
What standing up straight does is increases testosterone levels, which is a hormone that makes you feel bolder.
Positive Reinforcement
When it comes to emotional intelligence, what’s known is an individuals past experiences, can be used to effectively create current emotional states of mind. The experienced con man knows this.
To illustrate, think back to a time when you were extremely angry or hurt, and you’ll immediately relive that angry moment.
Similarly, what you can do is infect the current mindset of an individual who has confidence, and do so right now, by getting them to visualize the details of a past success.
The more you’re able to get them to engage in positive reminiscing, the more confident they’ll become.
This can also be used to remind your sluggish sales staff, especially if they’ve been performing bad recently, to think back and visualize their best sales.
Then they’ll renew their confidence, and in short order they’ll turn their setbacks into a comeback, and start making sales.
When under pressure, what most will often forget is their past successes, so it’s always advantageous to remind them of their previous wins.
Know these are also the same tactics experienced con men uses, to convince you to perform an act you normally wouldn’t.