Whether building a business or a career, success rests on persuading others.

For small-business owners, that means persuading potential customers to buy products or services.

In Persuasion  IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want (Amacom), motivational speaker and founder of the Persuasion Institute Kurt W. Mortensen says that “persuasion is the  No. 1 skill possessed by the ultra-prosperous.”

He goes on to say that “everything you want in life comes as a direct result of persuasion.”

Business owners can dramatically improve their persuasive abilities by developing and fine-tuning their Persuasion IQ, or PQ, which he likens to street smarts focused on achieving goals.

PQ relies on a “combination of Intelligence Quotient, or IQ (improved by reading and studying), and Emotional Intelligence Quotient, or EQ (ability to perceive and manage emotions), with the addition of specific dynamic qualities,” says Mortensen.

The bulk of the book is an explanation of 10 essential skills that make up PQ. Here is a brief explanation of each one:

1. Visualize success with mental programming. Great persuaders have learned to discipline their minds to learn from their mistakes and change self-defeating feelings, says Mortensen. “You won’t achieve it unless you can see it,” he adds.
2. Understand how your audience thinks. The great persuaders of the world have learned how to read other people, especially their emotions. Intuitively, they understand human nature, subconscious triggers and how moods affect persuasion.
3. Build instant rapport. This is achieved by making a positive first impression. “Once you’ve made that initial connection, you can focus on maintaining a genuine, lasting rapport,” says the author. “Your exchanges will flow and feel very natural, like you’re talking to an old friend.”
4. Establish immediate trust. Successful salespeople overcome skepticism and doubt by putting others’ interests first. Trustworthiness is reinforced through sincerity, competence, credibility and confidence, and by being accessible.
5. Command attention with power and authority. Mortensen likens power to having a turbocharger on a car. “Great persuaders understand and appropriately use different forms of power to gain huge persuasion advantages,” he says. “Remember that power is neutral -- it can be used for good or for bad – so use it wisely.”
6. Influence others. “Influence is the cruise control on your car of success,” says Mortensen. Once influence is established, facts and figures to persuade someone aren’t necessary. “You can influence others because of who you are,” he adds. “It will take seconds instead of hours to influence.” The author goes on to say that development of an influential presence is the foundation for building, motivating and empowering others to take action.
7. Motivate yourself. “Motivation is a true art,” says Mortensen. Understanding human nature and the role influence plays in it is the fuel for motivating and inspiring others.
8. Hone presentation and communication skills. Great persuaders are great communicators, according to Mortensen. “Careful presentation of not just what you say, but how you say it, is paramount to making sure you will be persuasive,” he says.
9. Anticipate the unexpected. The achievers of the world never wing it. They invest time in researching, setting objectives and preparing.
10. Never stop learning and growing. Says Mortensen: “Pay the price to become an expert in your field. Don’t settle for mediocrity.  Change the things in your life that are holding you back. Learn from your setbacks and mistakes. After every persuasive encounter, ask yourself what you did well and what you could do better."