[tomhoward]

Fundraising & customer acquisition are like dating; logic doesn't get you very far. The points PG makes might be valuable in convincing yourself that it's a field worth pursuing, but for convincing people to give you their attention and their cash, you need a different approach, which will usually involve some combination of: stories, charisma, status, social proof, exclusivity, to name just the first that come to mind.

[flipside]

You're right, convincing others is a whole different ball game. Since I clearly suck at it, I've done my best to suck a little less each time I try.

Here's hoping pg writes that essay next.

[tomhoward]

Don't hold your breath :)

The best material I've found about this kind of stuff is: Robert Cialdini's "Influence", and some of the less creepy pickup material, particularly to do with "inner game". Also, this new book by Australian business journo Valerie Khoo looks interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Stories-Build-Business-ebook/dp/...

[lubujackson]

Try the Richard Feynman approach - if you really want to understand what you're doing, try to teach it. Like, write a manual about what your business does, explain it to mom, etc.

[snprbob86]

+1 for teaching. I find that explaining deep technical problems to people who are smart, but otherwise clueless about technology, forces me to understand the issue myself at a much deeper level. My girlfriend is the best rubber ducky debugging buddy ever.

[nekopa]

Also check out the book "The Art of Woo" Goofy title, but a very interesting book on selling ideas.