Do you ever wonder why you like and trust some people the moment you meet them? What is so special about these people? How can they win you over so quickly?

The reason is very simple. You like and trust them because you see something of yourself in them. If you want them to like and trust you, you must let them see themselves in you.

Now I'm going to share with you a powerful technique that can help you win people over. But you must promise not to use this skill to cheat people or take advantage of them. You shall only use this technique with good intentions. Will you promise?

Wonderful. This technique is so simple that everybody can learn it.

It's called mirroring, which means you match people's body language and the words they use.

Watch two people in love for a perfect example of mirroring. They gaze into each other's eyes, stay as close together as possible, and mirror each other's movements, no matter how small or insignificant.

To experience the effectiveness of mirroring for yourself, try the following experiment. The next time you are with someone, watch his movements closely and mirror them. If he has his hands on the table, put your hands on the table. If he crosses his legs with the right leg over the left, you do the same. If he scratches his head, you mirror that. You will be surprised to see him become more friendly toward you and more open to your ideas.

While you do the mirroring, use your smile strategically. Your sincere and warm smile can melt the barrier between you and the people you approach.

Last month I was in Los Angeles. I had an appointment to meet with the Vice President of a big company. I arrived 1 hour early. While I was waiting, I started to mirror the receptionist's movements. Whenever she looked at me, I smiled at her. She did me a favor automatically although I didn't say a word. She told her boss that I was there and arranged for me to see him earlier.

The Vice President greeted me with a smile and asked me if I would like tea or coffee. I noticed he was drinking coffee from a big mug, so I said "Coffee, please. I like coffee very much." He smiled and I smiled. I started mirroring him and then congratulated him on the rapid growth and success of their company. He accepted my compliment with pride, and we were now at the highest level of rapport.

At one point he said, "Mr. Lu, you know we have a very, very big market. We have contracts with more than twenty thousand stores all over the United States. You can imagine our order volume. But we need a crazy product. Something, very very crazy."

"Yes, Sir. Look at this, I've brought something very very crazy. You see this crazy design? People will be crazy about it."

He looked at our product from all different angles; he touched it, he felt it, and he tried it. "I like it, Mr. Lu. When will it be available? You must promise not to sell it to anyone else. We want exclusive rights. When can you make the first shipment of 50,000 pieces?"

Ladies and gentlemen, did you notice that I didn't need to talk much about our product? When you mirror people's body language and the words they use, it generates a tremendous amount of rapport. Along with rapport comes trust. And when you gain trust, you get business or whatever you want. Easy, isn't it? Practice mirroring. Practice smiling. You will win people over and achieve fantastic success in your life.

(Peter Lu , President of Sunshine Toastmasters International Club)