A brilliant comment from "sunir" on HN.
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1285482
I have always wondered how Steve Jobs' so-called reality distortion field worked, since its myth makes him seem supernatural.
However, if you spend enough time circulating, you start to see how it works. I encounter a lot of people pitching in my line of work. In fact, I spend a lot of time pitching too.
Some universal things I've learnt that lead to getting people on board faster:
0. Listen, listen hard. Understand where the other person desperately needs to head next.
1. Paint a vision of the future that fulfills both parties' desperate needs.
2. Be genuinely passionate about that vision. If you're passionate, it's easier for the other party to be passionate. It's also hard to be dishonestly passionate.
3. Turn that vision into immediately actionable steps.
4. Start moving yourself on your own commitments and lead that person into taking those steps.