"Your reader must always be your main concern." - Stephen King
Truer words have rarely been spoken.
Because whether you're writing a book, selling your product (online or in print), writing an email, or simply talking to someone, your primary focus should always be the person you're trying to influence.
Let's imagine you have an online business.
What you sell doesn't matter.
What does matter is how you communicate the value you're able to bring to your clients.
Let me show you an example of good vs. bad ways of influencing people.
BAD: "I want to be able to learn from someone like you. I believe I can learn many-a-things about how to grow my own business by learning from you. For example, I could listen in on your meetings, take notes, and then you could explain what you did so I can use that going forward. What do you say?"
What did you notice?
It's all about "me, me, me."
The person writing this is 100% focused on themselves and what they can get out of the interaction.
Let's use a good example so you can see the contrast between them.