Maximize Your Influence

While it is essential to maintain ethical practices in persuasion, it's important to be aware of common deceptive techniques that some salespeople may employ. Understanding these tactics can help you recognize them and avoid falling victim to them. They are here to understand how they are used and not to use them.  On being happy and gullible: Mood effects on skepticism and the detection of decept...

Imagine a life where fear has no power over you. A life where you confront your fears head-on, just like the most successful individuals. It all starts with a crucial realization: unless you face your fears, how can you ever overcome them? Now, imagine unlocking the remaining steps to success. Envision programming your mind for the success and abundance you truly deserve. There's one crucial ingre...

Let's talk about where negotiation fits into the world of persuasion and the difference between the two. Persuasion occurs when your ideas are so convincing that the other party adopts your viewpoint. With persuasion, there is no compromising as there is in negotiation.  Negotiation, on the other hand, is a process of give and take. It's overcoming objections on both sides of an issue and ultimate...

It's the old "80/20 Rule."  The most highly successful people expend 20 percent of the effort and get 80 percent of the results, while the less effective folks put out 80 percent of the effort only to get 20 percent. Sound unfair?  Let me give you a tip for entering the world of 20 percent work/80 percent results.  Great persuaders understand that time is more important than money.   They are fana...

Are you tired of feeling like your success is just out of reach?  It's time to unlock your full potential with the power of charisma!  Charisma isn't just a trait that a lucky few are born with - it's a skill that can be learned and mastered by anyone.  YES, anyone. Charismatic Leadership 16 Compliments You Didn't Realize Are Actually Pretty Insulting Revenue AI and Sales Trends Want to become mor...

AI has the potential to revolutionize the sales process and provide numerous benefits to salespeople. By leveraging AI tools to automate routine tasks, analyze data, and provide personalized messaging, salespeople can increase efficiency, improve customer service, and ultimately close more deals. However, it's important to note that AI should be used in conjunction with human expertise and judgmen...

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your social media feed, only to be captivated by a clickbait headline?  You're not alone.  Clickbait is here to stay. There's a scientific reason why you can't resist clicking on that link. We don't want to miss out on anything we could own.  We want to get around any restrictions placed upon us. We feel uptight and want our freedom back. This causes...

Have you ever met someone utterly clueless about their incompetence?  Or worse, have you ever worked with someone who thinks they're a genius but can't seem to get anything right?  If so, you may have encountered the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate their abilities and underestimate their weaknesses. We Are All Confident Idiots Dunning–Kruger effect Join m...

  Times are changing.  There is no doubt we have more options.  Communication over the phone poses unique challenges.  A first impression over the phone is just as important as in face-to-face contact, but the first challenge is that your audience can't see your face, body language, or presence.  Everything about you is being judged entirely through the phone.   Hybrid B2B Sales Will Be The Norm B...

  So, there is this difficult conversation you need to have.  You know that person is going to get emotional.  You might even feel a chance that you could get a little angry or they could trigger another negative emotion.  How is your EQ - Emotional Intelligence?  Can you read their emotions?  Can you control your emotions? There is a fine line between logic and emotion.  To influence someone, you...

Based on over 20 years of study, research, and experience in the field, my findings astound even me.  People aren't won over by tactics and gimmicks.  In fact, they 're are tired of them.  A New York Times poll found that 56 percent of respondents felt you can't be too careful in dealing with most salespeople, and 34 percent said most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chanc...

Stories are powerful tools for persuaders. Compelling storytelling automatically creates attention and involvement with your audience. We can all think of a time when we were in an audience and not paying attention to the speaker. We were off in our own world when we suddenly perked up and started to listen because the speaker had begun to tell a story. We sat up, listened attentively, noted what...

Moods, hunger and emotion can affect our thinking, judgment, and willingness to say yes. When the person you are trying to persuade is in a good mood or feeling a positive emotion, they are more likely to accept your offer.  The opposite is also true.  If they're not in a good mood or feeling a negative emotion, chances are much higher they will say no.  A good state is a huge advantage to you whe...

FOMO or the fear of missing out, is human nature 101.  When anyone feels their freedom to act or choose is restricted, they will attempt to restore it.  With this restriction or fear, we are psychologically driven to latch on to something we fear will be restricted even more.  Suddenly, that restricted item or information is even more important to us. Can you judge trustworthiness based on looks -...

We think we are logical creatures, but most of the time, we don't know why we do what we do. The majority of influence involves a subconscious trigger. This tendency means that inclinations like "It just feels right," "I trust this person," or "I don't like this person" are all based on unconscious emotional reactions. Conscious and Unconscious Thought Processes So how should you sell the brain? ...

Sales professionals use words carefully. They know that one wrong word can send their prospect's mind somewhere else and lose them the sale.  Some examples of language that salespeople use to help diffuse a potentially tense situation. Words also have a strong bearing on how we remember certain details. In one study, subjects were asked if they had headaches "frequently" or "occasionally." Those i...

Having courage (or being brave) does not mean you don't feel fear.  It means you have the heart and emotional stability to face the fear and do what's needed anyway.  This is a process of learning about yourself—who you are and what you are able to do.  Identifying your weaknesses, changing your habits, and fixing your attitude all require personal bravery. Courage is about helping yourself and he...

Trust is critical in persuasion. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age when people are more skeptical and mistrustful than ever.  Twenty years ago, the mindset was: "I trust you; give me a reason not to."  Now the mindset is: "I don't trust you; give me a reason why I should." Trust is at an all-time low and still falling. Global Trustworthiness Index 2022. The Most And Least Trusted Professions...

These skills are essential in persuasion and leadership.  What about managers and politicians?  Are they leaders?  Do people trust them?  Probably not.  What needs to change?  Join me for this week's podcast on Why Politicians Are Not Leaders And Have Low Trust.  Why Democracy Produces Incompetent Leaders – And How to Fix it Discover how to adjust your influence/leadership style.  Find out if you...

We were taught through the years that closing skills were all you needed to persuade and sell. You had to learn more closing skills if you did not sell enough people.  Nowadays, sure, it's nice to have a few closing skills in your persuasion toolbox, but shouldn't you spend more time opening up your audience before you even think about closing a deal with them?   24 Sales Mistakes to Avoid in 2022...

"Door-in-the-face" is one of the most common techniques for implementing the Law of Contrast. An initially large and almost unreasonable request is made, likely to be declined—hence the "door slammed-in-the-face" as the prospect rejects the proposal.  Then a second smaller and more reasonable request is made.  People accept the second request more readily than if they'd just been asked outright be...

During each persuasive encounter, you must be careful with what gestures you use and don't use.  Your gestures can attract your prospect and build trust or repel them and trigger distrust.  When you are aware of your body language, you can synchronize your nonverbals to create instant likeability and rapport.  You can create positive subconscious triggers.  If you don't have to understand these no...

What dirty mind games do people play during negotiation and persuasion?  What do they use to intimidate or change your perception of reality?  They tactics are not to use but help you be aware of when someone is trying to use these dark tricks to get their way. Psychological Power is people's ability to influence you while disguising their true intentions. People who are adept at using Psychologic...

What does it take to persuade with power in any encounter? Think about it. When was the last time you didn't get something you wanted?  What happened? Did you fail to get your point across? Were you persuaded by someone else? Our understanding of persuasion and influence has changed dramatically.  In the past, we did not know or care how consumers thought or what prompted them to buy or take actio...

The mental trigger of potential loss causes such great anxiety in people that they act to prevent the loss—even though they might not be completely interested in the product itself. Imagine making a decision where you have all week to make up your mind, and you have the reassurance that when you return tomorrow, the item will still be available at the same good price. You could take days, weeks, o...