Maximize Your Influence

Is Google rigging elections?  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that thinks so.  Merely telling the masses that a candidate has a "high" approval rating tends to gender more support.  So how much influence do the "Googles" of the world actually have?  Check out the article here. Most persuaders would rather deal with an angry prospect than an indifferent one.  Indifferent pr...

Everything that we understand and know about our world is based around words.  Words don't just have meaning, they have feeling.  That's why some words in some languages just don't directly translate.  One particular author has used this to apparently create a childrens book that makes children fall asleep.  When it comes to influencing, there are words you should never use.  Kurt and Steve discus...

As we get closer and closer (even though it's a long way away) to the 2016 presidential election, more and more persuasion blunders will be on display.  A recent article shows that politicians who have deeper voices (yes, even women) are perceived as more credible by voters.  Check out the article here. Due to listener feedback, Kurt and Steve realized that they didn't cover the Law of Expectation...

You can't visit a business web page without hearing "follow us on Twitter!"  We're certainly guilty of this too.  Follow us on Twitter @influencemax!  A recent article from Psych Central shows that when customers complain about a business on Twitter, businesses can actually shoot themselves in the foot by responding too much!  Check out the article here. If you've ever been told your product is to...

When you're an entrepreneur or sales person, being mentally tough is key.  If you want the rewards that come from owning your own business or being on commission, you need to put up with days that can be full of rejection and disappointment.  Check out a recent article posted  by Psych Central that discusses the Six Stages of Mental Strength. In any persuasive encounter, your prospect has certain...

It's been 100 episodes!  After inserting some canned applause and patting themselves on the back, Kurt and Steve discuss why disobedient kids may actually make more money as adults.  They then proceed to insult people who don't listen to their show.  But if they're not listening does it really even matter? Different personalities relate to different persuasion techniques.  One method may resonate...

Whether you think you love it or not, you love to procrastinate.  The brain thrives on it.  The reason is that we tend to treat our "current self" much better than our "future self."  We give our future self way to much credit.  We think "future me will save more money" or "future me will lose more weight."  But when the future gets here what happens?  Kurt and Steve discuss it during this week's...

Do you sort your mail over the trash can?  Do you delete most emails before you even consider them?  That's the reality of advertising today.  Messages to your prospects need to be compelling and grab their attention.  To start this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article about which is more effective: digital or print media? Ever now and then on Maximize Your Influence, we like to return...

After Steve gives the full report on his recent trip to Puerto Rico (including a priceless blunder by the Ritz Carlton resort), Kurt discusses this week's "geeky article moment."  A recent article on Psych Central reveals the advantages of both active and passive communication styles. The rest of the show centers around a recent interview Steve conducted with Brad Harker.  Brad is the author of Th...

To kick off this episode, the guys discuss what is likely the most offensive article they've ever featured on the show.  Kurt insists that it's Steve's doing.  We'll let you read it for yourselves, but just know that "hand's on" father's might be uhm...smaller.  For the main show topic, Kurt and Steve discuss some of the non-verbal habits that can kill your charisma.  Use these habits and your sal...

A recent study shows that if you want to look trustworthy, you should also look happy.  What's the catch?  Looking happy doesn't necessarily make you look competent.  Kurt and Steve discuss this study and how persuaders can walk the line to acheive maximum trust and competence at the same time. On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss recent obervations they've made about Negotiaton's Dirty Deeds (...

In persuasion, there are a few words and phrases that a lot of people say, but that they don't really mean.  In a recent article on Inc.com, 11 of these terrible sayings are reviewed.  It's an entertaining article and Kurt and Steve discuss it in detail. Have you ever received an annoying voicemail from a salesperson?  Or better yet...have you ever LEFT an annoying voicemail?  We all have.  Many t...

When it comes to persuading others (through owning a business, church, non-profit), it's all about networking.  Anyone who has ever been successful can attribute at least a part of that success to meeting the right people at the right time.  But what if you hate talking to strangers?  Can you be an effective networker?  A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review discusses this very...

If you're like most people, you don't really enjoy paying taxes.  A study in the UK recently discovered how to vastly increase the rate of collected taxes, just by adding one simple sentence to collection notices.  Kurt and Steve discuss this on the show.  You can find an article from CNN Money here. Many say there is such thing as "beginners luck" in sales.  But is it luck?  Or is that beginners...

Nobody has a perfect self esteem.  We all have insecurities in ceratin areas of our life. The same is true for your prospects.  Raise a prospects self esteem and you'll catapult your chances of persuading them!  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that gives Five Tips For Raising Your Self Esteem. Is your prodcut or cause desperation or inspiration based?  Your prospects are a...

Did you know that the noise of an aircraft engine can cause you to crave different foods?  A recent study by Cornell University makes some compelling links between decibel level and food cravings.  Kurt and Steve discuss the artice and also learn a new word!  There's one thing that annoys your prospect more than anything else: unsolicited small talk.  Many of the stereotypical sales annoyances (fa...

Is optimism overrated?  A recent study from the University of Utah thinks so.  Kurt and Steve discuss the study and what it means for persuaders. Some of us are better negotiators than others.  Some of us respond differently to different tactics.  Negotiation is all about researching your product and what your prospect needs and wants.  Failure to do so inevitably leads to insulting your prospect...

Do you know somebody who is always blaming other people for their problems?  Is it you?  The fact is, we all do it.  And sometimes we're right.  A recent article, however, shows why blaming others is not productive...even when it's completely true.  We all know the stereotypical profile of a persuader: fast talker, slick, stretches the truth, etc.  And we all know that this style of persuasion is...

It's always helpful to learn more about what successful people do in their daily lives.  In this episode, Kurt and Steve highlight three key lessons we can learn form succeessful people.  For this week's Persuasion IQ question, Kurt and Steve talk about how to effectively build emotion at the right time during your presentation.  Measuring the rate of your speech during the credibilty phase and th...

After discussing Kurt's recent trip to Las Vegas, Kurt and Steve discuss an article that may be helpful if you've been to Vegas recently: "Are White Lies Good For Relationships?"  You'll be surprised at the conculsion! How can we tell if our prospect is "visually oriented?"  Whe asking them a question that requires some thought, they often look upwards.  In contrast if they are "auditory", they te...

Have you ever witnessed an animal "sniff" another animal and thought "wow I'm so glad I'm human?"  A recent study shows that you might rely on smelling other humans.  Check out the study here. On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss what attribute customers appreciate most about top persuaders.  They give some pointers on how to improve this characterisitc as well as minimize more harmful ones.  C...

Do you rely on email marketing to generate leads?  What about telephone prospecting?  As it turns out, there are specific times of day and the week that are more effective...and it's not quite what you think.  Check out this episode for the exact statistics. Colors shape our perception of products and services, period.  They can also be used to set the tone on how we feel when we go into a persuas...

They've talked about it a lot on Maximize Your Influence, but on this episode Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article entitled "10 Body Signs Somebody Is Lying To You."  They discuss the merits of the article as well as some additional suggestions that will help you detect deception. Have you ever had a prospect stall on you?  Your product is a perfect fit, it fits their budget, but they just aren...

A recent study published by Psych Central discusses how to make new habits stick.  The article goes over a variety of techniques that will dramatically increase your chances of implementing new habits.  Check it out here. On episode 82, Kurt and Steve discuss another important Persuaison IQ Test question.  What is the main reason people do things they don't want to do?  Kurt and Steve discuss the...

Have you ever given a presentation and had a tough time connecting with the audience?  Some audiences are just difficult.  Other audiences can be connected with if you know some basic pointers.  For this week's article, Kurt and Steve discuss an article released by Harvard Business Review that gives some great tips on connecting with any audience.  Connect to the article here. Does the mood of you...