Maximize Your Influence

This week’s podcast is going to talk about 2 important things to increase your influence. 

  1. How can you learn to write compelling copy that can influence anyone?  This could be writing an email or marketing on the internet.  How can you engage and excite others through the written word?  It is easier than you think.
  2. What are the Reasons Salespeople Lose (or Win) a Sale?  The Harvard Business Review has revealed some compelling statistics on persuasion and influence.  Did you know….
  • Prospects have become “price immune”
  • The committee was only a committee of one
  • They don’t care if your company is #1 in the market
  • Some prospects want the challenge, not the solution

 Listen to the podcast and find out how to influence on command.

6 Reasons for winning or losing a sale

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Direct download: Podcast_267_-_How_to_Influence_with_Copywriting_Secrets.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Intuition is a big part of your future success.  Intuition helps you read and understand people.  It comes in an instant and we have to be ready to act simultaneously.  Some call it a hunch, gut reaction or a feeling.  Intuition is real and can be harnessed to increase your ability to influence and transmit charisma.  Leaders who are able to distinguish between random thoughts and intuition are more successful in life and in business.  Face it, just take a look at CEO’s of large corporations.  They have access to all the logical research they need to make a good, educated decision.  The successful ones will admit that ultimately they have to follow their heart and use personal intuition.  Studies show that the majority of people use intuition, but had a difficult time verbalizing to others why or how it worked. 

As humans, (when we listen) we have the ability to read people from facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice or even a smell.  This comes from our early programming as humans to be able to meet a person and instantly decide if they are a friend or foe.  Those that have the ability to follow their intuition correctly would be able to sense danger or make a new friend.  We know when we have met someone for the first time that we have categorized them in the first 30 seconds.  We have decided if we like or dislike the person and this comes from our intuition.

Creativity Lessons Article

Intuition expands our ability to tap into our previous experience, our knowledge and our stored memories.  We might not remember what memories or experience we are drawing on, but it was something we already have learned and it is expressed as a gut feeling.  The main obstacle that impedes us from following our intuition is convincing ourselves that it works and should be taken seriously.  What are you listening for?  How does your intuition talk to you?  It can be called impulse, urge or even that inner voice.  Start listening and you will save yourself a lot of time, energy and money. 

Listen to find out how to master intuition and the other secrets of Charisma.

FREE Copy of Maximum Influence

Direct download: Podcast_266_-_Unknown_Secrets_of_Charisma_-_Intuition_and_........mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Are you magnetic? Are people drawn to you? People who know where they are going are able captivate, are passionate and are charismatic. You can tell when you meet them and when they enter a room. People are drawn to them because deep down people want to be passionate about something and when they see that passion in your eyes, you become more charismatic.  They sense that you can help them and improve their lives.  This does not guarantee everyone will like you, but they will respect you for your conviction and your passion. 

Passion is very contagious.  When you transfer this passion, the people around you start to radiate that passion.  They perform better, if it is at work, it is no longer work.  They become more proactive, more willing to work as a team and become more optimistic.  When you have tapped into this passion you become more determined and it increases your persistence.  It starts to become a burning desire and consumes you and it radiates to others. 

 The Bottomless Bowl Study

A word of caution, just because you are passionate does not mean you can forego learning the skills you need to be successful.  It is a critical piece of the charisma pie, but you still need more pieces of the pie to radiate powerful long-term charisma. 

How do you transfer your energy and enthusiasm?

Listen and find out….

Email kurt@maximizeyourinfluence.com to get a free coaching session!

Direct download: Podcast_265_-_How_Magnetism_and_Attraction_Increase_Persuasion.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Do you have that chemistry?  Do you feel charismatic?  Do you radiate optimism?  It is no secret that the majority of the wealthy and successful business executives attribute their success to their optimism and attitude more than any other factor.  How can you inspire, how can you transfer charisma if you don’t have the right attitude or optimistic outlook.  Your attitude about the rain on your Hawaiian vacation can ruin your vacation or make it more fun and more memorable. 

Groups are often smarter without opinion leaders

 An optimist tells you that your problems are only temporary and pessimism tells you they are permanent and there is no way out.  As an optimist, you will attract people to your cause and you will radiate charisma.  Studies have shown that optimists do better in school, perform better in their careers and live longer than pessimists.  Pessimists tend to battle depression and give up more easily.

Optimism is more than PMA (positive mental attitude).  It is not constantly saying positive things to others and hoping they will come true.  Rather, true optimism is a frame of mind that governs how you look at the world.  Optimism means having expectations that things will eventually turn out OK.   Being optimistic means that you really believe that you will eventually accomplish everything you set out to do.  You will be able to help others achieve their goals.  Optimism is when you can transfer your hope and courage to others and will be more inclined to be led by you.  How do you gain that chemistry of charisma?

Listen and find out….

Learn how to ENABLE your powerful subconscious mind to work for you, not against you

Direct download: Podcast_264_-_That_Secret_Chemistry_of_Charisma_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 2:41pm CDT

Can your prospect sense your fear?  Are you sure?  Confidence is a trait that increases charisma, influence and attracts people to you.  People love to follow and be influenced by others, when there is confidence in you and in your abilities.  Most people you meet suffer in the self-confidence arena, but your high confidence tends to make up for it.  Confidence breeds trust.  Demonstrating confidence in your field, in your industry and in your life, increases confidence in you. 

The people we admire and look up to the most are usually the type of people who know what they want and have the confidence to get it.  You must learn to communicate with great confidence and authority.  The perception of confidence is critical to maintain charisma.  The higher your confidence, the more charisma you radiate.   People read your confidence via your tone of voice, body language and other subconscious triggers. 

Those Wine Snobs….

True confidence is a state of mind.  At times in your life and in your career, your personal confidence gets smashed and it needs to be rebuilt.  Charismatic people can maintain confidence in all situations even if there have been defeats, setbacks or unpredicted outcomes.  We all have a tendency to feel insufficient or inferior at times.  When you lose faith in yourself or have had failures in your life, you lose confidence through fear.  Lack of confidence can be summed up in one word: fear.

 Fear can be defined as a magnified doubt.  All worries, questions, concerns, insecurities—can ultimately be traced back to fear in one form or another.   How do you exude charismatic confidence?

Email kurt@maximizeyourinfluence.com to get a free coaching session!

Direct download: Podcast_263_-_Winning_Over_Your_Prospect_and_Audience_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 1:35pm CDT

Power increases your charisma and ability to influence.  When we have certain forms of power, that power increases our perceived charisma and increases our ability to influence.  When we have legitimate forms of power, people will be more willing and want to take action.  Nearly every organization has some type of authority structure.  There are rules (written and unwritten) that dictate how people react to power and authority. 

 There are many forms of power and when used in the wrong way that power will back fire on you in the long term.  Managers always think they have great power, but it is much less than they usually realize.  The ability to reward and punish is not the power that will help in your ability to radiate charisma.  Your internal power will always outlast external power.

 Charismatics instinctively know and understand how to use different forms of positive power.  Power builds when you can help them get something they need or want.  Power is different from force.  It comes back to your intent.  Power creates trust, it strengthens, and it empowers.  Force must always be maintained, enforced, and warranted.  Force sucks the energy and life out of people.  True power encourages, revitalizes, and creates unity and synergy.  Power causes us to listen and obey.  Force causes us to be skeptical and run.

 How The Dining Room Mirror Might Make You Eat More

 Charismatics don’t have power trips or feel the need force themselves on others or make other do things just for fun.  They understand how to use the proper forms of power and its ethical use.  Positive power opens up their audience and enhances their charisma.  Knowledge, expertise and authority are all forms of positive power.  Can you get the POWER?

Listen and find out

Have you ever met someone that did not seem that sharp, but was making 10 times more money than you?

Direct download: Podcast_262_-_The_Allure_and_Appeal_of_Power__Keys_to_Presence_3.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

One element that increases your presence, charm and likability…..Is humor.  Great persuaders naturally develop rapport while using humor.  It is very unlikely that your audience will feel angry, depressed, anxious, guilty, or resentful while enjoying your humor.

Your humor can have a domino effect of goodwill and of instilling positive emotions in your audience. If you can help your audience members to feel happier, you will in turn open the locked doors of persuasion and influence. Humor also increases energy and productivity, which will feed your audience’s positive emotions even more.

Is Caffeine Persuasive?

Humor for persuaders not only connects you to your audience but also increases people’s attention to you and your message.  Humor also puts your audience in a good frame of mind. When your audience is in a good disposition, they are less likely to disagree with you.  When you develop rapport with your audience, they will like you more.  Humor also increases trust.  

 How do you use this tool of charisma?

Charisma Series: Get others to believe in you, trust you, and be influenced by you

Direct download: Podcast_261_-_The_Charm_Factor_in_Charisma_-_Presence_2.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Do you have Presence?  Are you able captivate your audience or prospect?  You can tell when you meet a charismatic personal and when they enter a room.  People are drawn to them because deep down people want to be passionate about something and when they see that passion in your eyes, you become more charismatic.  They sense that you can help them and improve their lives.  This does not guarantee everyone will like you, but they will respect you for your conviction and your passion. 

Passion is very contagious.  When you transfer this passion, the people around you start to radiate that passion.  They perform better, if it is at work, it is no longer work.  They become more proactive, more willing to work as a team and become more optimistic.  When you have tapped into this passion you become more determined and it increases your persistence.  It starts to become a burning desire and consumes you and it radiates to others. 

How Mental Rehearsal Preps Us For Action

 A word of caution, just because you are passionate does not mean you can forego learning the skills you need to be successful.  It is a critical piece of the charisma pie, but you still need more pieces of the pie to radiate powerful long-term charisma.  Can you learn this skill?

Listen and find out….

4 components to win an audience every time


Touch can help you influence and connect with people.  Touch can be a very effective psychological technique.  Subconsciously, most of us like to be touched; it makes us feel appreciated and builds rapport.  It is true, though, that we do need to be aware and careful of a small percentage of the population who dislikes being touched in any way.

In most instances, however, touch can help put people at ease and make them more receptive to you and your ideas. Touch increases influence.  When you are able to touch your prospect they usually becomes more agreeable, enhances mood and increases the chances they will agree and do what you are asking.

Touch can create a positive perception.  Touch carries with it favorable interpretations of immediacy, similarity, relaxation, and informality.  In one research study, librarians did one of two things to university students: either they did not touch the person at all during the exchange or they made light, physical contact by placing a hand over the student's palm. Invariably, those students who were touched during the transaction rated the library service more favorably than those who were not touched at all.  

SMART Study

Touch Story 

Waiters/waitresses who touched customers on the arm when asking if everything was okay received larger tips and were evaluated more favorably than those waiters who didn't touch their customers. Touch also induces customers to spend more time shopping in stores. In one study, physical contact on the part of salespeople induced customers to buy more and to evaluate the store more favorably.

 Even a handshake is touch.  Handshakes tell a story about you and if they will remember you.  It dictates your first impression that will last forever.  A good handshake will make someone feel appreciated and connected to you.  A bad handshake could set you back an hour in rapport building.  Are you touching too much?  Not enough?  Do you have a good/lame handshake?

Listen and find out!

Learn how to get others to believe in you, trust you, and be influenced by you

Direct download: Podcast_259_-_How_Touch_Increases_and_Hurts_Influence.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

We have all had the experience of feeling an instant connection or bond with someone after just a few seconds of being in their presence. This is the Law of Connectivity. On the flip side we have all met someone that rubbed us the wrong way or repelled us.  We instantly did not want to be around them. This is caused by a lack of connectivity and usually takes only a few seconds to manifest itself. This disconnect closes the door to persuasion.

NINE WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU WITHOUT SAYING A WORD

The Law of Connectivity states that the more someone feels connected to, similar to, liked by, or attracted to you, the more persuasive you become. When you create an instant bond or connection, people feel more comfortable and open around you. They will feel like they have known you for a long time and that they can easily relate to you.

When we feel connected with someone, we feel comfortable and understood; they can relate to us and a sense of trust ensues.  This connectivity is critical on the phone, during a presentation or using social media.

Listen and find out….   

       

Direct download: Podcast_258_-_Ways_To_Get_People_To_Like_You_-_Without_Talking_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

We’ve all been told, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Yeah, right. Everyone is judging everyone else. Intentionally or not, people are constantly judging and categorizing others, compartmentalizing them into boxes. There are many boxes—sharp, strange, weird, intelligent, dense, geeky, powerful, annoying, and more.

A great persuader can connect with anyone in thirty seconds or less. First impressions take only seconds to form, but they last a lifetime. This is a critical skill to develop because the cement dries fast. How do you ensure that you’re making those early seconds really count?

That first judgment or opinion about you is vital to your success. In this fast-paced world, you probably won’t get a second chance—you have to make it happen the first time.

Many persuaders can’t tell if they’re connecting. They think that they’re doing everything right, that they’re doing all the stereotypical rapport-building things: being friendly, enthusiastic, or fun. But the reality is that in most cases, they are not building rapport and are failing to connect with their audience. Studies show that not only do 75 percent of people not like all the “gushy, chit-chatty stuff,” but 99 percent of them won’t even bother to stop you when they’re annoyed.

Changes In Human IQ Are Frightening

The proverbial bad salesman comes to mind here. He acts too chummy and tells stupid jokes, all the while thinking everyone loves him. You’ve probably met him. What did you do when you met this person? If you’re like most people, you politely endured the encounter, made up some excuse to get him off your back, and then swore to yourself that’d you’d never get stuck talking to him again.

Reality check: This annoying person could be you.

Do you know your Persuasion IQ?

Direct download: Podcast_257_-_The_Primacy_and_Recency_Effect__The_Cement_Dries_Fast.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 11:58am CDT

Why is it so easy to lose at a casino?  Why do they know about human nature that you don’t?  It is all about the subconscious triggers.

 In his book Triggers, best-selling author Joseph Sugarman reveals that 95 percent of the reasoning behind a consumer's behavior is associated with a subconscious feeling. In other words, most behavior is done for reasons a person hasn't even fully formulated.

Whether we realize it or not, we love shortcuts to thinking. When we buy an item, we don't always take the time to research the product or read the latest consumer guide's ratings on the product. Instead, we could rely on the salesperson's advice. We might just buy the most popular brand, the cheapest, or rely on a friend’s opinion.

Although we would never admit it, we sometimes even buy an item just because of its color, smell or packaging. Certainly, we know this is not the best way to make decisions, but we all do it anyway, even when we know we might make a mistake or feel regretful afterward. If we considered every single decision, we would constantly be overwhelmed our brain would be shut down and we'd never get anything done.

This tendency means that inclinations like "It just feels right," "I like this product," or "I don't trust this person" are all based on subconscious triggers. This thought and emotional reaction occur in the unconscious mind, without our awareness.  

The reason this happens is the Amygdala.  Joseph Ledoux of New York University says the amygdala allows emotions to dominate and control our thinking.  The amygdala has control over the cortex in the brain.   What does that mean?  The cortex is responsible for memory, perceptual awareness, thought, and consciousness.  The amygdala stores our memories that we associate with emotional events.  This means subconscious triggers are always occurring and triggering feelings and emotions usually without our awareness. 

How-To Questions Each State Googles More Frequently Than Any Other State

What triggers are getting you?  How do Las Vegas casinos utilize these against you?

Listen and find out.

FREE BOOK OFFER


Want to negotiation tips from a FBI hostage negotiator?  What negotiation tools are working?  Which tools lost the value? Listen to this interview with Chris Voss.

Meet Chris:

Prior to 2008, Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. During his government career, he also represented the U.S. Government at two (2) international conferences sponsored by the G-8 as an expert in kidnapping. Prior to becoming the FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, Christopher served as the lead Crisis Negotiator for the New York City Division of the FBI. Christopher was a member of the New York City Joint Terrorist Task Force for 14 years.   

During Chris’s 24 year tenure in the Bureau, he was trained in the art of negotiation by not only the FBI but Scotland Yard and Harvard Law School. He is also a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement and the FBI Agents Association Award for Distinguished and Exemplary Service.

 For more info about Chris and his work visit: https://blackswanltd.com/

Chris has taught business negotiation in the MBA program as an adjunct professor at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.  He has taught business negotiation at Harvard University, guest lectured at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland and The Goethe School of Business in Frankfurt, Germany.  

Get your FREE copy of Maximum Influence

Direct download: Podcast_255_-_FBI_Hostage_Negotiation_Skills_-_Chris_Voss_Interview.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 12:14pm CDT

How do you get a raise?  How do you strategically negotiate a raise to earn what you are worth?  Or is it better to persuade?  What is the difference between the two?  Persuasion occurs when your ideas are so convincing that the other party ends up adopting your point of view.  

With persuasion, there is no compromising, as there is in negotiation.  Rather, the other party willfully and enthusiastically abandons their position to embrace yours.  The other party clearly sees the gains and advantages of doing business with you.

Negotiation, on the other hand, is a process of give and take, give and take, give and take. We meet somewhere in the middle.  It’s being able to overcome objections on both sides of an issue and ultimately reaching some kind of common ground.  Remember, always persuade first, negotiate second.  

What is the number one predictor for personal success?

While persuasion is the ultimate ideal, anytime one of us is presenting our ideas, the other party is often equally committed to their own convictions, thus making negotiation the next-best path.  Salary negotiations are different because you are negotiating with a known party (your boss), This requires a different set of tool. 

Listen to the podcast and get those tools!

FREE copy of Best-Selling Maximum Influence 

Direct download: Podcast_254_-_How_to_Negotiate_a_Raise.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Of all the tools in your persuasion toolbox, questioning is probably the one most often used by Power Persuaders. Questions are used in the persuasion process to create mental involvement, to guide the conversation and to find out what your prospect needs. Questioning is a very diverse and useful tool. An important study observed hundreds of negotiators in action in an attempt to discover what it takes to be a top negotiator. Their key finding was that skilled negotiators ask more than twice as many questions as average negotiators.

Much like movements, questions elicit an automatic response from our brains. We are taught to answer a question when it is posed to us. We automatically think of a response when asked a question. Even if we don't verbalize the answer, we think about it in our head. Most people want to be cooperative. We don't want to be considered rude because we don't answer the questions. In this way, a question stimulates our thinking response.  

The Cheerleader Effect

How do you form a good question? First, design your questions ahead of time. The structure of your questions dictates how your listener will answer them. When asked to estimate a person's height, people will answer differently depending on whether the question asked is "How tall is he?" versus "How short is he?"

In one study, when asking how tall versus how short a basketball player was, researchers received dramatically different results. The "how tall" question received the guess of 79 inches whereas the "how short" question received the guess of 69 inches.  Words have a definite effect on how people respond. "How fast was the car going?" suggests a high speed, but "At what speed was the car traveling?" suggests a moderate speed. "How far was the intersection?" suggests the intersection was far away. 

How to turn a no into a yes and a yes into a sale


 What is NLP?

Neuro-linguistic programming, or “NLP” as it is called today, is a very interesting science. NLP was first developed by UC Santa Cruz professor John Grinder and graduate student Richard Bandler.

 Its basic premise is that one’s thought patterns, beliefs and attitudes can be used to “preprogram” actual experiences that are yet to happen. NLP is very focused on how we think, what influences the way we think, and how we structure what we think. Subscribers to the science are encouraged to closely study and then model those individuals who do things well. When studying them, you don’t ask them how they did it—just what they were thinking when they did it.

The Negative Side of NLP

For example, if you asked Michael Jordan how to play basketball, he could give you a big list of dos and don’ts. He might outline a series of necessary drills, but that is not what NLP is about. Instead, you would find out how Michael Jordan perceives basketball in his mind. What are his beliefs and attitudes about basketball? When he makes a decision on the court, what is he thinking?

Click here for FREE cutting edge influence techniques that will increase your income

Many academics are haters of the science of NLP.  On this podcast, I will reveal what upsets them and what aspects of NLP work/don’t work.

– Listen and find out

Direct download: Podcast_252_-_NLP_-_Fact_or_Fiction.mp3
Category:nlp -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Mind Control and Expectations

We communicate our expectations in a variety of ways. It may be through our language, our word choice, voice inflections, or our body language. Think of a time when you've been introduced to someone. Usually, if they introduce themselves by their first name, then you do the same. If they give their first and last name, you do likewise. Whether you realize it or not, you accept cues from others regarding their expectations and you act accordingly. Similarly, we all unknowingly send out our own cues and expectations. The power is in using the Law of Expectations consciously!

Exercise Changes Your Personality

Numerous studies have shown how the Law of Expectations dramatically influences people's performance. For example, in one study, girls who were told they would perform poorly on a math test did perform poorly. In another, assembly line workers who were told their job was complex performed less efficiently at the same task than those who were told it was simple. Another case study demonstrated that adults who were given complex mazes solved them faster when told they were based on a grade-school level of difficulty.

Then there is mind control.  What are the negative approaches to mind control and what are the techniques used in everyday persuasion?  What are the mind control tools that are appropriate to use?  Which one's are being used on you?

 – Listen and find out

Whats Your Persuasion IQ?

Direct download: Podcast_251_-__Mind_Control_Explained.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

The psychological edge gained by top persuaders cannot be overemphasized. How do great persuaders prepare their minds for success? What is their mental process before, during, and after the persuasion cycle? This mental aspect is one of the most important (and usually neglected) traits of success.

Almost everyone wants to accomplish their dreams, achieve more, become a better person, or pursue bigger and better goals. And we often know exactly what we need to do to make these things happen. So why don't we do them? Why do we fall short of our dreams and aspirations?

Writing down your goals coupled with a strong desire to reach them won't automatically bring success if you overlook this one vital detail:

Successes are not achieved if they aren't first conceived mentally. We are told all the time to be positive, to change that attitude, to have a good outlook. In fact, we are so bombarded with these messages that they are easy to tune out. We gloss over "think positive" messages, saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Now get to the meat."

Achieve Your Goals: Research Reveals a Simple Trick That Doubles Your Chances for Success

In this chapter, we're going to talk about much more than just positive attitudes—I call it "mental programming." This mind training or self-persuasion is what gives great persuaders the psychological edge. It's true that "you'll only achieve it once the mind believes it." By "programming" our minds, we dictate our future. It's just that simple. Think of your loftiest goals, your greatest aspirations. 

Do you really believe you can achieve them, deep down? Do you? If you can't visualize your success, you are unlikely to ever experience it in real life. We are always thinking and processing information, and our thoughts either propel us closer to our goals or drive us away from our dreams. We have a choice. It is critical that our "mental programming" is always geared to our advantage. How do you program your mind for success – Listen and find out

Claim Your FREE Book

Direct download: Podcast_250_-_Do_Goals_Destroy_or_Inspire_Success.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

There are only two things that motivate us in life: inspiration and desperation. We either move toward that which inspires us, or we move away from that which fills us with despair or discomfort. Most people only use desperation’s motivational energy. Any persuader can motivate an audience with desperation, fear, and worry.

The problem is that motivation spurred by desperation does not last. People who are moved by desperation or fear are typically so preoccupied with what they’re trying to get away from that they can’t think of anything else.

If you want personal motivation to last, you need to rely on inspiration, which is rooted in our emotions and vision. The positive results that come from using inspiration as a motivator are obvious. And, inspired people don’t need a carrot dangling in front of them to get something accomplished. They are self-motivated and don’t wait for external factors to drive them one way or the other.

SCIENTISTS SAY THEY CAN MEASURE YOUR CHARISMA WITH ONLY SIX QUESTIONS

Motivation is not stagnant; we all will require different types of motivation. Every day, every hour we will require a different form of motivation. Great persuaders know when, how, and what type of motivation to use not only as a persuader but also in their personal lives. It is also critical to know what which combination of motivation to use in each persuasive situation.

Direct download: Podcast_249_-_The_Science_of_Human_Motivation.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 11:58am CDT

Life Alignment

When we look at life, we have to realize that it is not lived in segments, but rather, it is part of a greater whole. Every aspect of your life will either help or hurt the rest of your life. Our aim is to get all aspects working together to create a high-performing fund. Realize, however, that you can invest too much in one aspect of your life. When you do, you can get unbalanced just like a tire on a car. Even too much of a good thing can lead to disaster.

As you invest in yourself, you must make sure you are diversifying in the following six areas:

Financial:

If you can’t take care of your financial needs, then you can’t take care of your basic needs. If you neglect your finances, imbalance will ensue. We all know that an inability to pay the bills affects every aspect of our lives. Financial freedom enables us to find true balance in our lives.

Physical:

If you don’t feel well, you can’t even begin to think about the other aspects of your life. You need to have a health plan in place. Do you understand nutrition and exercise? If you don’t, your lack of health or energy will drop the value on your own personal mutual fund.

Emotional:

By our very nature, we are emotional creatures. Our emotions are like a thermostat or gauges in a car; they tell us when and where to make changes in our lives. You cannot allow emotions like anger, resentment, frustration, hate, and envy to control your life. You are in control. If you are not able to control your emotions, you will be unable to control your actions. Emotional mastery is essential to a balanced personal mutual fund.

Defeating Pathological Liars: 5 Things You Must Do

Intellectual:

Personal development is what keeps you excited, motivated, and enthusiastic. We are at our best when we are continually learning and growing. Personal edification is something we need to achieve every day. That’s because a lack of personal development causes us to become negative, cynical, and pessimistic.

Spiritual:

You have to be in tune with yourself, with who you are, and with where you are going. We are spiritual beings; we all have a spiritual side. We all define spirituality differently. It could be serving others, religion, meditation, or getting back to nature. You need to take the time to listen to your inner voice and to tap into your spirituality.

 Most Americans Still Believe in God

Social

We are also social creatures. Our greatest strength and well-being stems from our relationships. As such, relationships are an integral part of your happiness and balance. You have to have a sense of meaning and purpose to lead a fulfilled life. No man is an island in and of himself.

FREE Copy of Maximum Influence

Direct download: Podcast_248_-If_Your_Peronsal_Slump_Continues_-_Plan_B-2.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Getting Over That Slump (personal or team)

Anytime you’re in a leadership position, you are faced with the question of how best to motivate yourself and those who work under you. There are countless philosophies and ideas out there, all claiming to be exactly what you need. The truth is, there is no one perfect answer. What works at one time will not always work the next time. There are team dynamics that you must always be in tune with.

 This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression

For example, suppose you offer a trip to Hawaii for the quarter’s highest closer. If newer or less experienced reps feel like they can’t stack up against the competition, then not only will they feel discouraged, but they may actually feel like there’s not much use in trying. They will then become even less productive. Some reps will respond to cash rewards, while others are incited even more by praise and recognition. As Maslow said, “If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, then you will treat everyone like a nail.”

The truth is, everyone is not a nail. To be an effective motivator, you need to become an acutely attuned student of human nature and understand what makes people tick. Not until you do this on an individual level can you integrate your observations into a team-incentive approach that will work for the whole. If you can’t motivate yourself – it is very difficult to motivate others.  The good news is the formula is the same for motivating a team or motivating yourself.  Listen to the podcast for specific tools to get out of any slump.

Power Tools that Millionaires Use

Direct download: Podcast_247_-_How_To_Get_Out_of_That_Slump_and_Increase_Motivation.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

We usually explore the obstacles and mistakes in the world of average persuaders. Now I want to look at the flip side. We'll look inside your audience's mind and reveal all the things that Advanced Influence research tells us "persuadees" love about their persuaders. You will notice that some of these qualities are emotion-based. You made your audience feel good about themselves or comfortable about you. There's nothing here about price, quality, or warranties. These traits keep the brick wall of resistance from forming.  After countless intercepts and interviews with your prospects – here are the results.

Direct download: Podcast_246_-__The_Perfect_Persuader_-_Prospects_Reveal_Preferences.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

The worst time to learn a sales skill is when you need it. Persuasion and sales must be mastered before it is needed, or the opportunity is lost forever. In all the years that I have worked in persuasion, sales, influence, and leadership, I have never yet found a perfect persuader (especially me). I have met many very skilled persuaders, but none that have completely mastered all that they were capable of achieving.

 This is understandable. It's demanding enough just to keep up with the bills, maintain existing customers, lead the organization, prospect for new customers, outmaneuver the competition, and increase product knowledge. Faced with so many tasks, it's difficult to find the time to spend on developing yet another skill.

 Ironically, one area of sales that is easily overlooked is the very one that would make everything else fall into place. You've probably heard the old adage, "Dull knives work the hardest." Working hard is not the same as working smart. Are your knives sharp? Are you working smart? If you sharpened up in this one area, you'd likely be working more efficiently overall.

21 Mind-Blowing Sales Stats

 Check yourself. Are you just going through the motions? Are you still using the same old tools over and over again without seeing the desired results? Or worse, are you making the same old mistakes over and over again? Are you making less than you could because of common "old-school" persuasion mistakes?

4 secret motivators to inspire others to get what you want

Direct download: Podcast_245_-__Sales_Mistakes_Costing_You_Money_and_Time.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Persuasion Vomit (Data Dump)

Many times, when we are trying to be persuasive, we want to highlight all the perks and plusses. It's only natural. Wouldn't helping someone see the potential gains of your product or service be a good thing? Yes, but here is the issue: Your audience will buy for their own reasons and only their reasons. They don't care about why you like the product or service. They don't care how much you know about it—don’t bury them in detail. The more you spout off about features, the more your audience mentally checks out.


When you want to draw attention to the benefits of a product or service, the best thing to do is uncover the features or benefits your audience is looking for first. Why spend precious time and energy highlighting things they don't care about? Let them tell you what they're looking for, and then center your discussion around those few key points. It is critical to remember that most people already know what they want. In fact, your audience's mindset often is looking for reasons not to buy. It is a natural defense mechanism. They're thinking, "How do I make sure I'm not getting myself into something I'll regret? What could go wrong?"

How managers can spark motivation


There is another way spouting and spewing too much information can backfire: You might actually feature something they're not interested in or something they even see as a drawback. Why give them reasons not to buy? Again, let them tell you what they're looking for. After you've discussed what they care about, after they've made the decision to buy, then and only then should you fill in any remaining blanks with other benefits or features. Don't oversell by cluttering or distracting the few most important key points.
Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether or not you ever vomit or data dump:

· Do you interrupt your audience in your eagerness to highlight another point before they have finished?
· Are you worried about making the sale or satisfying a new customer?
· Do you ever lose their eye contact or get a glazed look?
· Does your audience seem overwhelmed or confused?
· Are you concentrating on what you need to say next instead of listening?
· Do their nonverbal signals tell you they are getting ready to run?
· Are you talking about yourself instead of discovering their needs?

Have you claimed your FREE book yet?

Direct download: Podcast_244_-_How_to_Overcome_Your_Persuasion_Vomit_Data_Dump.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

 Psychological Power: The Mind Game

Psychological Power is the ability people have to influence you while disguising their true intentions. People who are adept at using Psychological Power seek to alter another individual’s perceptions. Two (the other 10 are on the podcast) of  the most common Psychological Power techniques are outlined below.

# 1: Time Pressure      

People are slow at making decisions because they’re afraid of making mistakes. Negotiators hate to leave deals open-ended too long because the more time passes, the more time their prospects have to think of all the reasons why they should walk away. The reverse is also true: The more quickly you get a commitment out of your prospects, the more likely it is they’ll follow through. Basically, people who utilize this psychological tactic are leveraging the moments when emotion is high and judgment is suspended. It’s the “get ’em energized, seal the deal while they’re still soaring” mentality. It is from this mentality that we get promotions like “This offer only good for next hour” and “This offer won’t last long.”

 I remember once negotiating a contract for the marketing department of a big corporation. I had a million other responsibilities weighing on me, so I felt rushed to hammer out the details of the contract that morning. The person I was negotiating with, on the other hand, was in no hurry whatsoever and had nowhere else to go. We bantered back and forth for six hours and still had not reached a resolution on a contract we were both happy with. My urgency to leave the meeting affected the terms I was finally able to get.

#2: Unpredictability

Sometimes, negotiators try to use unpredictability to throw the other person off. Humans are creatures of habit; we love the familiar and predictable. We love routine. Hence, when something unpredictable happens, we feel out of control. Think of a person you know who has an unpredictable personality. You never quite know if s/he is going to be happy or angry, thankful or resentful, elated or depressed.

 How do you feel when you’re around this person? People sometimes do this on purpose to intimidate your or to feel a sense of control over you. Some negotiators will work through lunch, yell, lose control or be seen tearing down a colleague. These examples will often throw rookie prospects off guard. Be aware of these psychological negotiating tactics that could make you feel intimated or out of control.

 Why Can Some Politicians Lie and Get Away With It?

link to FREE BOOK

Direct download: Podcast_243_-_Dark_and_Dirty_Influence_Techniques.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Anger is a secondary emotion. A prospect's anger is usually an indicator that something else is askew and that he needs or wants attention.  When we are angry – we want attention or action now. You can assist in diminishing his anger by determining the key issue he is upset about. It is also often effective to ask for his help, opinions, or advice.

 This will usually diffuse his anger or even change his attitude and demeanor completely. In some circumstances, you may want to use anger to make a certain point or to evoke a certain reaction. However when someone is angry they are more likely to blame someone else. In their mind it is not their fault. When they are sad they will usually blame the situation.

Writing Secrets That Sell

 When people become angry they tend to rely on intuition or an educated guess.  Anger triggers non analytical information processing.   Anger causes us to use mental shortcuts to decide if the argument is right.   

An experiment was done that induced anger. The participants that were angry tended to discriminate between weak and strong persuasive arguments more than those in a neutral mood.  In other words, those that were angry tended to be more influenced by heuristic cues (intuition) than those in a sad or neutral mood.

Direct download: Podcast_242_-_Dealing_With_Angry_People.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

The Brick Wall of Resistance

Has this ever happened to you? You enter a retail store and you're approached by a sharply dressed persuader. You are interested in buying, but the salesperson is a little aggressive. You get an alarming feeling in the pit of your stomach and then do what many of your customers do to you. You lie! You say, "I'm just looking; I'll come back later," or "It's too expensive," or "I have to talk to my spouse before I decide." What you're really thinking is "I don't like this guy," or "I don't trust her," or "Something didn't feel quite right." In the end, you never go back to this store, you never recommend it, and neither the store owner nor the persuader ever knows why. This is a large brick in the Brick Wall of Resistance.

 This obstacle is truly a silent persuasion killer. Most people will never say anything to you to alert you to the fact they are feeling this way. They are more comfortable lying to you—so they don't hurt your feelings. They walk away and simply never deal with you again. The reason this obstacle is such a killer is because we don't even realize we're doing it. We are offending people and don't even know it. You may think you're just being friendly or enthusiastic, but be careful. While friendliness and enthusiasm are great attributes, if there is even so much as a hint of force, deception, hype, or selling underlying any of it, you've pretty much sunk the deal.

 Audiences are tough. Ever-smarter consumers have built a lot of resistance to the old style of persuading; many people have a brick wall of resistance up before you've even started your presentation. They assume you're going to be the sleazy, manipulative sales guy before you've even had a chance to speak. They are all ready to resist you before you start.

What do you do to overcome this tendency? Your persuasion attempts must be nonthreatening and very natural. Forget loud and flashy. That strategy only encourages resistance. And most definitely forget about high pressure.

Not only does that solidify the wall of resistance in that particular moment, but the wall will increase in size. When people feel they have been pressured, bullied, or coerced into buying or doing something they don't need or want, they are resentful. They will never do business with you again. They will detest you for "tricking," "manipulating," "selling," or "forcing" them. They will bad-mouth you to all of their friends and family—even to people they don't know! You can end up losing not only this one person but, as the grapevine goes, potentially hundreds of others as well.

             

Great persuaders have cultivated a sixth sense when it comes to the "push and pull" aspect of persuasion. You must encourage without pushing. Entice, but don't ensnare. You have to sense and then predict, based upon knowledge, instinct, experience, and nonverbal cues, what you can do and how your audience will respond. With this sensitivity, which you can learn, there won't be any smacking head first into the brick wall of resistance.

Direct download: Podcast_241_-_How_You_Are_Selling_For_Your_Competition.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Many times, when we are trying to be persuasive, we want to highlight all the perks and plusses. It's only natural. Wouldn't helping someone see the potential gains of your product or service be a good thing? Yes, but here is the issue: Your audience will buy for their own reasons and only their reasons. They don't care about why you like the product or service. They don't care how much you know about it—don’t bury them in detail. The more you spout off about features, the more your audience mentally checks out.

Article: ‘Phubbing’: The Modern Way To Ruin Relationships

When you want to draw attention to the benefits of a product or service, the best thing to do is uncover the features or benefits your audience is looking for first. Why spend precious time and energy highlighting things they don't care about? Let them tell you what they're looking for, and then center your discussion around those few key points. It is critical to remember that most people already know what they want. In fact, your audience's mindset often is looking for reasons not to buy. It is a natural defense mechanism. They're thinking, "How do I make sure I'm not getting myself into something I'll regret? What could go wrong?"

There is another way spouting and spewing too much information can backfire: You might actually feature something they're not interested in or something they even see as a drawback. Why give them reasons not to buy? Again, let them tell you what they're looking for. After you've discussed what they care about, afterthey've made the decision to buy, then and only then should you fill in any remaining blanks with other benefits or features. Don't oversell by cluttering or distracting the few most important key points.

 

 

Direct download: Podcast_240_-_Persuasion_Darts_and_Buying_Desire.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

   Great persuaders are congrooent, but what is congrooence? When things match, we don’t notice, but if something seems off, it grabs our attention either consciously or subconsciously. Just like the misspellings in the first sentence of this paragraph. You noticed it and your mind told you something was wrong with that word. Congruence is when your words match your actions. Agreement and harmony between what you say and what you do are paramount to instilling trust in those you work with. The more consistent and congruent you are in every aspect of your life, the more honest and genuine you’re perceived to be. If you believe in your message, you’ll practice what you preach. If you practice what you preach, you’ll be more authentic, and the door of trust will then swing wide open for you. When you possess congruency, there’s no need to manipulate or camouflage your behavior.

Article: Is Oxytocin the Trust Molecule

  Are you congruent with your history, your last interaction, and your reputation? Does your nonverbal behavior match your actions? Are your emotions congruent with your message? What are your audience’s expectations of you and your message? When your past history and your message don’t match, flags of incongruity will wave in your audience’s face. Suspicion will be roused and your audience will start to look for things that are wrong with you or your message. This inconsistency will decrease your ability to gain influence and trust. That’s because humans are natural lie detectors. When we attempt to fake congruence, we must also spend our time and energy trying to fake our message.

 

Direct download: Podcast_239_-_Trust_Authenticity_and_Congruence.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

 You have to be careful in how you explain and exhibit your credibility. If you launch into a laundry list of your accomplishments or of your education and titles, you might be perceived as a self-centered. Take advantage of less direct or less self-proclaiming ways to show your audience how competent you are.

For example, you can hang your degrees on the wall, have someone else give a brief bio, or have someone else offer his recommendation of you. You can borrow credibility from others using a testimonial or statement from them. Credibility can also be defined as “having expertise, trustworthiness, goodwill, dynamism, extroversion, sociability, composure, or expertise.”(7)

 Trust builds with dependability. Do you have a track record? Are you a person of your word? When you make an appointment, are you there on time? When you commit to doing something for someone, does it get done as promised? Do you think they will forget—well they don’t? They usually just won’t bring it up.

When you make a promise, do you make sure it is kept, or are you full of excuses and alibis. Be reliable and follow through with all your promises. Credibility is “the single biggest variable under the speaker’s control during the presentation.”(8)

 Another way to boost your credibility is to present yourself in a calm, organized, and authoritative manner. Being overly emotional or flustered throws your credibility out the window. Consider the most highly successful attorneys or CEOs.

Article:  Public Trust on the Decline

No matter how rushed or pressured they are, you don’t ever see them running into the room, slamming their stuff down on the table, and throwing themselves into their chairs. No! They are absolutely composed at all times. That’s because they must always convey an air of authority and control. Jury studies show that lawyers who appear well organized are thought of as being more thorough and better prepared than their disorganized counterparts, which of course increases their credibility.

Direct download: Podcast_238_-_The_1_Way_to_Create_Instant_Trust_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Does confidence affect your ability to persuade? The answer is a resounding yes. It is important that you do not come across as cocky or arrogant. How can you tell the difference? It’s all about the intention. Confidence is motivated by a sincere desire to serve—you can help make a difference, and you know you can do a great job. You know that you have the tools, resources, ability, and inclination to do the job that’s required of you. In contrast, cockiness is driven by a need to serve yourself, instead of serving others.

Article: How Easy/Hard Is It For Us To Trust?

Deep down, cockiness actually reveals insecurity—the very opposite of confidence. The distinguishing feature seems to be intent. Cocky individuals seek approval, recognition, and honor from all the wrong sources, in all the wrong ways, and for all the wrong reasons. They are really looking for pats on their own back. Cockiness is self-centered, whereas confidence is people-centered. Cockiness is about the persuader and confidence is about the customer.

Cocky or arrogant behavior usually elicits these types of complaints:

  • He acted like he owned the place.
  • She treated me like a child.
  • She did not listen to what I wanted.
  • He didn’t ask permission to . . .
  • He blamed others.
  • She did not own up to her mistake.
  • He never answered my question.
  • She always has to be right.
  • He is arrogant and condescending.

 

Direct download: Podcast_237_-_How_Your_Confidence_Becomes_Arrogance_and_Destroys_Trust_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Competence is your knowledge and ability in a particular subject area. True competence comes from lifelong learning and experience. Competency exists on many levels. When we are observing someone from a distance, or when we are meeting them for the first time and our experience with them is very limited, we subconsciously perceive and assign them a certain competency level. These assumptions are usually based on external things, such as their title, their position, their height, how they dress, their demeanor, which kind of car they’re driving, the décor of their home or office, how they talk, their tone of voice, how they carry themselves or even things like what kinds of electronic devices they use.

These initial impressions are important, because they can influence whether or not someone will pursue working with you. But then you have to be sure you possess true competence—not just perceived competence. Can you really do what you say you can do? Can you deliver? Does your audience think you have the skills, the knowledge, and the resources? Whether or not you have this deeper level of competence becomes glaringly obvious as people interact and work with you.

Article: Six stats on the importance of trust in influencer marketing

 One of the key ways to keep your competency on track is to be a lifetime learner. We consider others to be competent when we see them continually learning and advancing their training and education. I can remember going to buy computer products and discovering that I knew more about the product than the sales reps did (and I didn’t know much). In an attempt to cover up their lack of knowledge, these ill-informed salespeople tried to bluff their way through my questions. If they had kept themselves educated about the product, the field, and the industry, then they would not have lost my trust in them as competent professionals—and they would not have lost a customer. Learn to become the best in your field.

Direct download: Podcast_236_-_The_Perception_of_Competence_and_Trust.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Character is the combination of qualities that distinguishes one person from another. These qualities make up who you are on the inside—not the external front you may sometimes put up. Who are you, really? What do you do when no one is watching, when there is no one to impress? How do you treat people when you don’t need something from them? Character is also made up of such qualities as integrity, honesty, sincerity, and predictability.

I consider solid character to be at the very foundation of one’s ability to succeed. No success is going to be profound or lasting in its effects if it stems from questionable ethics, motives, or behaviors. In his best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey offers a powerful explanation for how character is crucial to one’s ultimate success:

If I try to use human influence strategies and tactics of how to get other people to do what I want, to work better, to be more motivated, to like me and each other—while my character is fundamentally flawed, marked by duplicity or insincerity—then, in the long run, I cannot be successful. My duplicity will breed distrust, and everything I do—even using so-called good human relations techniques—will be perceived as manipulative. It simply makes no difference how good the rhetoric is or even how good the intentions are; if there is little or no trust, there is no foundation for permanent success.

The right smile could boost trust—and giving

Even if you’re an honest person of admirable character, it is human nature for people to cast sweeping judgments and formulate opinions without all the facts. So, if you want genuine trust and lasting persuasion, you must avoid even the slightest appearance of anything that might be considered dishonest. If you never place yourself in a situation where one might be misled about you or your integrity, then your good, hard-earned reputation will never be compromised.

 

Direct download: Podcast_235_-_How_Self-Discipline_Affects_Trust_.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Whenever someone tries to influence us, in our minds we ask ourselves, “Can I trust this person? Do I believe him? Is she really concerned about me?” We are less likely to be influenced if we sense that the person trying to persuade us is driven solely by self-interest. Trust is the glue that holds the entire persuasion process together. 

Trust is created when you put your audience’s interests and wants before your own. Many times trust comes when your audience feels you are predictable. For some people, trust is a leap of faith; they simply want and need to believe in the persuader’s intentions. Research shows that, deep down, people want to trust others.

 If you can’t assume that your audience automatically trusts you, then your next focus should be on how to acquire this sense of trust as early on in the persuasion process as possible. To do this, it’s helpful to understand how trust works. Most people can’t explain why they trust certain people more or less than others. 

Usually there is not a lot of rational thought behind it; more often, it is an instinct or feeling about the particular person. Your audience will feel you out, trying to discern whether or not they can trust you and how much. Remember it is a sliding scale. This means that you want to be perceived as trustworthy right away, before your audience members even know you (because, fair or not, they’re already making judgment calls about you at this point). 

Then, you can demonstrate that this trustworthiness is genuine through your correspondence and interactions. Gaining and keeping trust for both the short term and the long term is vital to your success as a persuader.

Article: Why we trust some strangers more than others

Direct download: Podcast_234_-_Why_Trust_Levels_are_Fallling.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

The more a brand is advertised, the more popular and familiar it is perceived to be. We as consumers somehow infer that something is popular simply because it is advertised. When people are buying gifts for others, social proof is one of the most effective techniques that a salesclerk can use."

Many salespeople find great success in telling clients that a particular product is their "best-selling" or "most popular" on hand because social validation increases their credibility of the product. When customers feel that something is more popular, they spend more money to acquire it, even if there is no proof other than the salesperson's word.

So it is with advertising: Asserting that a product is in super-high demand or that it is the most popular or fastest selling, etc., seems to provide proof enough. When consumers perceive a product is popular, that's often all they need to go out and purchase it.

Link to Article:

Making Social Validation Work or Application

The power of social validation can be used to your benefit in any persuasive situation. When your product or service is socially validated, people are most likely to use it or switch to it. People are always looking around and comparing themselves to see if they line up with everyone else. If they feel a discrepancy between where they are and where everyone else is, they will most likely conform to the group standard.

How Can You Increase Social Validation?  Is Your Product/Service… 

  • Best-selling
  • Number one
  • Top 10
  • Fasting growing
  • Most Popular
  • Newest trend
  • Standard issue
Direct download: Podcast_233_-_Do_Guarantees_Work.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

  Competence is your knowledge and ability in a particular subject area. True competence comes from lifelong learning and experience. Competency exists on many levels. When we are observing someone from a distance, or when we are meeting them for the first time and our experience with them is very limited, we subconsciously perceive and assign them a certain competency level.

These assumptions are usually based on external things, such as their title, their position, their height, how they dress, their demeanor, which kind of car they’re driving, the décor of their home or office, how they talk, their tone of voice, how they carry themselves or even things like what kinds of electronic devices they use. These initial impressions are important, because they can influence whether or not someone will pursue working with you.

But then you have to be sure you possess true competence—not just perceived competence. Can you really do what you say you can do? Can you deliver? Does your audience think you have the skills, the knowledge, and the resources? Whether or not you have this deeper level of competence becomes glaringly obvious as people interact and work with you.

Article

One of the key ways to keep your competency on track is to be a lifetime learner. We consider others to be competent when we see them continually learning and advancing their training and education. I can remember going to buy computer products and discovering that I knew more about the product than the sales reps did (and I didn’t know much).

In an attempt to cover up their lack of knowledge, these ill-informed salespeople tried to bluff their way through my questions. If they had kept themselves educated about the product, the field, and the industry, then they would not have lost my trust in them as competent professionals—and they would not have lost a customer. Learn to become the best in your field. Demonstrate you know your area of expertise.

Direct download: Podcast_232_-_5_Ways_to_APPEAR_More_Intelligent.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Optimistic persuaders outpersuade pessimistic persuaders every time. Not only is optimism essential to influencing others, but is also a critical for success in life. Optimism is more than a positive mental attitude. It is not constantly saying positive things to yourself and then hoping they will come true. Rather, true optimism is a state of mind that dictates how you look at the world. An optimistic view of life and the world around you can inspire hope and courage in others. We all want to feel inspired and encouraged. When a persuader can deliver this type of message, we want to follow that person. This tendency is how optimism helps you in influencing others.

Pessimism on the other hand is always taking the negative view. Others will consider a pessimist as irritable and always looking for the negative in every situation. Pessimists are the ones who will be the first to complain and tell everyone else that nothing goes right. As a result, they never get the success or recognition they deserve.

 Article : A little anger in negotiation pays

Countless studies have shown that optimists do better in school, persuade better, have more friends, perform better in their careers, and live longer than pessimists. Pessimists, on the other hand, frequently battle depression, have fewer friends, find it difficult to persuade, and give up faster and more easily. To illustrate this point, in one study, those who sold insurance were monitored on their optimistic or pessimistic outlook in relation to setbacks. The optimistic persuaders sold more policies and were half as likely to quit. 

Great persuaders have what we call “influential optimism.” This means that they see the positive in all situations. Rather than focusing on disappointment, cynicism, or negative feelings, they look for ways to move forward. People want to be persuaded by individuals who have a positive view on life. As an optimist, you see the world as a series of exciting challenges. You inspire positive feelings about everything you stand for. People want to be around you because they live in a very pessimistic world. The optimistic mindset is contagious and helps to empower other people to believe in you and in themselves. As an optimist, you help others see failure or setback as temporary. You have no doubt that success will happen.

FREE BOOK

Direct download: Podcast_231_-_The_Secret_Sauce_of_Influence.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 10:01pm CDT

Even for the strongest individuals, their commitment level or willpower is not always constant. Willpower is like a battery. As you exercise your willpower throughout the day, the battery power starts to decline. What drains your battery? Fatigue, negative emotions, low blood sugar, suppression of emotions, and even peer pressure will drain your willpower battery faster than anything else.

An interesting study gives more credibility to this idea that willpower may actually be made stronger if given periods of recess. Researchers had college students arrive to participate in an experiment regarding taste perception (or so the students thought). The students were instructed to come to the study hungry by abstaining from foods for three hours prior to their arrival.

When they entered the room, they were greeted by the scent of freshly baked chocolate cookies, which were piled high on a side table, next to a bowl of freshly washed and trimmed radishes. As they entered the room, they were divided into two groups. One group was told they could only eat the chocolate chip cookies and the other only eat the radishes. They were then left alone to walk around the room as they waited for the researchers.

Obviously, the radish group of students had to exercise their willpower to refrain from eating the chocolate chip cookies and only eat the plain radishes. After five minutes, the students were told that they needed to wait for their sensory perception of the food to fade before performing a new task. This next, unrelated assignment (or so they thought) was to solve a puzzle. Unbeknownst to the students, the puzzles were unsolvable. The researchers just wanted to see how fast the subjects would give up on the puzzles.

Remember that the researchers were suggesting that willpower and self-discipline would weaken after doing sequential tasks, much like an overused muscle that has been strained to fatigue or a battery that has lost its charge. In looking at the two groups—one that ate cookies (requiring no willpower) and one that ate radishes (exercising their willpower against the tantalizing cookie smell)—the results proved interesting.

The cookie-eating group worked on the puzzles for 18.54 minutes before they gave up while the radish-eating group worked on the puzzles for only 8.21 minutes before giving up. In other words, the radish group, the one that had exercised willpower, gave up 2.25 times faster than the group that did not exercise any willpower at all. The bottom line is the more we sequentially exercise our willpower, the more we have drained our battery.

Why mental health is deteriorating

Direct download: Podcast_230_-_How_to_Accomplish_10X_more_in_Half_the_Time.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Understanding different types of audiences will also help you determine their acceptance level. Following are some different categories of audiences and how to deal with each of them.

The Hostile Audience

This group disagrees with you and may even actively work against you. For a hostile audience, use these techniques:

Find common beliefs and establish a common ground.

Use appropriate humor to break the ice.

Don't start the presentation with an attack on their position.

You are only trying to persuade on one point; don't talk about anything else that could trigger disagreement.

Because of your differences, they will question your credibility. Increase your credibility with studies from experts or anything that will support your claim.

They will try to find reasons to not like you; don't give them any.

Don't tell them you are going to try to persuade them.

Express that you are looking for a win-win outcome rather than a win-lose situation.

If possible, meet with the audience more than once before challenging them on areas of disagreement.

Show them you've done your homework.

Respect their feelings, values, and integrity.

Use logical reasoning as clearly and as carefully as possible.

Use the Law of Connectivity and the Law of Balance.

The Neutral or Indifferent Audience

This audience understands your position, but doesn't care about the outcome. The key to dealing with this group is creating motivation and energy—be dynamic. To persuade the indifferent audience:

Spell out the benefits to them or the things around them.

Point out the downside of not accepting your proposal. Identify why they should care.

Grab their attention by using a story. Make them care by showing them how the topic affects them.

Get them to feel connected to your issues.

Avoid complex arguments.

Use concrete examples with familiar situations or events.

Use the Law of Involvement and the Law of Social Validation.

Check out this article.


When you become a Power Persuader, you will learn to love objections. You will come to understand that when people voice their objections, it actually indicates interest and shows that they are paying attention to what you are saying. The key to persuasion is anticipating all objections before you hear them. Fielding questions and handling objections can make or break you as a persuader. These skills will help you in every aspect of your life.

Check out this article: 

How to predict which Olympic athletes won’t choke

Here are some tips on how to handle objections:

  1. The first thing is to find out if the objection is something you can solve. Suppose you are negotiating a large office furniture order and the objection comes up about not being able to afford your furniture. You then find out your prospect just declared bankruptcy. Obviously there is nothing you can do or say that will resolve such an objection.
  2. Let your prospect state his objection: Hear him out completely, without interruption. Wait until he is finished before you say anything. Hold your response until the other person is receptive to what you are about to say. This is the first time your prospect has voiced his objection; he will not listen until he has said what is on his mind.
  3. Always ask your prospect to restate or repeat his key points. Every time he replays his objection it becomes clearer in both your minds. Letting him speak, particularly if he is upset, drains emotion from his objection. Allowing him to voice his concerns also gives you time to think about a response and helps you determine his intent in bringing up the objection in the first place.
  4. Always compliment your prospect on her objection. As a Power Persuader, you should appreciate a good objection; it dictates the direction in which you should take your presentation. You don't have to prove you are right 100 percent of the time. Skillful persuaders will always find some point of agreement.
  5. Stay calm. Scientific tests have proven that calmly stated facts are more effective in getting people to change their minds than are threats and force.
  6. Don't be arrogant or condescending. Show empathy with your prospect's objection. Let him know others have felt this way. Talk in the third person; use a disinterested party to prove your point. This is why we often use testimonials—to let someone else do the persuading for us.
  7. Give the person room to save face. People will often change their minds and agree with you later. Unless your prospect has made a strong stand, leave the door open for her to later agree with you and save face at the same time. It could be that she did not have all the facts, that she misunderstood, or that you didn't explain everything correctly.
Direct download: Podcast_228_-_The_Art_And_Science_Of_Handling_Objections.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

The Law of Expectations AND The Impact of Suggestion

 The Law of Expectations uses expectations to influence reality and create results. Individuals tend to make decisions based on how others expect them to behave or perform. As a result, people fulfill those expectations whether positive or negative. 

Expectations have a powerful impact on those we trust and respect, but, interestingly, an impact on strangers. When we know someone expects something from us, we will try to satisfy him or her in order to gain respect, trust and likability.

Check out this article.

 You know the saying, "What gets measured, gets done." The same is true for expectations. That which is expected is what actually happens. People rise to meet your expectations of them. This is a powerful force that can lead to the improvement or destruction of a person. You can express an expectation of doubt, lack of confidence, and skepticism, and you will see the results.  

 We communicate our expectations in a variety of ways. It may be through our language, our word choice, voice inflections, or our body language. Think of a time when you've been introduced to someone. Usually, if they introduce themselves by their first name, then you do the same. If they give their first and last name, you do likewise.

 Whether you realize it or not, you accept cues from others regarding their expectations and you act accordingly. Similarly, we all unknowingly send out our own cues and expectations. The power is in using the Law of Expectations consciously!

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Direct download: Podcast_227_-Expectations_And_The_Impact_of_Suggestion.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

A great persuader can connect with anyone in thirty seconds or less. First impressions take only seconds to form, but they last a lifetime. This is a critical skill to develop because the cement dries fast.

How do you ensure that you’re making those early seconds really count? That first judgment or opinion about you is vital to your success. In this fast-paced world, you probably won’t get a second chance—you have to make it happen the first time.

Check out this article from the show.

Rapport is equivalent to being on the same wavelength with the other person. Rapport is the key to mutual trust. With rapport, we can differ in our opinions with someone else yet still feel a strong bond. Rapport can even exist between two people with little in common.

Many persuaders can’t tell if they’re connecting. They think that they’re doing everything right, that they’re doing all the stereotypical rapport-building things: being friendly, enthusiastic, or fun. But the reality is that in most cases, they are not building rapport and are failing to connect with their audience.

Studies show that not only do 75 percent of people not like all the “gushy, chit-chatty stuff,” but 99 percent of them won’t even bother to stop you when they’re annoyed.  The proverbial bad salesman comes to mind here. He acts too chummy and tells stupid jokes, all the while thinking everyone loves him.

You’ve probably met him. What did you do when you met this person? If you’re like most people, you politely endured the encounter, made up some excuse to get him off your back, and then swore to yourself that’d you’d never get stuck talking to him again. Reality check: This annoying person could be you.

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Direct download: Podcast_226_-_The_Science_of_Rapport.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 12:54pm CDT

Research demonstrates that 81 percent of persuaders talk more than necessary during the persuasion process. They are talking too much,7 and you are likely talking too much.

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When we talk too much and fail to allow our audience to ask questions, it increases the thickness of the brick wall of resistance. Consider the doctor analogy to persuasion, meaning you have to listen and ask questions before you can diagnose the problem. The doctor does not come into the examination room and try to sell you on a prescription without first asking questions or trying to discover what you really need. Like a physician, you need to step back and be able to absorb and evaluate everything your audience is saying. While monitoring persuaders, I have found a constant epidemic of overpersuasion and regurgitating too many features.

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Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether or not you ever overpersuade or flood them with too much information:

  • Do you interrupt your audience in your eagerness to highlight another point before they have finished?
  • Are you worried about making the sale or satisfying a new customer?
  • Do you ever lose their eye contact or get a glazed look?
  • Do they seem stressed, indifferent, or agitated?
  • Does your audience seem overwhelmed or confused?
  • Are you concentrating on what you need to say next instead of listening?
  • Is your audience giving you excuses and objections that you've already covered or that you know aren't really true?
  • Do their nonverbal signals tell you they are getting ready to run?
  • Are you talking about yourself instead of discovering their needs?
Direct download: Podcast_225_-_Major_Sales_Mistakes_Costing_You_Money_2.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Common Obstacles That Limit Your Persuasion Success

The worst time to learn a persuasion skill is when you need it. Persuasion must be mastered before it is needed, or the opportunity is lost forever. In all the years that I have worked in persuasion, sales, influence, and leadership, I have never yet found a perfect persuader.

 Ironically, one area of persuasion that is easily overlooked is the very one that would make everything else fall into place. You've probably heard the old adage, "Dull knives work the hardest." Working hard is not the same as working smart. Are your knives sharp? Are you working smart?

See article here.

If you sharpened up in this one area, you'd likely be working more efficiently overall. Check yourself. Are you just going through the motions? Are you still using the same old tools over and over again without seeing the desired results? Or worse, are you making the same old mistakes over and over again? Are you making less than you could because of common "old-school" persuasion mistakes?

 There are things you are doing right now that cause people to resist you and your message. My research shows that there are common obstacles mediocre persuaders make that limit their success and income.

 Each obstacle is like driving around town with your emergency brake on. You are wondering why your car never has much power. These problems are simple to fix, but expensive to have.

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Direct download: Podcast_224_-_Major_Sales_Mistakes_Costing_You_Money_1.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Zeigarnik Effect

When we feel we've been left hanging, it drives us crazy! We want to know the end of the story. What is the missing piece? We want our tasks to be completed so we can check them off our list. This is also known as the "Zeigarnik Effect," named after Bluma Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist. This effect is the tendency we have to remember uncompleted thoughts, ideas, or tasks more than completed ones.

The story goes the Bluma Zeigarnik was sitting in a café in Vienna when she observed that a waiter could remember everything someone had ordered, but once the food was delivered the waiter forgot everything.  This led for her to realize that it is easier to remember everything about an uncompleted task, but once the task is completed the memory will immediately fade. 

That uncompleted task will hold onto our memory, improve the recall and help us remember. We experience intrusive and almost nagging thoughts about a goal or an objective that was left incomplete.  It is built into our psyche to want to finish what we start.

We see the Zeigarnik Effect on the television news and other programs. Right before a commercial break, the newscasters announce some interesting tidbit that will come later in the hour. This piques your interest and, rather than flipping the channel, you stay tuned. Movies and dramas on television also leave you hanging in suspense.

By leaving something uncompleted right before the commercial break, the programs draw our attention, keep us involved, and motivate us to continue watching. We don't feel satisfaction until we receive finality, closure, or resolution to the message, our goals, or any aspect of our life.  Incomplete tasks trigger thoughts. The thoughts of the incomplete task trigger more memory retention.  More memory retention triggers anxiety that triggers more thoughts of the uncompleted business.

You also see the Zeigarnik Effect in the courtroom. We already know that people feel more confident and impressed with information they discover for themselves over time. This dictates that persuaders slowly dispel information, rather than dumping large volumes of information all at once. A good lawyer does not disclose everything he knows about the case or the plaintiff during his opening statement. As the trial progresses, the jury can fill in the blanks for themselves with the additional information they gradually receive.

This works much better than dumping all the information on them in the beginning. It holds the jurors' attention longer and gives the message more validity. The jury discovers the answers for themselves, and is more likely to arrive at the desired conclusion. 

Direct download: Podcast_223_-_The_Zegarnik_Effect_-_Engage_and_Persuade.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

 "Buyer's remorse" is also a form of dissonance. When we purchase a product or service, we tend to look for ways to convince ourselves that we made the right decision. If the people around us or other factors make us question our decision, we experience buyer's remorse. On feeling this inconsistency, we'll look for anything—facts, peer validation, expert opinion—to reduce the dissonance in our minds concerning the purchase.

Some of us even use selective exposure to minimize the risk of seeing or hearing something that could cause dissonance. Often people won't even tell family or friends about their purchase or decision because they know it will create dissonance.

Asking for a refund, complaining about the product or representative, or having remorse can all be forms of dissonance.  If you handle your prospect the wrong way it increases dissonance and they will demand a refund.

 

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Direct download: Podcast_222_-_How_to_Deal_With_Refund_Complaints_and_Buyers_Remorse.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

I am not going to be politically correct in this section.  I know it is not fair.  I know we should not judge, I am here to help you with reality.  Everyone judges and some of these items are things you can fix – some of them you can’t.  Focus on the things you can improve and don’t worry about the rest.  This attraction is also called the Halo Effect. It operates by making one positive characteristic of a person affect other people's overall perception of him. Because of this halo effect, people automatically associate traits of kindness, trust, and intelligence with people who are attractive.

We naturally try to please people we like and find attractive. If your audience likes you, they will forgive you for your "wrongs" and remember your "rights."

Check out this article.

In fact, studies show that people who are physically attractive are better able to persuade others. They are also perceived as friendlier and more talented, and they usually have higher incomes.  "Attractive" means more than just looking beautiful or handsome. It also encompasses having the ability to attract and draw people to you.  Your physical attractiveness will influence attitude change, enhance your expertise and increase agreement.

The effect of attractiveness transcends all situations. For example, the judicial system, which is supposed to be based upon evidence, has documented cases where attractiveness made a dramatic difference. In one Pennsylvania study, researchers rated the attractiveness of seventy-four male defendants at the start of their criminal trials. Later, the researchers reviewed the court records for the decisions in these cases and found that the handsome men had received significantly lighter sentences.

In fact, those researchers found that the attractive defendants were twice as likely to avoid jail time as unattractive defendants. In the same study, a defendant who was better looking than his victim was assessed an average fine of $5,623; but when the victim.

 

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Direct download: Podcast_221_-_How_To_Be_More_Attractive_And_More_Likeable.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Almost everyone wants to accomplish their dreams, achieve more, become a better person, or pursue bigger and better goals. And we often know exactly what we need to do to make these things happen. So why don't we do them? Why do we fall short of our dreams and aspirations?

Check out this article on goal setting

Writing down your goals coupled with a strong desire to reach them won't automatically bring success if you overlook this one vital detail: Successes are not achieved if they aren't first conceived mentally. We are told all the time to be positive, to change that attitude, to have a good outlook. In fact, we are so bombarded with these messages that they are easy to tune out. We gloss over "think positive" messages, saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Now get to the meat."

In this chapter, we're going to talk about much more than just positive attitudes—I call it "mental programming." This mind training or self-persuasion is what gives great persuaders the psychological edge. It's true that "you'll only achieve it once the mind believes it." By "programming" our minds, we dictate our future.

It's just that simple. Think of your loftiest goals, your greatest aspirations. Do you really believe you can achieve them, deep down? Do you? If you can't visualize your success, you are unlikely to ever experience it in real life. We are always thinking and processing information, and our thoughts either propel us closer to our goals or drive us away from our dreams.

Direct download: Podcast_220_-_The_Dark_Side_of_Goals_-_Nudge_or_Net.mp3
Category:sales -- posted at: 11:16am CDT

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