Blog Archives

Episode 11 – Part 2 Of Interview With Jerry Clark On Personality Types

What are the main personality types and what are their dominant traits?  In part 2 of their interview with Jerry Clark, Kurt and Steve discuss some of the main things to look out for when persuading the four main personality

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Episode 10 – Confidence — Plus Interview With Personality Expert Jerry Clark

It’s not your poker face that signals your confidence (or lack thereof)…it’s your arms.  A recent article on PsychCentral.com revealed that college students were better able to ascertain a poker players confidence by reading that same player’s arms as opposed

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Episode 9 – Do People Really Like You? Think Again…

On Episode 9 of Maximize Your Influence, Kurt and Steve discuss an article released by Psychology Today that confronts the “selfie”, or a picture somebody takes of themselves and posts to social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  As

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Episode 8 – Detecting Deception

Is it really possible to tell when somebody is trying to deceive you?  The answer is yes!  Granted, there are professional liars out there that even the top body language experts in the world can’t crack.  But when it comes

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Episode 7 – Presolving Objections

Why has Apple been so successful?  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss recent news about Apple’s upcoming conference and whey Apple has been able to create such a loyal following of clients.  They apply this to how persuaders can

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Episode 6 – Negotiate Like A Winner!

We’ve all experienced it.  That nervous, unsettling feeling right before we start to negotiate.  Leading up to a negotiation, most of us expect conflict.  We expect to have to give up valuable things that we don’t want to lose.  But

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Episode 5 – Comparing Great Persuaders Against Poor Persuaders

Sometimes the best way to learn something is by learning what NOT to do.  In episode 5, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent visit Kurt had with the Red Cross as well as the recent news that Delta Airlines is

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Episode 4 – Micro Expressions and Body Language

Listening isn’t just hearing what somebody is saying.  It’s about taking in everything with your eyes, ears, and heart.  The truly effective persuader knows how to observe the subtle signals given by their prospects.  Body language, eye motions, and vocal

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Episode 3 – Using Involvement To Persuade Others

We all know that “involving” a prospect in a process increases the likelihood of successful persuasion.  But when is this technique effective and when is it a total failure?  Great persuaders are able to involve their prospects by breaking up

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Episode 2 – Proxemics and Touch

How does personal space affect your ability to persuade?  What about touch?  In various cultures and depending on the sex of the person you are talking to, touch can be a valuable persuasive tool.  It lowers mental barriers and puts

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Episode 1 – Subconscious Triggers and Charisma

Welcome to Maximize Your Influence! On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss the all important topic of Charisma and how it applies to persuaders and negotiators everywhere.  They discuss how charisma (or the lack thereof) has influenced the Anthony Wiener

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Week #52 — Thoughts Control Your Actions

Your thoughts are what program your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is the center of all your emotions. When your subconscious accepts an idea, it begins to execute it. And then your subconscious uses your ideas, knowledge, energy, and wisdom

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Week #51 — Vision: Create Your Own Reality

Great persuaders have and can instill a commanding view of the future with their audience. When you want to influence others, it is essential that you have a strong and clear vision. People come on board when they can see

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Week #50 — Wealth Is A Subconscious Belief

Understand that your conscious and subconscious mind must agree. The subconscious will accept what you feel to be true. The subconscious mind is real. As such, it is something you need to program. You need to look at some of

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Week #49 — The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind

How do you use mental programming effectively? Do you know the power of your subconscious mind? The first step is to channel your emotional energies into specific desires. You’re unlikely to get very far if you don’t even have the

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Week #48 — Million Dollar Habits

Great persuaders don’t squander their time and energy in their areas of weakness. They excel because they learn to leverage their areas of natural strength and leave the rest to the experts. Think of some of the most brilliantly successful

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Week #47 — Accomplish 10 Times More

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

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Week #46 — Commitment To Success And Wealth

One of the key ways to make sure our commitment remains strong is to develop willpower and the ability to delay gratification. Walter Mischel, a psychologist at Stanford University, performed a study that has come to be called the “marshmallow

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Week #45 — Does Wealth Equal Happiness?

The great persuaders I have found and interviewed are happy people. They love and enjoy life. They are very successful. They attract people to them. How does society define success? By fame, fortune, achievement, or material wealth. Notice that every

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Week #44 — Life Alignment: 6 Keys To Balance

Great persuaders lead a balanced life and keep everything in perspective. I call this delicate balance “life alignment.” Make sure there is a balance in every aspect of your life. Imbalance can undermine motivation and cause inaction and unhappiness. Many

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Week #43 — Million Dollar Habits

So, it is time to take a look at your habits, to acknowledge any bad habits you have, and to understand that over 90 percent of our normal behavior is based on routines and habits.4 You’ve picked up your habits

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Week #42 — The Science Of Self-Discipline

Even for the strongest individuals, their self-discipline 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

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Week #41 — Tap Into Unlimited Motivation

We have to understand human nature and the psychology of why we do what we do. Sometimes we’re super-motivated, and sometimes we can’t get out of bed in the morning. Why is this? So often, we don’t have a system

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Week #40 — Science Behind Goals And 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?

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Week #39 — How To Eliminate Fear

When we don’t handle our fears appropriately, we inadvertently end up being the ones passing out the bricks for that wall of resistance. How excited would you be to buy from someone who seemed nervous, tense, and demanding? Or what

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Week #38 — Success Is An Open Book Test

We all deserve and desire to be happy, to be truly successful and to have an enjoyable life. We were put on this Earth to be happy. Rather than fretting over the future, you need to enjoy life’s journey and

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Week #37 — 4Rs Of Resistance #5 B

It is crucial, not only for your own good but also for your prospects’ good, to help them through this process. Incrementally moving them closer and closer to agreement is much more effective than springing it on them at the

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Week #36 — 4Rs Of Resistance #5 A

It is typical for a novice persuader to encounter resistance. There are as many different reasons for resistance as there are personalities, so the trick lies in knowing which closing skill to use for which person. The more closing skills

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Week #35 — Representative: Connect With Anyone

Have you ever met a perfect stranger and just hit it off? Finding plenty to talk about, you almost felt as if you had met before. It just felt right. You could talk about practically anything and you lost track

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Week #34 — Resources: Money Is Not The Issue

Money is all about human perception. The human mind has to find a benchmark or comparison to make judgments, especially when we are talking about unfamiliar situations or new products. People need to make comparisons with their past experience and

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Week #33 — Reduce All The Risk

As a Power Persuader, your goal is to decrease the distance someone has to go to reach your objective. When you get a prospect to start something, it is most likely they will follow through and complete your desired outcome.

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Week #32 — Generate A Compelling Reason

I know you have heard about obtaining closing skills and finding common interests. I know you’ve been told to sell benefits, not features, or to answer a question with a question, to handle objections, to create interest with WIIFM. Without

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Week #31 — Congruence And Body Language

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

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Week #30 — Credibility: Weakness Into A Strength

When I polled respondents to see which one of the Five Cs they thought was most important, 44 percent said credibility. And interestingly, despite its importance, respondents felt it was established only 11.4 percent of the time. Why the dismal

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Week #29 — How To Project Confidence

Confidence triggers trust. Demonstrating confidence in everything you do increases others’ abilities to place their trust in you. I’ve seen plenty of people of only average to mediocre ability persuade and influence more effectively than others who were more naturally

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Week #28 — Competence Is A Perception

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

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Week #27 — Character Matters

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

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Week #26 — The Science Of Trust

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

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Week #25 — Pre-Presentation Checklist

To be an effective persuader, you cannot use the same techniques for all people all the time. You have to customize your message to fit the demographics, interests, and values of your audience. This training reveals what I call the

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Week #24 — The Law of Scarcity

The Law of Scarcity plays a large role in the persuasion process. Opportunities are always more valuable and exciting when they are scarce and less available. We want to be the ones to own the rare items or to get

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Week #23 — The Law of Social Validation

The Law of Social Validation recognizes and builds on our innate desire to be part of the group or part of the majority. It also recognizes that we tend to change our perceptions, opinions, and behaviors in ways that are

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Week #22 — The Law of Contrast

The Law of Contrast explains how we are affected when we are introduced to two different alternatives or options in succession. We know that contrasting two alternatives can distort or amplify our perceptions of price, time or effort. Generally, if

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Week #21 — The Law of Expectations

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

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Week #20 — The Law of Balance

Logic and emotion are the two elements that make for perfect persuasion. We can be persuasive using only logic or only emotion, but the effect will be lopsided and unbalanced. Emotions create movement and action. They generate energy during the

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Week #19 — The Law of Association

Power Persuaders take advantage of association triggers to evoke positive feelings and thoughts that correspond with the message they are trying to convey. In this sense, you, as a persuader, can actually arouse a certain feeling in your audience by

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Week #18 — The Law of Verbal Packaging

The Law of Verbal Packaging states that the more skillful a person is in the use of language, the more persuasive they will be. People are persuaded by us based on the words we use. Words affect our perceptions, our

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Week #17 — The Law of Dissonance

Basically that means when people behave in a manner that is inconsistent with these cognitions, (beliefs, thoughts or values), they find themselves in a state of discomfort. In this uncomfortable state, they will be motivated to adjust their behaviors or

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Week #16 — The Law of Obligation

Obligation has been used as a persuasive technique since the beginning of time. We see companies offering free downloads, free estimates, or gifts in hope of opening the door to persuasion. You probably have attended a party at a friend’s

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Week #15 — The Law of Esteem

The Law of Esteem identifies that all humans need and want praise, recognition, and acceptance. Acceptance and praise are two of our deepest cravings; we can never get enough. William James once said, “The deepest principle of human nature is

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Week #14 — The Law of Involvement

The Law of Involvement suggests that the more you engage someone’s five senses, involve them mentally and physically, and create the right atmosphere for persuasion, the more effective and persuasive you’ll be. Listening can be a very passive act; you

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Week #13 — The Law of Connectivity

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

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Week #12 — Persuasion IQ #10

Great persuaders all adhere to an intensive personal development program. They know that “dull knives work the hardest,” so keeping themselves sharp is of the utmost importance. Average persuaders don’t consider personal training to be worthwhile. They figure working harder

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Week #11 — Persuasion IQ #9

One of the key distinctions of ultra-successful persuaders is that they have taken the time to prepare ahead of time, every time. Too often we take for granted that we’ll be able to just “go with the flow” or “wing

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Week #10 — Persuasion IQ #8

Great persuaders can maintain the attention of their audience. Research shows that people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. You don’t have to be a stand-up comedian, but you do have to make sure your audience sticks with you,

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Week #09 — Persuasion IQ #7

Motivation is everything to a great persuader. Motivation is critical not only for achieving the big, milestone steps toward your objectives, but also for making all the little steps in between. If you’re not driven or motivated, then not only

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Week #08 — Persuasion IQ #6

Influence is the highest form of persuasion. Why? With influence, people take action because they are inspired by your overall makeup, rather than by your external actions. Persuasion is what you do or say (i.e., techniques, people skills, laws of

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Week #07 — Persuasion IQ #5

We all possess different forms of power in different situations. It is human nature to respect and follow power and expertise, and power certainly has legitimate, ethical, and necessary uses. Of course, we know that power can also be used

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Week #06 — Persuasion IQ #4

Trust is critical in persuasion. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age when people are more skeptical and mistrustful than ever before. Twenty years ago, the mindset was: “I trust you; give me a reason not to.” Now the

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Week #05 — Persuasion IQ #3

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,

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Week #04 — Persuasion IQ #2

Great persuaders instinctively sense and know what other people are thinking and feeling. Imagine if you could get inside your audience’s mind. How do they really feel about you? Wouldn’t it help immensely if you knew the questions and concerns

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Week #03 — Persuasion IQ #1

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

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Week #02 — The Power of Influence #2

Understanding the laws of persuasion, motivation, and influence will put you in life’s driver’s seat. Why? Because everything you want, or will want, in life comes from the power of influence. I am going to reveal the secrets of influence

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Week #01 — The Power of Influence #1

Do you realize the best way to double your income is to double your persuasion skills? Think about it – Twice as many people will call you back and say yes. This vital success skill will permeate every aspect of

Posted in Influence University

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