World Trust Trends and Tools Trust is critical in persuasion. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age when people are more skeptical and mistrustful than ever. Twenty years ago, the mindset was: “I trust you; give me a…
World Trust Trends and Tools Trust is critical in persuasion. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age when people are more skeptical and mistrustful than ever. Twenty years ago, the mindset was: “I trust you; give me a…
Why Politicians Are Not Leaders And Have Low Trust These skills are essential in persuasion and leadership. What about managers and politicians? Are they leaders? Do people trust them? Probably not. What needs to change? Join me for this…
DITF – Top Sales And Persuasion Mistakes To Fix This Year We were taught through the years that closing skills were all you needed to persuade and sell. You had to learn more closing skills if you did not…
DITF – When, How, Can It Backfire (Door In The Face Technique) “Door-in-the-face” is one of the most common techniques for implementing the Law of Contrast. An initially large and almost unreasonable request is made, likely to be declined—hence…
The Secret Sauce of Influence 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…
The Quickest Way To Get A YES Life is change; persuasion is change. As a Persuader, you must be able to create and motivate change. Understanding human nature is knowing that most people will resist change and burrow into…
How To Get Out Of A Speeding Ticket Persuaders know emotion will override logic every time. I will assume here (I know I shouldn’t do that) that you can form a logical argument. Reading emotions and your emotional intelligence…
Conversation Starters For People to Like You 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…
7 Reasons People Don’t Trust You All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust. People choose healthier food when with outsiders for fear of being negatively judged…
The Boomerang Effect And Why People Resist You Join me for this week’s podcast on Shut-Up And Sell: No More Data Dump. Do you repel people? Most people say no. Howeve statistics show that this is happening to you.…
Shut-Up And Sell: No More Data Dump Join me for this week’s podcast on Shut-Up And Sell: No More Data Dump. During this podcast, I will reveal how to know when it is time to ask for their business.…
How To Increase Meeting (Zoom) Participation, Engagement And Influence As a persuader, you need to help your audience be one step closer to taking action. As a Power Persuader, your goal is to decrease the distance someone has to…
The 3 Keys To Increase Your Power Of Persuasion The moment people sense that you are attempting to persuade them, their resistance increases in size and strength. To counter this tendency, persuasion and sales must take place below the…
Negotiation Techniques, Tactics, Tips and Psychological Tricks With Marshall Wilkinson Join me for this week’s podcast cast on Negotiation Techniques, Tactics, Tips, and Psychological Tricks With Marshall Wilkinson. Marshall has negotiated over 2 billion dollars in contracts. We will…
Sales Words That Destroy Influence And Repel People 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…
How Costco (And Other Retail Stores) Get Your Money What are the subconscious triggers that cause you to buy more? A Face can reveal if you’re rich or poor Join me for this week’s podcast as I talk about…
PQ Skill #5: How Your Personal Power Leverages Your Ability To Persuade Appearance affects your authority. External objects and the environment also affect perceptions of power. It is therefore wise for all of us to check out our appearance…
Influential Buzzwords – Interview With David Wood Are you congruent? Do you feel authentic? Does your prospect think you are genuine? Are you coming across as truthful? These are the new buzzwords that your prospect is looking for… Join…
The MOST important aspect of Trust is credibility It’s harder to gain credibility nowadays than it ever was in the past. Most people are fairly sophisticated and have grown cynical with all the exaggerated and unsubstantiated hype that is…
How To Use Images and Symbols To Persuade Below The Radar To maintain order of the world, our brains link objects, gestures, and symbols with our feelings, memories, and life experiences. We mentally associate ourselves with such things as…
Synchronized Beliefs Very closely related to directing our thoughts are our beliefs or belief systems. Just as airplanes have guidance systems to direct them, so do we have systems guiding and shaping what we think, do, and believe. Without…
Leadership Expert – Jon Gordon Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, MLB coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school…
Inner-Charisma – Your Inside Dictates Your Outside Charismatics have the ability to focus quickly in the moment similar to great athletes. To master the area of focus and concentration, we must implement what athletes do before, during and after…
Empowering Others & Contagious Cooperation Many think that when they get into positions of leadership or prominence that others should be serving them or looking up to them. This is a great way to turn people off and decrease…
Presence – What Do You Radiate? 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…
Rapport: The Instant Connection Rapport is the secret ingredient that makes us feel a harmonious link with someone else. It is equivalent to being on the same wavelength with the other person. Rapport is the key that makes mutual…
Similarity: Similar Is Familiar Similarity theory states that familiar objects are more liked than less familiar ones. The same holds true with people: We like people who are similar to us. This theory seems to hold true whether the…
g=”no” allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”> Emotional States: Understanding Feelings and Moods Charismatic people know there is a fine line between logic and emotion. To influence someone you have to have both. Emotion will override logic every time. I am going to assume…
How to Create The Perfect Persuasive Presentation – Part 2 That first thirty seconds with your audience are critical. How do you start? Great persuaders craft and design their message. There is no room to wing it. Your opening…
Structuring Persuasive Presentations Why should we be concerned with the structure of a persuasive presentation? Top predictor of professional success is how much you enjoy and how good you are at public speaking. Studies also show the ability to…
Six stats on the importance of trust in influencer marketing Paul Smith (Author) – Lead with a story and Sell with a story Leadwithastory.com Storytelling has come of age in the business world. Today, many of the most successful…
Six stats on the importance of trust in influencer marketing “Only 22% of brands are trusted.” (Havas Media) That’s a frightening metric for any marketer. Without establishing trust between your brand and your audience, it’s nearly impossible to market…
Proxemics: The Science of Space The anthropologist Edward T. Hall created the science of proxemics, which studies how people use, react to, configure, and occupy the space around them. We all want our own space, and we feel uncomfortable…
The Law of Obligation and Marketing We often see this method at work when companies give out complimentary calendars, business pens, T-shirts, or mugs. This specialty advertising is an $18.5 billion dollar industry. It not only creates obligation, but keeps…
How You Can Tell If You’re Really Connecting I’ve talked about common rapport-building obstacles and how you can know for sure that you’re not connecting. But how do you know that you are connecting, especially when your audience is not…
Another way to enhance your ability to motivate yourself and others is to make sure all things are balanced in your life. Great persuaders lead a balanced life and keep everything in perspective. I call this delicate balance “life alignment.”…
The Law of Obligation, also known as pre-giving or reciprocity, states that when others do something for us, we feel a strong need, or urge, to return the favor. Returning the favor rids us of the obligation created by the…
Being an extrovert, having the gift of gab, or being able to make small talk with anyone you meet can definitely be used to your advantage, but watch yourself. How can you persuade if you are always talking? It will…
Being an extrovert, having the gift of gab, or being able to make small talk with anyone you meet can definitely be used to your advantage, but watch yourself. How can you persuade if you are always talking? It will…
Today I interviewed Dr. Stephanie Burroughs. She is the author of Dating Your Business Prospect. She looks at networking in a whole new light. She calls it 360 networking. She explains how to use social media and expanding you social…
The New Year is here and your influence skills are more critical than ever. You have heard enough about goals – so let’s focus on those persuasion tools. Does your eye contact help you influence or does it trigger deception…
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…
Willingness to confront your fears is critical to mental programming. Great persuaders have mastered their fears. You will be tempted to leave your fears buried, but they will invariably come back to haunt you. It is much better to deal…
On Episode 167 of Maximize Your Influence, Kurt and Steve interview Matt Powell. Matt asks an important question other personal growth planning books never ask: what if you are choosing the wrong goals? Having taught thousands of students and selling…
If you’ve been in sales or business for long, you know that a “referred” lead is 10 times better than most cold calls. On this episode, Kurt and Steve interview Donald Kelly, the Sales Evangelist about how you can double…
Well, it’s finally over. The 2016 presidential election is in the books. Wow. Just wow! Kurt and Steve discuss the election and some of the tactics used by both sides that ultimately led to the victory by Donald Trump. If…
Kurt and Steve start this episode by discussing how we can achieve effective presence as a persuader. Kurt also laments the end of boating season. They then continue their discussion about dealing with difficult people…specifically delving into low self-esteem. One…
On this episode, Kurt and Steve interview Jonah Berger. Jonah is a Marketing Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a world-renowned expert on word of mouth, social influence, consumer behavior, and how products, ideas, and…
On this episode, Kurt and Steve read some listener mail from an business owner who finds himself dealing with a lot of calls from prospects just wanting quotes. They discuss how the power of We all have them in our…
On this episode, Kurt and Steve read some listener mail from an business owner who finds himself dealing with a lot of calls from prospects just wanting quotes. They discuss how the power of “no” can draw prospects into a…
On this episode, Kurt and Steve interview Rob Kendall, of www.conversationexpert.com. Rob has devoted his life to understanding how humans converse with one another and what makes them go wrong…and right. Rob its the author of BlameStorming and WorkStorming. If…
The food industry is now more successful than it has ever been. Food is cheap and readily accessible, and many of us are eating A LOT of it. On this episode, Brian Wansink of the of the Food and Brand…
Persuasion Tool #14 – Science of Will Power I want to give you a critical mindset tool under self-persuasion. Nothing else matters until you’ve mastered this. If you can’t influence yourself, it’s very difficult to influence other people. A big…
After last week’s interview with Chris Voss, Kurt and Steve dive deeper into negotiations and how emotions can hijack them. This has a negative connotation with most…but why not be the hijacker here? Emotions can be a powerful tool in…
On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss the recent bad publicity for Samsung and their Galaxy Note that apparently catches on fire. Whether it’s true or not, when the FAA warns travelers about your product it can’t be a good…
Did you know that money can buy happiness? A recent study published in “Psychology Today” shows just that. Kurt and Steve discuss the ins and outs of this study and how money certainly can buy happiness…up to a point. Continuing…
It is human nature to mirror and match, or to “synchronize” with, the people we connect with.28 We don’t even think about it. It happens so quickly and so subconsciously that without a replay, one is unlikely to even notice…
If all my talents and powers were to be taken from me by some inscrutable Providence, and I had my choice of keeping but one, I would unhesitatingly ask to be allowed to keep the power of speaking, for through…
What can you do in the first thirty seconds of your encounter to capture your audience’s attention? Can you prove to them that you are worth listening to? Think about this: Every time you communicate with someone, they are paying…
After discussing a few recent business trips, and of course, the food they ate on those trips, Kurt and Steve discuss a classic blunder: overuse of fear. Fear is a useful tactic when persuading others. It is very short term,…
You can use conversational skills as a tool with which to build new connections, while avoiding awkward pauses and uncomfortable conversations. After all, making a good first impression is all about making others feel good when spending time with each…
Persuasion Tool #13 – Key to Guaranteed Success Remember, I’ve said it before. If you can’t influence yourself, you’re not going to be able to influence other people. I want to ask you – what do you really want? What…
Have you ever felt like you put in a bunch of work only to pave the way for your competitor? Many persuaders inadvertently do this only to find out too late that they lost the deal. The key to avoiding…
What is your message? What do you have to share that will make a difference in people’s lives? What is your main objective, the key thing you hope to accomplish? You’ve got to understand the big picture. Then, with the…
Persuasion Tool #12 –Success Shortcut There were these two neighbors that live near each other in the mountains. They were very competitive; they were always testing each other’s strength and having contests. One day they needed a bigger challenge so…
Persuasion Tool #11 – Self-Persuasion Let’s talk about mindset or what I call “self-persuasion.” If you can’t persuade yourself, you are not going to be very good at persuading other people. With that said, understand that one of the biggest…
When Steve asked Kurt how he was doing before the show started, he did not expect that Kurt would tell him that he just got done dealing with a bear in his backyard. Well, he didn’t deal with it…animal control…
On episode 147, Kurt and Steve interview Carl Christman. Carl is a teacher, mentalist, and author of the best-selling book How to Read Minds and Influence People. The conversation goes from mind reading into deception and how persuaders can use…
With this episode coming out on the 4th of July, Kurt and Steve spent the day doing what they do best: taking out the boat and eating BBQ! So back by popular demand is their episode on charismatic power!