Quarterly Newsletter

My last quarterly newsletter came out on January 4th and I opened with, “2020 is hindsight and I think we’re all happy it’s in the rearview mirror!” Then two days later we saw an attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol! Can we catch a break? Perhaps. It looks like we might have reason for hope with the accelerated rollout of vaccines. If all goes well we might feel like life is closing in on “normal” by summer.

I hope the first quarter was good for you on a professional and personal level. A couple of big things happened for me. First, I was excited to release my second book. Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents came out in late January and was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories.

My other big news was that I set up a recording studio in my house. The goal is to give much more engaging online presentations than just a face on Zoom. Current clients have loved it and prospective clients are wowed when I show them what I’m doing. Watch this short clip and you’ll get a sense of what my interaction with audiences looks like.

Sincerely,
Brian

What’s Influence PEOPLE all about?

• Why – Help you enjoy more professional success and personal happiness.
• How – Teach you the science of ethical influence.
• What – Speak, write, train, coach, and consult.
• Who – Clients include leaders, salespeople, business coaches, insurance professionals, and attorneys.

Here’s What’s New

Blog Posts

My series on Influence Secrets to Expand Your Online Network was one of my most popular in a long time. There are a few simple things you can do to up your odds of building your network and connecting with the right people. If you want to check out any or all of the articles click here.

Another post that garnered lots of attention, especially on LinkedIn was around cancel culture. Click here to read it.

Podcasts

With the new book I continued to do quite a few podcasts. In fact, I’ve been on more than 100 shows! One that was particularly fun was Heath Shearon’s Insurance Town Podcast. Between his opening music and good ‘ol boy approach you can’t help but have fun as you listen. Click here and check out the show.

Writing

As noted earlier, my second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, came out in late January. The book doubles as the basis for my one-day workshop for insurance companies and insurance agents. If you’re interested in learning more about the workshop reach out to me.

I occupied a lot of my time during the pandemic writing. I’m more than halfway done with book #3.  The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness follows a young man, John Andrews, as he learns what it takes to enjoy professional success and personal happiness. I know some people won’t pick up a psychology or sales books so I thought I’d give a shot at using a story format to teach influence. It’s been the most fun I’ve ever had writing!

Best of…

Each quarter I share interesting content with readers. Pandemic or no pandemic, you’ll  never go wrong when you invest in yourself. Sharpening your skills is a great investment. Below are books to read, podcasts to listen to, and shows to watch that can help grow the investment in yourself.

Books

Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. This book was recommended by a good friend. I was really surprised at the impact it had on his thinking about race relations in the United States. It’s an eye opening read! We think we know history until we learn about it from the perspective of others. Learning about how commonplace lynchings were, and the spectacle in so many cases, was profoundly sad. As I read and connected the dots with conversations I regularly have with black friends it’s undeniable Jim Crow laws, redlining and other aspects of our racist history still have lingering affects today. I strongly encourage you to pick up this book.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time then no doubt you’ve seen mention of this book. I list it as one of the top five books that have impacted my life. It’s an account of life in the Nazi concentration camps from the perspective of a psychologist. For me, this was the biggest take away from this great book:“everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Frankl realized in the midst of the horrors of the concentration camp he was always free to think whatever he wanted.

Podcasts

How to be Awesome at Your Job is hosted by Pete Mockaitis. With more than 650 episodes and 14 million downloads, Pete is doing something right with this show! I’ve had the pleasure of being his guest on three different occasions so I can tell you firsthand, he does an awesome job. But of course he would…that’s what the podcast is all about. Seriously, take time to listen to a few episodes because you’ll hear interesting guests and get great tips for improvement.

The Speaking Podcast is hosted by Roy Coughlan. The ability to share your thoughts and ideas succinctly and confidently can help your career immensely. Roy, a Toastmaster veteran, talks with people who’ve taken the leap into public speaking. You may have heard that some people fear public speaking more than death! Roy and his guests will help you get past any fear you may have with practical, easy to implement speaking tips.

Watch

Star Trek the original series. All work and no play makes for a dull day! During the pandemic I spent a lot of time on the treadmill and to pass some of that time I indulged in a show that brought back so many good memories. I never considered myself a trekkie but I watched Star Trek as a kid. Watching all 80 episodes over a couple of months felt like a reunion with old friends. The show was well ahead of its time in terms of many social messages it was sharing. It’s corny, fun and worth watching now that more than 50 years have passed since the final episode was filmed.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®, is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only 20 people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was a new release bestseller in several Amazon categories.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on the application of persuasion in sales and coaching have been viewed by more than 350,000 people around the world.