I was listening to a podcast recently and the guest said, “The data tells the story.” I would contend it’s not the data that tells the story but rather, how the data is presented. Let me share several examples. Unhealthy Big Macs In Made to Stick, authors Chip and Dan Heath shared a story about […]
From womb to tomb, each of us uses the skill of persuasion throughout our lifetime. As soon as babies come into the world they cry because they want to be held, fed, burped or changed. They don’t understand they’re engaging the skill we call persuasion, but they know they have a need and they want […]
“May you live in interesting times,” is said to be an ancient Chinese curse. While there’s no documented proof of the Chinese origin, one could say we are cursed to live in such a time in American politics. With the acquittal of President Trump by the Senate last week, people who wanted to see him […]
At a recent sales training event I encouraged attendees; don’t memorize, internalize. These were salespeople and we were talking about how to deal with objections whenever they arise. The key with objections is to embrace them. After all, if you’re in sales then objections are part of the game just like running is part of […]
Persuasion is more than changing hearts and minds, it’s about changing behavior. Aristotle said as much when he told the world persuasion was, “the art of getting someone to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do if you didn’t ask.” Whether you want someone to buy from you, your boss to approve your project, get a […]
Commercials are designed to move consumers to action. One commercial caught my attention recently because it made me laugh. AT&T’s Just Okay Is Not Okay shows a concerned couple in a hospital room waiting to meet the surgeon. They ask if the nurse has ever worked with the doctor. The nurse replies, “Oh yea, he’s […]
Speaking in public can make or break your career. Why? Because it won’t matter how good your idea, product or service is if you can’t get buy-in from your audience. If you don’t know how to hook an audience not only do you lose, so does everyone who might have benefitted from your great idea, unique […]
It’s hard to believe 2019 is over and we’re into 2020. I hope 2019 was great for you on a professional and personal level. It was for me and I look forward to an even better 2020. I hope you do too. As always, I appreciate you giving me a few moments of your time to catch you up on what’s […]
The following is a chapter from my new book Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical. The book explores the practical application of the psychology of persuasion. This chapter is particularly appropriate for this time of year. I hope it helps you start 2020 the right way. If you’re like […]
I’ve shared variations of this post in the past. Because Christmas is just days away I thought it appropriate to share it once again. Enjoy and Merry Christmas! Santa Claus is the greatest salesman who ever lived! Why do I believe Santa is the ultimate salesman? To start, he has a couple of success stories most […]
654 Berkeley Place North
Westerville, OH 43081
614.313.1663
