The following is a chapter from Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical. This chapter is particularly appropriate just before New Year’s Eve. I hope it helps you get 2026 off to a great start. PAVE the Way for New Year’s Resolutions If you’re like many people, then you make New […]
Why do I believe Santa is the ultimate salesman? To start, he has a couple of success stories most of us can’t compete with. First, he’s successfully run the same family business for hundreds of years. There’s something to be said for stability, especially over the long haul. Second, Santa has a client base that […]
Just over a week ago, when the college football playoff pairings were announced, we saw something on full display: human bias in all its passion. Sports fans are a funny breed, especially college football fans. Scarcity plays a big role. Unlike college basketball, where 64 teams make the NCAA tournament, college football has only a […]
We all know habits matter. But some habits do more than shape a single part of your life, they can shape all of it. These are what Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habits, calls keystone habits: foundational routines that spill over into other areas, creating a ripple effect for positive change. For me, a huge keystone […]
When our daughter was young, she used to play with a little boy named Billy who lived up the street. Billy was all boy: shirtless, barefoot, and racing through the neighborhood like a wild man. We lovingly called him Wild Bill. When Billy came to our house, my wife Jane had clear rules: behave respectfully, clean […]
If you’re a go-getter, you may already preparing to celebrate a holiday – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or Festivus 😊 – so it’s a good bet you’ll be exchanging gifts with friends and family. I’m sure you want those important people in your life to enjoy more success and happiness, so I hope you’ll consider giving […]
When most people think of influence, they think of words — what we say, how we say it, and how persuasive our arguments might be. But influence isn’t just about language. It’s a relational skill. And, as I’ve learned from Dr. Karen Molano, a child psychologist and early development specialist, influence starts long before we […]
Today, November 10, 2025, marks the 150th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. For every Marine—past, present, and future—this day is more than a milestone. It’s a reminder of what it means to serve, to sacrifice, and to live by a code that doesn’t fade when the uniform comes off. My late father, Captain […]
Is there one principle of influence that’s more important than the rest? I’ve come to believe there is—and that principle is liking. I often tell clients, “People won’t buy from you just because they like you, but they’ll almost never buy from you if they don’t.” Unless you offer something truly unique—something no one else can provide—you’d better […]
On many podcasts, I’ve been asked, “What’s one of your biggest takeaways after writing Influenced from Above: Where Faith and Influence Meet?” After finishing the book, I realized something surprising. For years, PEOPLE stood for Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical. But now, I see it can also stand for Loving and Eternal to convey […]
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