Entries by Brian Ahearn, CMCT®

Do You Care What Others Think?

I recently watched an interview with Tony Robbins and he was asked how to deal with the fear of failure. He said we all have fears and that everybody – presidents, multi-millionaires, professional athletes – has a place where they get fearful. He went on to say, “Train yourself to say, ‘I can be fearful […]

Just Say No

I teach people how to hear “Yes!” In fact, my branding slogan is “Helping You Learn to Hear ‘Yes!’” However, sometimes you have to “just say no” and it’s not always easy. Consider the following: “Just say no to drugs.” Parents and educators used this slogan to combat drugs in school. It’s easier said than […]

Last Year We Lost $3.77 Billion, However…

“Last year we lost $3.77 billion” was the message Warren Buffett had to personally deliver to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders at the 2002 annual meeting. What’s a CEO to do with news that’s as bad as that? I first learned about this in the summer of 2004 when Robert Cialdini was a guest speaker at several […]

It’s All About Conditioning

When I was young and heard the word “conditioning,” my thoughts immediately went to football. I associated conditioning with getting in shape. That meant sprints, weights and various drills repeated over and over to ready my body for the physical demands that were to come on Friday nights in the fall. Now I hear “conditioning” […]

My Chance Encounter with Robert Cialdini

A few weeks ago, a Facebook friend Michael Halbfish, wrote during an exchange, “I am guessing there is a good story to how you wound up with your current career and working with Cialdini.” Michael is correct and I promised him I would share that story, a chance encounter with Robert Cialdini, in a blog […]

Can We Please Stop the Memes and Labels?

Can we please stop with all the memes and labels? I don’t know about you but I’m tired of all the attempts to be cute, dumb down issues and label people with a silly picture or cynical text. With the political season in the U.S. right now, it seems to be at an all-time high. […]

A Networking Story

This is a story about Paul, Tracy, Marcy, Merri, Amanda, Dan and Steve. It’s about friendships, helping one another and doing business. Recently I was approached by a couple of associates at State Auto who are part of our Future Leaders group for advice. They wanted to talk to me about networking tips for an […]

What Do You Think About Donald Trump?

“What do you think about Donald Trump?” That’s a question I hear more and more these days. People are curious about how he is in position to possibly win the presidency of the United States. From the beginning the experts have been wrong about his chances and so was I. Remember when Trump announced his […]

Would You Stop at the Store on Your Way Home?

What’s the most powerful principle of influence when it comes to sales? That’s a typical question I get from salespeople who attend my sales training or keynote presentations. While the situation usually dictates which principle to use, I believe the principle of consistency is perhaps the most powerful principle of influence when it comes to […]