Entries by Brian Ahearn, CMCT®

What You Can Expect from Influence PEOPLE in 2016

Welcome to the New Year! I hope 2016 is your best year yet and that each coming year only gets better and better. My goal is to help you grow professionally and personally so you can enjoy more success and happiness. My expertise is in communications – specifically influence and persuasion. I firmly believe if […]

PAVE the Way to Success in the New Year

If you’re like many people then you’ll be making New Year’s resolutions in a few days and if you’re like most people you’ll break your resolutions within a few days. According to one study, more than half the people who make resolutions are confident of achieving them, yet barely more than 10% do so. That’s […]

What Reciprocity Is and What It Is Not

We’re knee deep in the holiday season, the traditional time of gift giving in many parts of the world. There is also quite a bit of reciprocation that happens during this season. I write that because quite often we give gifts to other people because we know they will be giving us a gift. God […]

Does Branding Really Influence Behavior?

I think you’d agree that we live in an information-overloaded society. What you may not be aware of is the extent of the overload. William C. Taylor wrote an article – “Permission Marketing” – for the magazine Fast Company and told readers, “This year, the average consumer will see or hear one million marketing messages […]

Don’t be so Quick to Restock that Shelf

My daughter Abigail’s good friend, Maxie, used to work at a bakery in our hometown of Westerville.  One Saturday morning Abigail and I stopped by to say hello and get a sugary treat after having coffee. I noticed Maxie was busy replacing donuts and making sure the pastry trays were completely full. Unfortunately, it was […]

What’s Your Why?

Why? That’s a deep, powerful question that can apply to almost anything. Kids ask why the sky is blue. Sports fans ask why the coach called a certain play. Citizens ask why politicians make the choices they do. You get the point. I’d like to focus the question on you. What’s your why? Or put […]

Why Thankfulness Matters

This week people across America will be celebrating Thanksgiving. While this holiday has its origins going back to the 1600s with the Pilgrims it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln that we formally acknowledged the last Thursday in November as the day of celebration. Franklin D. Roosevelt altered that in 1939 when there were five Thursdays in […]

V = WIG/P … What?

Don’t worry; this post isn’t about algebra or calculus. This week we’re going to look into the value proposition and how salespeople can use the principles of influence to make sure their product or service offering shines. First, let me say my introduction to the value proposition came nearly 20 years ago when John Petrucci joined State Auto. I learned […]

What’s Your Goal?

I work with lots of people in different roles when it comes to teaching ethical influence. Over the years, I’ve worked with senior leaders, middle managers, supervisors, claim reps, underwriters, field sales reps, insurance agents, business owners, financial reps, and many others. I’m always amazed at how often people try to persuade without a clear […]