I get this question all the time: “Which principle of influence is the most powerful?” My answer? It depends. (Yeah, I know—that’s not as satisfying as a silver bullet answer. But when it comes to human behavior, one-size-fits-all just doesn’t work.) Influence Is Contextual Human decision making and behavior is complex. That’s why I teach […]
Below is the preface to my next book, Influenced from Above: Where Faith Meets Influence. I’m shooting for a release date in September. Preface “What I want to know is: where is God in all this?” —Abigail Ahearn My daughter’s question over lunch in July 2019 stopped me in my tracks. The day before, I’d […]
In June 2022, I wrote a post called Tears of Joy, about our daughter’s wedding. Regarding that wonderful day, I often told people, “It was the best day of my life…so far.” I purposely said “so far” because I knew there would come an even better day. Well, their wedding day was exceeded this past […]
More than a dozen years ago, when I was still knee deep in corporate life, one of my responsibilities was managing my company’s bonus plan. It was a massive undertaking, involving the distribution of over $20 million in year-end bonuses to 1,500 to 2,000 insurance agents. The work required accuracy, coordination, and the ability to […]
If you’re like most people, you enjoy the feeling that comes with knowing you negotiated a good deal. But what does “a good deal” really mean? In sales, it’s all about value, which I like to define with a simple formula: V = WIG/P (Value equals What I Get divided by Price) Whether it’s […]
Lately, you might have noticed a pause in my weekly posts. Between a Florida vacation and business travel, my focus shifted to a passion project—my next book, Influenced from Above: The Intersection of Faith and Influence. I’m excited to share that I’ve made some serious headway! This new book dives into something you may not […]
A few weeks ago, I posted a story on LinkedIn about reframing. It was about helping an employee shift from nervousness to excitement, a small tweak with big ripple effects on her professional and personal life. That memory jogged another—the most significant reframe of my life. Reframes can change perspectives in profound ways, often giving […]
I had the privilege of working with John Petrucci, CPCU, for several decades. I learned more about sales from John during the first year we worked together than I’d learned in my first 10 years in the insurance industry! Here’s the interesting thing; John started out in claims. When he was approached about a sales […]
Last week I mentioned the classic Seinfeld episode, The Opposite. George’s interaction with Jerry and Elaine highlighted a paradox when it comes to influence and persuasion: instinctive approaches often backfire. In that post I shared three common mistakes — along with counterintuitive, science-backed approaches to help you ethically and more effectively influence people. I promised […]
Are you a Seinfeld fan? If so, you’ll likely remember The Opposite, one of the most iconic episodes of the series. In it, George Costanza decides that every instinct he’s ever had has been wrong. With nothing to lose, on the encouragement of Jerry and Elaine, he decides to start doing the opposite of his […]
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