Three Quarters Down … One to go in 2022! In the last newsletter I reminded you, if you were on a sports team you’d have just come out of the locker room for the second half of the game. Well, now you’re in the final quarter. If you’re behind on your goals, start pressing! If you happen to be ahead of your goals, don’t slack off. The “prevent defense” only seems to prevent teams from winning when they employ that strategy.

Remember, a great Q4 not only helps this year, it sets the stage for next year as well. I hope the resources I continue to share in this newsletter help you achieve your professional and personal goals.

Sincerely,

Brian

What’s Influence PEOPLE all about?

•       Why – Help you achieve more professional success and enjoy more personal happiness.
•       How – Teach you the science of ethical influence.
•       What – Speak, write, train, coach, and consult.
•       Who – Clients include leaders, salespeople, business coaches, insurance professionals, and more.

Here’s What’s New…

Writing

I’ve mentioned  several times in prior newsletters, I’m writing a new book about my relationship with my father. I’m currently working with an editor so the finish line is in sight! I was tentatively going with the title, His Story, My Story, but based on feedback the title will change, just not sure what it will be at this time.

My goal in writing the book is to make it a resource for the Marine Corps for Marines and their families. It’s my hope that it will lead to better relationships between Marines and their loved ones. One piece of exciting news regarding the book is that I have a retired Marine General who has agreed to write the foreword!

The other project that’s consumed my summer was the influence series I concluded in June. Similar to my book, The Influencer, the posts in that series formed a story-based approach to teach readers about influence. The main characters are Pat, a learning manager, and her former college basketball coach, Coach Smith. With help from my book coach, Barbara Grassey, I turned the series into an eBook for new blog subscribers. Because you’ve been with me for a while, I want you to have a copy too. Click on the title to download your free copy of The Game of Influence.

Podcasts

Another half dozen podcasts went online last quarter. I really enjoy podcasts because of the hosts I’ve met, new followers I get, and the opportunity to refine my message. If you like podcasts, links to all 150+ shows I’ve been on are on my website. Here are a couple of recent ones you might want to check out:

• Heath Shearon invited me back on Insurance Town to talk about The Influencer, my previous books, my favorite books, influence, and the psychology of the sale. Heath brings more energy to podcast than anyone I know. You’ll know what I mean from the moment you start listening. Are you in insurance and/or sales? Then you’ll enjoy this one!
• Scott Ferguson asked me to join him on Time To Shine Today to discuss sales, success, happiness, coaching, and much more. Like Heath, Scott is high energy so you’ll enjoy this one! Click here to listen, learn, and grow.

Best of…

More recommendations for you to read, listen to, and watch. We’re all different but I  encourage you to be open minded to anything new that will stretch your thinking and challenge your assumptions.

Books

Renovation of the Heart, by Dallas Willard, is about spiritual transformation. Before his passing in 2013, Willard was a professor of philosophy at USC for more than three decades. He combines his understanding of human thinking and behavior with faith in a way that makes so much sense. The best thing I can say about this book, and Willard’s body of work is this; in the same way that Robert Cialdini’s work on influence changed my career trajectory, Willard’s work is having the same impact on my walk with God. I hope that endorsement entices you to look into Renovation of the Heart.

Podcasts

Time To Shine Today is hosted by Scott Ferguson. As noted above, I was a guest on Scott’s show. He is one of the most positive people I’ve met. He usually comes out with one or two shows a week so he has a variety of guests. His creed is simple; he doesn’t want anyone to feel like they have no one. He’s all about getting fired up and leveling up in life! If you’re tired of the everyday humdrum life that you might be living, don’t fret because everyone has been there. Time To Shine Today is a mastermind of people who are always on the lookout to pick up their next step, to add to your success arsenal, and then pay it forward! Get ready to stretch your comfort zone because he and his guests are all about action and Leveling UP every day!

Watch

The Good Place is a Netflix comedy series that stars Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. It’s a silly show that makes me laugh…a lot! Laughter is good for the soul, especially with all that’s going on in the country and world. Here’s the premise: After her unexpected demise, due to an error, self-absorbed Eleanor Shellstrop (Bell) arrives at the Good Place, which is run by Michael (Danson). She’s determined to stay (the alternative is the bad place!), so she tries to become a better person. There are good underlying messages about motives, actions, and relationships. And get ready for some unexpected twists! I hope you enjoy it as much as Jane and I have.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His new book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 500,000 people around the world!

One Quarter Down, Three to Go! I hope your 2022 is off to an even better start than you expected. I had the opportunity to get back on the road and it’s been wonderful to meet people, shake hands, share meals, and everything else that goes along with conferences. I think people are hungry for that but I’ve also noticed something else.

When it comes to actual training, most companies I talk with prefer staying online…if it’s done right. Doing it right is not just a face on Zoom with a power point running. The video studio I put in over a year ago has allowed me to engage clients in a way that almost feels like we’re in the same room. That’s because they see me from the waist up along side a big screen tv. Occasionally I wheel a whiteboard in as we interact. Layer on top of that shorter training segments (2 hours vs. 8 hours in person) and the spaced learning allows time to digest the material then put it into practice. My sense is this; in person conferences and online training are both here to stay for the reasons noted above.

Keep your momentum going and best of luck for an even better Q2 than Q1.

Sincerely,

Brian

What’s Influence PEOPLE all about?

•       Why – Help you enjoy more professional success and personal happiness.
•       How – Teach you the science of ethical influence.
•       What – Speak, write, train, coach, and consult.
•       Who – Clients include leaders, salespeople, business coaches, insurance professionals, and attorneys.

Here’s What’s New…

Writing

My third book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, has been getting good reviews and has opened up a new set of readers. I’ve enjoyed the podcast conversations about the book, the characters, and the learning. I had no intention of writing a follow up but ideas keep coming so nothing is off the table. If you’ve not picked up a copy yet, you can it in paperback or Kindle on Amazon.

At present, I’m working on a book about my relationship with my father. If you’ve followed me for any length of time then you know my father passed away about a year and a half ago. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Serving in the Marines can be a very good thing but it can also be a bad thing, depending on how it impacts the Marine and his family. I’m tentatively calling the book His Story is My Story. I plan to make it a resource for the Marines. Perhaps a Marine will read it and it will positively impact him and how he relates to his family. Perhaps the family of a Marine will read it and they’ll understand the Marine in their life better.

Podcasts

I’ve now recorded more than 150 podcast episodes with 143 available on my podcasting page. Here are a couple of recent episodes that might interest you:

• Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman are loads of fun to talk with so I was very happy when they invited me back on The Insurance Dudes Podcast to talk sales, insurance, my new book The Influencer, and much more. Catch both parts of the show here: Part 1 and Part 2.
• Mark Raffan invited me back on Negotiations Ninja to discuss real world application of influence. The conversation revolved around stories from The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness. Mark gets influence because of his negotiations background so it was a very enjoyable conversation. Click here to listen.

Best of…

More recommendations for you to read, listen to, and watch. No two people are exactly alike so you might not like or agree with some of my suggestions but I  encourage you to be open minded to anything that will stretch your thinking and challenge your assumptions.

Books

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. Full disclosure upfront; this is a religious book with a Christian basis. I want to share it with you because it’s had a profound impact on my thinking and my walk with God. Here’s what stood out for me about Willard’s writing; he pointed out that the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount have been turned into the new law. In other words, the Beatitudes have become something people try to will themselves to do. Willard rightly points out that we have it backwards. The good things talked about in the Beatitudes are the outgrowth of having a right relationship with God. If you pick it up, I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

Leadership by Algorithm by David De Cremer. This is another book that I did an in-depth review of for a short course on the Emeritus learning platform. The book explores artificial intelligence’s (AI) relationship to business in terms of how it will impact leadership now and in the future. Here are just a handful of things you’ll learn as you read:

• Understand what AI is,
• Appreciate how AI potentially impacts leadership,
• Learn why it’s difficult for AI to replace visionary leaders,
• Find ways to combine AI with leadership judgment, and
• Address concerns that can arise with AI in the workplace.

Podcasts

Networking Rx is hosted by Frank Agin. I met Frank many years ago through our mutual connection, John Millen. Frank was instrumental in helping me get my first book across the finish line. I quickly realized that Frank is a networking guru! Many of the podcasts I’ve been on over the years have been a result of people I met through Frank. With every fiber of his being Frank lives networking. If you want to understand how to grow your connections and benefit from networking in a very natural way listen to the Networking Rx podcast.

Watch

Benjamin Franklin is the latest Ken Burns series on PBS. In my opinion, everything Ken Burns touches turns into gold. I’ve not come across any of his documentaries that I did not thoroughly enjoy. I’ve only recently started this new one but it has the same look, sound, and feel as all of his other documentaries. Listening to the narration is like reconnecting with an old friend. I was immediately captivated by everything about the show. And, true to form, Burns does not gloss over many of Franklin’s human flaws including owning slaves and infidelity. I think you’ll enjoy this four-hour documentary on one of the people who shaped America in many ways.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. His third book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is now available.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

2020 is hindsight and I think we’re all happy it’s in the rearview mirror! Given the pandemic the first three months of the New Year will be very hard but with the advent of vaccines and prospect of warmer weather ahead I think there’s reason for hope.

Despite Covid, I hope there were bright spots in 2020 for you. While we wish it hadn’t happened, all we can do is choose how we will respond. On the business front, not knowing with the future holds in terms of travel and in person workshops and keynotes, I’ve converted a spare bedroom in our home into a studio to film courses and do live training events. You’ll see more about that in the weeks and months ahead. What are you doing differently in 2021 given the world you find yourselve in?

Sincerely,
Brian

What’s Influence PEOPLE all about?

• Why – Help you enjoy more professional success and personal happiness.
• How – Teach you the science of ethical influence.
• What – Speak, write, train, coach, and consult.
• Who – Clients are primarily leaders, salespeople, business coaches, insurance professionals, and attorneys.

Starting a business then facing a pandemic in year #2 isn’t something I anticipated but with a pivot to virtual I was very fortunate. Despite the pandemic my second year was a good bit better than my first year so I’m very thankful for that. One last time I’d like emphasize this truth; we can’t change the circumstances we find ourselves in but we can choose how we respond. I hope you find ways to make 2021 better than you might have imagined and maybe, just maybe it will be your best year so far.

Here’s What’s New

Blog Posts

With the conclusion of 2020 I completed my 12th year blogging. April 17, 2021 will be the actual 12 year anniversary. For the past dozen years there have been weekly blog posts from me or guest writers. That’s a lot of writing! I hope what you’re reading each week is helping you. All of the blog posts are chronologically listed and tagged on my website. To search for any old posts click here.

Podcasts

I continue to be a guest on lots of podcasts. Another dozen or so shows were posted during the fourth quarter. Each show is hashtaged with #Influence, #Sales, #HR, #Marketing, etc., to help you locate shows that are most relevant for you. Click here to start listening.

Writing

My second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, is in the final stages of formatting. I’m shooting for January 12th as the pre-order date with the book being available on January 27th. Fingers crossed! The book also serves as the basis of a one day workshop for insurance companies and insurance agents. If your organization is interested in learning more about the workshop reach out to me.

Another way I used my 2020 pandemic lockdown time was to keep writing. I’m excited to share that I’m nearly halfway through book #3. The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness follows the life of John Andrews as he learns about what it takes to enjoy professional success and personal happiness through relationships. The book is a completely new writing style for me because it’s a story format. I’ve never had so much fun writing! I know I’m on to something good because, after listening to part of the book my wife Jane said with surprise, “I can’t be you wrote that!”

Best of…

Each quarter I share interesting content with readers. With an uncertain future socially and economically, sharpening your skills is the best way to invest in yourself. My old high school football coach drilled into us, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” Continually working on your skills is the best way to prepare for opportunities that might come your way. Below are great books to read, podcasts to listen to, and shows to watch.

Books

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink. I’m a big fan of all of Pink’s books and read this book right away when it came out in 2018. Pink explores how understanding timing can help you in a variety of ways. In the opening writes, “This is a book about timing. We all know that timing is everything. Trouble is, we don’t know much about timing itself. Our lives present a never-ending stream of ‘when’ decisions—when to change careers, deliver bad news, schedule a class, end a marriage, go for a run, or get serious about a project or a person. But most of these decisions emanate from a steamy bog of intuition and guesswork. Timing, we believe, is an art. I will show that timing is really a science.” When is an excellent book but don’t just take my word for it. With more than 1200 Amazon reviews and a 4.5 star rating lots of other people feel the same way about the book as I do.

Online Influence: Boost Your Results with Proven Behavioral Science by Bas Wouters and Joris Groen. Full disclosure, Bas Wouters is a friend. However, my recommendation for the book comes because of his expertise in the science of influence. Like me, Bas is one of only a few dozen Cialdini trainers in the world. He teams up with Joris, a psychologist who specializes in translating human sciences into practical design guidelines for the online world. That’s a powerful combination! If you’re looking to improve your online presence and getting more yeses then this is the book for you. Many times I found myself setting the book down so I could tweak my website with ideas I was getting.

Podcasts

Leadership Lab Podcast is the brainchild of Patrick Leddin, Ph.D. Dr. Leddin is a former Army Ranger, author and professor at Vanderbilt. What I love about his approach is that he combines real world experience with research. But the show isn’t just his view on leadership. He has a variety of interesting guests on the show to explore very specific aspects of leadership.

Insurance Business Talk Podcast is hosted by Paul Lucas. If you’re in the insurance industry this is a show you want to sign up for because all of the interesting guests and ideas have direct application to your daily activities. Paul lives in London so guests and ideas come from all around the world.

Watch

Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? is a 24-part PBS series hosted by Harvard professor Michael Sandel. Each 30-minute episode shows Sandel lecturing and interacting with his students. It will challenge your thinking! While it’s not all about racial justice, the topics explored will force you to look at and think differently about a variety of topics. I first watched this series many years ago over Christmas break and it remains one of my most enjoyable learning experiences ever.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®, is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach and consultant, he’s one of only 20 people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on sales and coaching have been viewed by more than 100,000 people around the world. His blog, Influence PEOPLE, is read by people in 200 countries across the globe.

Well now, that was an interesting second quarter! Just a few weeks into March and most of the country, and world, started to lockdown because of Covid-19. As if a worldwide pandemic wasn’t enough, next came the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, protests and civil unrest. Covid seems to be resurgent and Americans are debating whether or not we should be forced to wear masks. If you would have asked what’s more likely to occur; 1) a pandemic plus civil unrest or 2) a meteor hitting the earth, I probably would have chosen #2.

I always try to remain optimistic and it’s paying off. For example, prior to Covid I only dabbled with Zoom and probably would have continued to only dabble but I was forced to dive into the deep end. I’m glad I took the plunge because Zoom opens up the world for potential client interaction. I have no doubt new ways to communicate will continue to come about because necessity is the mother of invention.

During the quarter I also made headway on book #2, recorded dozens of podcasts, focused on my fitness (I’m lucky I put a gym in my basement over 20 years ago), and, despite the poor economic outlook, even landed a few new clients. Perhaps the best news during the quarter was learning my book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of The 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority.

I hope despite all the disruption you may have faced that you were able to find bright spots too.

Brian

What’s Influence PEOPLE all about?

• Why – Help you enjoy more professional success and personal happiness.
• How – Teach you the science of ethical influence.
• What – Speak, write, train, coach and consult.
• Who – Clients are primarily leaders, salespeople, business coaches and attorneys.

Setting out on my own only to encounter a pandemic and civil unrest within 18 month’s isn’t ideal. However, I remain passionate about helping people professionally and personally. I believe your ability to ethically influence people will be even more important going forward. Why? Just about everyone was succeeding in the economic conditions prior to March. That’s no longer the case. For the foreseeable future only companies with the best people, products or services, and processes will win. When it comes to people, a huge part of success will come through the ability to influence customers, vendors and coworkers. I can help you with that.

Here’s What’s New

Blog Posts

I’m distressed by a lot of what I see happening in the United States. Many blog posts have been about just that. Although I try not to take sides on an issue, I know there’s always a chance that I’ll alienate some people. I believe in ethical influence so when I see individuals or organizations manipulating the public to bolster their position, I’m going to call it out. Click here to see some recent posts.

Podcasts

I was a guest on another dozen podcasts in Q2. I enjoy being on podcasts because they’re an excellent way to reach new audiences and work on speaking skills. If you have 30 minutes to spare, or want to learn on the go, there are now more than 60 podcasts to choose from. To help you find shows most relevant for you I’ve hash tagged each with #Influence, #Sales, #HR, #Marketing, etc. Click here to find a show that suits your learning needs.

LinkedIn Learning

More than 100,000 people have taken my LinkedIn Learning courses! If you want to learn how you can apply influence to sales or coaching, how to deal with personality styles or build a coaching culture, then you’ll want to check out my courses. For a short preview of each click here.

Best of…

Looking for interesting content? You may still have more time on your hands due to the pandemic so why not put some of that time to good use? Learning skills will be more important than ever going forward? Below are some great books to read, podcasts to listen to, and shows to watch.

Books

The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor. I try to help people enjoy more success and happiness so this book caught my eye. The overarching premise is this; success rarely brings happiness but working on happiness almost always bring success. I wrote about this weeks ago in a blog post I called When the Journey Becomes Better than the Destination. If you want science based approaches for ways to find happiness and success then you’ll want to read this book.

Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden and Steve Jamison. I read this book many years ago and picked it up again in June. It was so refreshing to read about a principled man and principled approach to leadership. John Wooden wasn’t about winning championships, he was about developing young men. His vehicle to do so happened to be basketball. The scoreboard was only the grade card that let him know how well he was doing in that pursuit. He believed his pyramid of success was the foundation for individual and team success. If you’re a leader or business coach this is must reading!

Podcasts

The Brainy Business Podcast is hosted by Melina Palmer. I was a guest on her show and was blown away by her listener support. I’ve not been on any show where I had so many people reach out to connect on LinkedIn and buy my book. Melina looks at behavioral economics and shares with listeners ideas to apply the research findings in business. She’s a wonderful host and very genuine person.

The Leadership Podcast is hosted by Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos. If you want to learn about leadership from a variety of people, including Simon Sinek and Dan Pink, you should check out the show. When I was guest the talk got very philosophical which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Watch

The Happy Secret to Better Work is a Ted Talk by Shawn Achor. Yes, this is same guy noted above in the books section. In this 12 minute talk Shawn hits many of the high points in his book The Happiness Advantage and does so with a good bit of humor. Learning how to be happier while laughing is a good thing! If you enjoy this talk you’ll want to diver deeper into the topic and get Shawn’s book.

LA 92 is a 2017 documentary on Netflix. It focuses on the Rodney King beating at the hands of the LA police, the officer trial that ensued and the riots that broke out across the city as a result of the verdict. I’m old enough to remember much of what happened but given that it was over 25 years ago there was much I’d forgotten or not heard about. With the protests and rioting that have taken place recently I decided to watch the documentary and was saddened to see how little progress we’ve made since 1992. I encourage you to watch and see if you think we’ve made much progress.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®, is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, international trainer, coach and consultant, he’s one of only 20 people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the planet on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was a top 10 selling Amazon book in several insurance categories, top 50 in sales & selling and was named one of The 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His LinkedIn Learning courses on sales and coaching have been viewed by more than 100,000 people around the world!