Tag Archive for: sales training

Drive for Show, Putt for Dough

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My wife is a heck of a golfer. She’s the poster child for the power of golf lessons and practice. About ten years ago, she was a very average golfer, shooting between 100 and 110. After years of lessons, practice, and consistent play, she’s transformed her game to the point where she consistently shoots in the low 80s and occasionally in the upper 70s.

Last year, she had a pressure match and played her best round of the year. The pressure? Playing 18 holes with rock legend Alice Cooper, who happens to be a scratch golfer. That day, Cooper shot a 75, and Jane had a season-best 78. Needless to say, he was impressed!

There’s an old saying in golf: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” Crushing a drive off the tee is impressive, but to be a great golfer, it comes down to play around the green—particularly putting. That’s because putting accounts for approximately 40%–50% of a golfer’s score. For example, a par-four hole may be anywhere from 400 to 475 yards. A good golfer will reach the green in two shots, then most likely take two more strokes to putt the ball 20–30 feet into the hole.

Persuasion is a lot like putting. It doesn’t seem like something that should take too much time or practice because it usually comes at the end of a long process. However, when viewed as critically as putting, it deserves a tremendous amount of time and attention.

Daniel Pink, author of To Sell Is Human, cited a study where more than 7,000 businesspeople were asked how much of their time was spent in non-sales selling (i.e., persuading). The answer was 40%! That’s right—apart from selling, businesspeople estimate they spend 40% of their time, or 3.2 hours a day, trying to persuade other people to do things.

If you spent 40% of your day (or more, if you’re in sales or leadership) engaged in a particular activity, wouldn’t it make sense to devote time and effort to improving in that area? Of course, it would!

Great golfers spend an inordinate amount of time on the putting green because tournaments are usually won and lost on crucial putts. If your job requires you to sell, work with others, or work through others, then you’re like the pro golfer—you should be working on your putting (persuading).

Leaders – Whether you’re a supervisor, manager, or senior-level executive, your success depends on the performance of your team. Your ability to get them to buy into your vision and execute it enthusiastically is vital to your success.

Salespeople – Success for you culminates in a “Yes” from prospects and current clients. Understanding how to communicate in a way that makes “Yes” come easier and faster will impact your income through commissions earned.

Not in sales or management – Undoubtedly, you still need assistance and cooperation. You may need coworkers, suppliers, vendors, or even your boss to do certain things. Knowing how to ethically influence these groups can make your days much, much easier.

At home – Life is much more pleasant when your spouse, roommates, children, and neighbors more willingly go along with what you propose.

Whether you’re looking for professional success or personal happiness, I believe understanding how to ethically persuade others will go a long way—longer than any drive off the tee—in helping you achieve that success and happiness.

Drive for show but persuade for dough!

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®
Chief Influence Officer
influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

 

Setting the Stage for a Successful Sales Call

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Have you ever been interrupted at home by an unexpected salesperson ringing your doorbell? You know the type—the kind who shows up unannounced and launches into a pitch before you’ve had a chance to blink. If you’re like most people, it’s not your favorite experience. So, here’s the real question: Why do salespeople do this to their business customers?

Imagine this scenario: Salesperson: “Hi Pat. I was in the area and thought I’d pop in. Do you have a few minutes to talk? I’d love to tell you about…blah, blah, blah.”

We’ve all been on the receiving end of this approach, and often, we nod along, not because we’re interested but because we don’t want to seem rude. Here’s the harsh truth for the salesperson: the prospect isn’t listening. Instead, they’re wondering why they didn’t say they were too busy—and counting the minutes until the conversation ends.

The key to a successful sales call lies in setting the stage. You want to be in front of people who genuinely want to see you, who believe you might help them or their business. This requires more than just showing up—it demands thoughtful preparation and a bit of psychology.

1. Start with Courtesy: Schedule the Call

Common courtesy goes a long way. Instead of showing up unannounced, reach out by phone to schedule a meeting. This approach is not only respectful but also allows you to share a bit about why you want to meet and learn about any specific needs they might have.

Example:
“Hi Pat, it’s Jim. I was wondering if we could find a time to connect. I’d love to hear how things are going and share some insights I think you’ll find valuable.”

Making this initial contact sets the stage. It gives your client time to think about you, your company, and your offerings. It also increases the chances of a productive meeting because both parties come prepared.

2. Follow Up Immediately: Prime Your Prospect

After scheduling the meeting, follow up with an email. Thank them for their time, confirm the date and time, and share relevant information to review beforehand. Here’s where you can tap into a powerful psychological principle: Consistency. When you ask if they’ll review the material and they say “yes,” the chances they will actually do it go up significantly.

Try this:
“Thanks for setting aside time to meet next Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. To get the most out of our conversation, would you take a few minutes to look at the link below?”

Consistency is key because people feel both internal and external pressure to align their actions with their words. When they say they’ll do something, they are more likely to follow through.

3. Prime Them Before the Meeting

The idea of priming (a.k.a. pre-suasion) involves exposing someone to information beforehand to influence how they think and behave later. By sharing information ahead of time, you guide your client’s mindset before you even step into the room.

On the day of the meeting, resend your original email as a gentle reminder. If they haven’t looked at the information yet, this nudge can be just enough to prompt them to do so.

4. Kick Off the Meeting with Empathy

When the meeting begins, thank them again for their time. Before jumping into your presentation, ask what’s on their mind. This not only shows respect but also gives you valuable insight into their needs and concerns.

5. Close the Loop: Send a Follow-Up Email

After the meeting, send a follow-up email. Summarize key points, confirm any agreed-upon actions, and provide clarity if there was any miscommunication. This step not only reinforces your professionalism but also ensures everyone is on the same page moving forward.

Give It a Try—Your Clients Will Thank You

I challenge you to give this approach a shot. Your clients (and potential clients) will appreciate your respect for their time. You’ll also benefit from a more productive meeting, as your prospect will have had multiple opportunities to think about your offer.

Sales isn’t about pushing your product or service—it’s about creating an environment where people want to say “yes.” A little preparation and psychology can go a long way in turning your next sales call into a winning conversation.

Revised and edited with ChatGPT 3/8/25

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®
Chief Influence Officer
influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”

“Improv” Your Sales with Improv Comedy

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For Jane’s 50th birthday, her big surprise gift was an eight-week workshop on Improv comedy for the two of us. Believe me, she was surprised! I thought it would be a great to experience it together, that we’d meet interesting people, and that we’d laugh a lot. Mission accomplished on all fronts! The course concluded with a show at The Funny Bone Comedy Club in Columbus. Working with 10 people in a safe space week after week is different than doing a live show in front of friends, family and strangers, so we were both a little nervous. But, we had so much fun we signed up for another course and concluded our second Improv show in late February.

As I reflected on the Improv experiences we enjoyed together, I saw interesting parallels between Improv comedy and sales. Even if you don’t consider yourself a salesperson the reality is every one of us sells ideas and ourselves daily.

Practice

I can’t imagine reading a few books on Improv or following a blog for a period of time then trying to perform in front of a live audience. Practicing in a safe space with a teacher was a huge confidence builder for all of us. And we learned quite a bit from one another as we observed each other on stage. Salespeople traditionally hate anything remotely close to role-play and think reading about sales or attending a seminar will give them all they need to succeed. Wrong! The more you role-play the readier you are for a sales call as long as your scenarios are realistic. I’ve also seen where salespeople learn as much, if not more, from each other during the training.

Unscripted

Improv is short for improvisational comedy, which is unscripted. When you improvise you are creating in the moment and Improv is all about taking what’s given to you then creating a funny reality. Quite often audience members shout out people, places and things leaving those on stage to use their imagination to construct a funny scene. You don’t know what will be thrown at you when you’re onstage and it’s the same when it comes to sales. You never know exactly what might come up before, during or after a sales call. Quite often you don’t know what objections you might be hit with during a sale so you need to be comfortable responding in the moment. The longer you’re in sales the more situations and objections you face and the more comfortable you are dealing with whatever comes at you. Just as more practice and performances help comedians, so it is with salespeople.

Study

Great comedians don’t just wing it even though they might improvise. Through study and observation, they learn what makes something funny and why some jokes fall flat. They draw from the world around them so the audience can relate and understand their jokes. Imagine a comedian making jokes about King Henry the 8th and England in the 16th century. That probably won’t go over as well as jokes related to the present and politicians people know something about. By the same token, good salespeople understand their customers, their needs and speak to both. Good salespeople study their craft and learn how to speak persuasively so the
customer “gets it” just like the audience gets a joke.

Timing

Timing is crucial in comedy. Two comedians can tell the same joke but how they set it up, how they deliver the punch line and exactly when they deliver the punch line can make all the difference between laughter and silence. Selling is very similar.

Two salespeople can say essentially the same thing and for one person it comes across in a natural, conversational way but for the other it feels like a pushy salesman. Timing is also very important when it comes to closing a sale. When to close can vary based on many things and there is some “art” as to what you do to close the deal. Do it too early and prospective customers recoil because the feel like they’re being sold. As Jeffery Gitomer likes to say, “People don’t like to be sold but they love to buy.”

Yes, and… 

When people hear Improv comedy one of the first things you’ll hear them say is, “Yes, and…” Improv is much more than this little phrase but it’s one of the first concepts you’re taught. In order to make a scene work you’re told to take whatever is given to you and build on it. Nothing kills a scene quicker than rejecting what someone has said or done. Sales is similar in that shutting someone down, rejecting what they say, insisting they’re wrong and you’re right, is a sure way to alienate customers. “Yes, I can understand why you feel that way and…” then transition into something to hopefully get the other person to start seeing things differently.

So, if you want to succeed in Improv or sales remember to be PUSTY (Practice, Unscripted, Study, Timing, Yes). And one more thought to consider: Everything I just shared applies to parenting. Give what I just shared a quick reread and see if you get what I mean. Most of us are not handed a training manual when we become parents so we figure out quite a bit as we go along. I believe these same principles I’ve just outlined can help you be a better parent.

Interested in learning more about Improv? If you live in the Columbus metro area I encourage you to reach out to Jeff Gage. He was a great teacher and it was apparent he loves what he does because, despite doing this for decades, he laughed as much as anyone during our workshops and shows. Reach out to him to see when his next classes will be held. It’s guaranteed you’ll have fun, meet interesting people, and laugh a lot. There’s not much better in life than that!

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®
Chief Influence Officer
influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

 

Influence PEOPLE – A New Video

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This week is a short post to share a new video I recently put online. The clips are from a keynote presentation I gave this past May in Cleveland, Ohio. The event was the annual I-Day Convention sponsored by the Insurance Board of Northern Ohio (IBNO). I hope you enjoy it.

If you’re getting this post via email click here to watch the video on YouTube. 

Is your organization interested in learning how the science of influence can help move your initiatives ahead? I can help! Contact me about keynotes, training, coaching or consulting.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT® 
Chief Influence Officer

influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Setting the Stage for the Up Front Close

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If you’re in sales, you can probably relate to the following scenario. You met with a prospective client and immediately had great rapport, which opened the door for you to compete for their business. You gathered the necessary information and provided them a better deal than they currently had. They asked for time to think it over and consider a couple of other quotes. Despite all the positive indicators, in a follow up phone call you learned they opted for another provider. You’re left wondering what you could have done differently to seal the deal.

Sound familiar? One way to reduce the odds of that happening is to engage the principle of consistency through a technique known as the “up front close.” Consistency is the principle of influence that tells us people feel internal psychological pressure and external pressure to be consistent in what they say and do. Getting someone to commit to you early on exactly what it will take to win their business is what the up-front-close is all about. It might look like this:

“Mr. Smith, I’d like to know exactly what it will take in order for you to move your business to our firm. If I can’t do something you require, I’ll let you know right away and save us both time. How does that sound?”

Your goal is to find out all the things you need to do for the customer in order for them to make the switch to your company. If you can’t meet the price, delivery date, service requirements, etc., then let the customer know and remove yourself from the sales process as soon as possible. If you think you can meet all the requirements, then go for it and use their requirements as leverage during the sales presentation.

During a recent coaching call a graduate of one of my Principles of Persuasion (POP) workshops asked how he could easily and naturally work his way into the up-front-close. That’s a great question because you don’t want to jump right into the up-front-close in the first five minutes of meeting a potential customer. It takes some finesse, but you can do it! Here’s how I would envision using questions in a natural, ethical manner to move into the up-front-close.

  • Salesperson – It looks as if business is going great and you seem like you’re very busy.
  • Customer – Never been busier but I suppose that’s a good thing in this economy!
  • Salesperson – Agreed, better too busy than not busy enough. With all that’s going on I’m going to guess saving time is pretty important for you.
  • Customer – You bet. I’m usually in here by 7 a.m. and rarely leave before 6 p.m. I even put in extra time on the weekends.
  • Salesperson – I have many days like that myself. If you’re like most people, I talk with buying insurance isn’t high on your list of fun activities. It’s not like planning a vacation or shopping for a new car. Knowing that, I have an idea that might save us both a good bit of time when it comes to your insurance. Would you like to hear it?
  • Customer – I’m all ears.
  • Salesperson – Since the insurance buying process is a necessity, I’m sure other agents are competing for your business. While that’s a good thing, you probably don’t want to deal with any more agents than you have to in order to complete the process, right?
  • Customer – Exactly. It’s a necessary evil and time consuming. That’s why we only put it out to bid every two or three years.
  • Salesperson – Here’s what I propose that could save us both time. I’d like to know exactly what it would take in order for you to move your business to our agency. If I can’t do something you require, I’ll let you know right away and remove myself from the quoting process and save us both time. How does that approach sound?
  • Customer – I think that’s a great approach.

From this point forward the salesperson has to use good questioning techniques to learn the key factors in the buying decision. The conversation should end something like this:

  • Salesperson – We’ve covered a lot of ground today! If I understand you correctly, we need to do A, B and C in order to become your new insurance agent. Am I correct?
  • Customer – That’s right, A, B and C are critical.
  • Salesperson – And there’s no other reason you wouldn’t make the switch if we do A, B and C?
  • Customer – Nope. You do those three things and we’re in business together.

If you return to the office and realize you can’t do all three just let the customer know right away. But if you can do all three that becomes you’re leverage to easily ask for the business when you present your proposal. Will everyone say “Yes” at that point? No, because sometimes things change. However, using this approach will get far more customers saying, “Yes” because the psychology of consistency drives them to naturally do that.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®
Chief Influence Officer
influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.
 
 

Using Scarcity with Qualified Prospects

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Last month I hosted a webinar on the principle of scarcity for the Cialdini “Influence” Series. During the 30-minute webinar I introduced participants to the ethical application of scarcity when it comes to managing salespeople and increasing sales.

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time then you know scarcity is the principle of influence which alerts us to the reality that we place more value on things when they’re rare or becoming less available. We see this principle at work constantly:

  • Advertising – Perceived limited time or limited availability gets customers to act in ways they wouldn’t otherwise.
  • Relationships – When we lose someone we love we often wish we’d done more for them or with them. The mere thought of losing someone could change our behavior.
  • Work and School – Deadlines drive much of our prioritization and activity when it comes to school or work.

I’m sure you can think of your own examples where you’ve seen your behavior influenced by this psychological principle. What I want to explore is a question that came up as the webinar was ending. Someone asked if personal preference played into scarcity’s effectiveness. It was a great question, one I’d never considered before. The example that came immediately to mind as I pondered the answer was something from my childhood.

When I was young I collected baseball cards. This goes way back to the days before you could buy whole sets of cards. Kids got their baseball cards when they bought the bubblegum packs with cards inside them. From there we traded to round out our collections. I still remember the most famous card was the 1909 Honus Wagner. Although neither my friends nor me knew anything about Honus as a player we knew there were only six in existence and that made it the most valuable card. The card is reportedly worth $2.8 million today!

Certainly anyone reading this would love to have that card but for the most part baseball cards are only valuable to those who collect them. When I showed one of my old cards to Jane and told her it was worth about $200 she said, “Hmmm, four pairs of shoes.” She could have cared less that my Ted Williams 1956 Topps baseball card was in very good condition and she never would have paid $200 for the card because baseball cards mean nothing to her.

Much like beauty, scarcity is in the eye of the beholder. For example, hearing a furniture outlet is having a half price sale that ends Sunday will do nothing to incent my behavior if I’m not considering getting new furniture for my home.

A large part of selling is contacting qualified prospects. Qualified prospects are those people or organizations that are in the market for what you sell. When a prospect realizes they may lose out on a great opportunity that could fulfill their need, quite often scarcity will impact their decision to act.

Another category of qualified prospects would include people or organizations that might not see their need for what you sell unless you can arrange to meet with them and show how your product can positively impact them. Once you’re talking with this type of qualified prospect, introducing scarcity might be enough to get them off the fence to make a decision.

In the Principles of Persuasion workshop I emphasize this point – scarcity is best used to motivate behavior. If you’ve already established some relationship and the prospect isn’t unsure about what to do – they’re just not making a decision – then scarcity can be just the thing to get them over the hump. However, just indiscriminately telling people they’ll lose something by not acting when they could care less about what you’re offering is a recipe for failure in sales.

Here’s my sales advice – really get to know your current and prospective clients. Understand their business and their needs so you can match your product offering accordingly. Once you’ve done that, when you have genuine scarcity make sure you introduce it during the sales process because that might be just the thing that helps you make the sale.

Brian Ahearn, CMCT®
Chief Influence Officer
influencePEOPLE 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.
 
 
Cialdini “Influence”
Series! Would you like to learn more about influence from the experts? Check out the Cialdini “Influence” Series featuring Cialdini Method Certified Trainers from around the world. Next up is Hoh Kim talking about Authority on April 17.

 

Don’t Ask, Don’t Sell

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One of the biggest reasons salespeople fail to make the sale is simply because they don’t ask for it. It’s easy to tell someone all about your company, product or service. After all, a good salesperson will know about these things backwards and forwards. However, asking for the sale (a.k.a. “closing the sale”) can be scary because of the fear of rejection.

Some of the biggest regrets people have are not when they stepped out and failed but when they failed to step out. When we don’t take a chance we’re often haunted by what might have been and ask ourselves, “What if…?”

Studies show people who ask for favors often underestimate the number of people who would be willing to help. In fact, they underestimate it by a lot! In one study, when asked how may strangers they’d have to ask to walk them a few blocks to a location they’ve been unable to find on a college campus, most people assumed they’d have to ask seven or more strangers before one person would take the time necessary to help. However, when they actually asked for help, the number of people they had to approach was only two or three before they got the help they needed. If you knew people would most likely respond positively to you twice as often as you thought they would, you’d probably have a lot more confidence to ask.

Having been a consumer all my life and teaching sales for the past 20 years, I can tell you most salespeople fail to ask for the sale. They might fear being seen as too pushy or believe the prospective customer can sort out all the product features, weigh the benefits against the cost, and make a decision that’s in their best interest.

But here’s the problem – as consumers, when we’re making purchases sometimes we’re overwhelmed by all the choices and price points. And the more money we’re about to spend the scarier it can be because we want to make sure we make the best choice. We want to avoid “buyer’s remorse.” A salesperson can alleviate much of that anxiety throughout the sales process but in the end the salesperson still needs to ask for the sale.

One way to lessen the fear and increase the odds of hearing “Yes” is to learn up front exactly what the customer is looking for. If the salesperson can meet the customer’s requirements, then simply asking the following should work: “If we can get you A, B and C at a fair price, would you seriously consider buying from us?” Most people will agree to that; then it’s up to the salesperson to show their product or service has all the required features. This is known as “the up-front close” in sales circles.

The reason this approach can be so effective is because the principle of consistency comes into play. This principle of influence tells us people generally live up to their word because they feel a little bad about themselves when they don’t. If someone says they’ll strongly consider you, your company or your product/service, then odds are they will if you can deliver what you said you would.

Once the salesperson has asked the right questions up front and then clearly shows how their offering meets the requirements it becomes much easier and more comfortable to take the next step and ask for the sale. It’s like dating. Wasn’t it easier to ask for a date when you knew beforehand the other person was interested in you?

Here’s my persuasion advice. You don’t have to live with the regret of what might have been. Remember, people are more likely to say “Yes” than you probably think. If you use the up-front close the odds that a customer will say “Yes” are significantly better. So remember – Don’t ask, don’t sell.

Influencers from Around the World – Real World Persuasion in Selling

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To start the New Year our Influencers from Around the World guest post comes to us by way of Ireland from my good friend Sean Patrick. Sean owns a sales training company, Sales Training Evaluation. He  came to the States in October 2010 to spend a week with me and attended the Principles of Persuasion workshop I hosted. You can connect with Sean on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Brian, CMCT® 
influencepeople 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Real World Selling
As a reader of Brian Ahearn’s blog, you’ve come to expect to read mostly about Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion. This post is slightly different, as I’ll be talking about some fanciful tactical elements that can make up a potent mix and get more people to say “Yes” more often.
You’ve probably read it somewhere that people buy from people and people trust people that appear similar to themselves. The next time you are solving a personal crisis with a friend or about to go and pitch to a new customer, how about understanding those people first? Do your research and find out as much about that person as possible. Learn out about their past, their likes, dislikes, as well as their personal and professional milestones. You can actually find a lot of this information just by using a strong Boolean search in Google, by reading press releases and other material such as presentations and white papers, and more importantly by “listening” to that person on social media. This gives you an advantage because you’ll understand what motivates that person.
We all have fears, whether it’s fear of putting on weight, missing deadlines, death, inflation, debt, the unknown, and growing old. From a young age, we’ve been coached into making prejudices about our decisions by making cross-references between our past and current experiences. Fear, uncertainty and doubt make us think irrationally and can be powerful enough to drive us into making decisions that are negative as well as positive. If we make negative decisions such as taking up smoking, there is usually a positive intention behind the original decision, and that positive intention could be to help us get some relief from stress. This is what’s known as secondary gain.
If we go back to our fears just for a moment, think about the decisions to buy life insurance and invest in pension funds. We buy expensive gym memberships because of a fear of putting on weight; we buy home security products because we fear for the integrity of our home and possessions. Our first lesson here is to think about the underlying motivators that cause us to make decisions because a lot of our decision-making isn’t logically grounded but rather, can be very irrational.
One way of looking at this is to view your decisions in two groups: away from and towards. For example, we move away from our fears and we move towards things we love. But think about why we either fear or love. This is a huge motivator and can wreak havoc on unsuspecting customers and cause great profit from vendors.
How do you perceive value and ask yourself what does value mean to you? When you’re selling or trying to get a friend or associate to buy into your idea, think in terms of what value you can offer to help sweeten the deal. Value comes in two different types: personal value and business value. Let’s take a look at personal value first. Think about all those times when you volunteered information nuggets gratis (or free). What happened? More than likely, the recipient profited in some way. This is called personal value and most of the time, you give this away too cheaply. As a law abiding and decent citizen, your mother brought you up to share things with other people. This is a lovely gesture but charitable acts such as sharing in the business world will leave you feeling punished and dejected. Never share your candy too soon.
Business value is slightly different. You show this type of value by demonstrating your capability in a way that is unique to you. This differentiates you and lessens the likelihood of being commoditized by a buying officer. You can offer business value by selling a $10 lunch for $ 7.99 but is that going to be enough? Certainly not for everyone. Real business value is doing something utterly different that allows you to create your own rules and profit from them because no one else can offer the same product or service as you. For example, Apple rode out financial turbulence by moving away (think of motivators here) from debt and making profit by creating remarkable products that weren’t available anywhere else. Or were they? Similar products were available but Apple went a step further, they created unique enhancements to increase the user experience, which increased its products’ value exponentially.
Finally, think of our motivators again back at the beginning of this post. This time let’s turn those inside out. This is called expectation. When we buy expensive gym memberships we expect to receive help in getting fit and losing weight. When we buy life insurance we expect to insulate ourselves against our loved ones being left high and dry financially. You get the picture.
This is yet another way of thinking about benefits, those by-products we experience positively via our purchases. We want results and solutions to our problems and that’s exactly what we expect when make those purchases. Whenever you’re embarking on a persuasion process with someone, think about how the other person can benefit from your idea and tell him or her exactly what he or she can expect. If you find this tough to do, ask that person a series of questions to find out what they want, then match what you can deliver that gives them a solution and then tell them precisely what they can expect.
Sean

Finding Another Gear

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I was out for an early morning walk not too long ago and was startled when a big German Shepherd came running straight at me. It was apparent he didn’t want to play so I raised my hands to get ready for the inevitable when suddenly his owner appeared, called his name, and the dog turned back to his house.

The incident got my heart rate going and reminded me of a similar situation when I was in college. During the summer I worked at a golf course which was about 10 miles from my home. I didn’t have regular access to a car so I rode my bike to work most days. Riding home was a little dangerous because quite often I was riding around 10 or 11 at night on some very busy roads and a few that were not well lit.
Because riding at night wasn’t safe I tried to get home as quickly as possible. I made a game of it, setting a goal to always ride home faster than the night before. I tell you that so you’ll know I was pushing myself hard the whole time I rode. In fact, like most people who push themselves, I didn’t think I could go any faster every time I rode home. My perspective changed one night when I heard a large dog barking and it sounded really close! I was amazed at how much more I could push myself and at how fast I could ride when I summoned all my energy. It was as if all of a sudden I found a new gear!
So what does this have to do with influence? As I thought about the bike riding incident so long ago it made me think about teaching people influence. I believe most people work hard most of the time. They probably convince themselves they can’t work any harder or longer, much like I convinced myself I couldn’t ride any faster.
While I found I could ride faster, unfortunately my extra effort couldn’t be sustained for long because of muscle fatigue. The same thing applies at work. Although we can always work harder in any given moment, or longer some days, we can’t do so indefinitely or else burnout sets in.
Not to worry because I have good news for you! You don’t always have to work harder or longer to get better results. When you tap into scientifically proven ways to communicate you will get better results by weaving persuasion into what you’re already doing. That’s right; you don’t have to come up with a new sales process, new marketing campaign or any other new endeavor to take advantage of the science of influence. Just look at what you’re currently doing with your communication and see where you can apply the science of influence. I’ll give you a few personal examples.
Voicemail – I incorporate a branding message at the beginning of my message and use consensus in the middle when I say “I’m probably on the phone helping another customer.” The last thing you want is for people to hear, “I’m probably in a meeting or away from my desk.”
Email – My autosignature has my title and designations which is an application of the principle of authority. I also use my picture when I’m dealing with new people because a photo creates familiarity which taps into the liking principle.
Marketing – We regularly send marketing material to prospective insurance agencies in hopes of signing them up with State Auto. When we started alerting those prospects about our agency appointment goal, and where we were relative to that goal – an application of scarcity – we saw a noticeable uptick in agents responding to our marketing emails. Those extra communications become our opportunity to sell the merits of our company.
Each of those examples are probably the kinds of things you’re currently doing in your business. However, if you’re like me before I learned about persuasion, then you’re probably missing out on some golden opportunities that are right in front of you.
There’s a time and place for working harder and longer hours because success comes through hard work and a little luck at times. On the flip side there are also times when we need to slow down and work less because we can’t maintain the hectic pace all the time. Whether you’re in the phase of longer hours and harder work or a slower time, if you ethically employ the scientifically proven principles of influence you will get significantly better results immediately; finding another gear so to speak. I’m confident of this because science and personal experience back me up on it.
Brian, CMCT
influencepeople 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Reputation and the Recency Effect

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Last November I wrote a post called “Say it ain’t so, Joe” as the Jerry Sandusky case of sexually abusing young boys at Penn State University came to the attention of the American public. That horrible tragedy has made front page news again in the wake of the Freeh Report which stated there was a failure of leadership at Penn State University. The report also alleges legendary coach Joe Paterno (Joe Pa) knew about Jerry Sandusky’s behavior as far back as 1998.

This has led questions about what Joe Paterno’s legacy will be. Aside from having more wins than any other major college football coach in history, until the scandal broke, Joe Pa, as he was affectionately called by the faithful, was held up as example of a football coach who ran a clean program, helped boys become men, had real “student athletes,” and gave back to the community in countless ways during his 61 years at Penn State.
This post isn’t about convincing you one way or another how you should feel about Joe Paterno. Rather, it’s about understanding what impacts your thoughts about him as well as other people and situations you might find yourself reflecting on.
In psychology there’s something known as the “recency effect” which is also called “recency bias.” In a nutshell, we give more weight to information we recall most easily and quite often what we remember most is what we experienced last.
We see this all the time. In boxing it’s known as “stealing the round” when a boxer is getting beaten for the better part of the three-minute round but puts on a flurry of activity toward the end to win the round.
In the news we see it with different stories, like suddenly believing air travel is unsafe because of a few recent stories on airline disasters. Mad cow disease and the bird flu are another example. Both are extremely isolated events yet we tend to believe they happen far more than they actually do because of the coverage they get and how easily we recall the stories. In actuality, you have much more likelihood of death or injury from driving to work or other daily activities than you do from airplane accidents or the latest flu outbreak.
How about this – have you ever gone somewhere, had a really good time but the whole experience was marred by a bad ending? Maybe it was a great vacation that ended with flight delays or a round of golf that ended with a bad hole or two. If the flight delays were at the beginning of the trip most people would rate the trip higher than if they come at the end. And most golfers would prefer a round that starts poor and ends well rather than starts well and ends poor … even if the score for both rounds is identical.
The recency effect works both ways, good and bad. Take Tiger Woods, for example. While he lost millions in advertising revenue he appears to be accepted by the public every bit as much as he was before. At least that seems to be the case when you see golf fans responding to him when he’s in contention and winning tournaments.
On the flip side, whole careers are washed away when a great player makes a mistake. Just ask Bill Buckner or Jackie Smith. Buckner mishandled an easy ground ball in game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets which allowed the Mets to win the game and eventually the series.  Smith dropped a pass in the end zone in Super Bowl XIII that could have possibly been the difference between winning and losing the game for the Dallas Cowboys.
Should potential Hall of Fame careers be weighed most heavily on how they end? Should someone’s misdeeds be relegated to the background just because they’re doing well in the moment? Should the good works of individuals be discarded because of scandal at the end?
The answers to those questions are for each of us to decide personally.  Collectively, our answers will determine how society remembers someone’s career or legacy. My goal is to help you see more clearly, and to recognize how your thinking is impacted by what you’ve recently experienced.  If you understand that you can review situations differently than you might currently. You might come up with the same conclusion but just like having more data to make decisions is usually good, so it is when it comes to understanding how your brain works with the recency effect.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople 
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.