Episode 45 - Is There Such Thing As Too Competent?

To start this episode, we lead off with another one of Kurt's geeky articles.  And this study, while strange, is compelling.  As it turns out, there is a vast personality difference between dog and cat owners.  In addition, cat owners actually score slightly higher on intelligence tests.  Dog lovers tend to be more extroverted and sociable, while cat lovers are more independent yet more cautious.  Kurt and Steve discuss the implications of reading these personality types.  They also take a few shots at cat owners.

If your'e to be successful as a persuader, it's obvious that you need to be competent.  Is there such thing as "too much" competence?  As they say, competence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  There's a difference between knowing a lot about your product and knowing how to tactfully make your prospect FEEL like you know alot. 

Competence comes from life long learning.  You need to be the foremost expert on your product.  This involves the perception from your prospects that you are continually learning and growing.  When you learn that your doctor recently attended a medical conference it makes you feel like the doctor is keeping up.  Make sure you are up to speed on your industry...and make sure your prospects know this.  It will help create that perception of competence that you're after.

To wind down the show, Steve discusses a persuasion blunder that he recently experienced in the real estate industry.  The moral of the story?  Know your product inside and out so you can act quickly...or you may lose the deal.  Kurt then features a ninja who has learned how to tame one of the toughest hecklers of door to door salespeople: dogs.