Maximize Your Influence

When presenting, especially to a group, it's often impossible to know what personality type your audience is.  That's why it's important to use the T.E.S.S. system (testimoinals, examples, stories, and statistics).  This allows you as the presenter to speak the language of everybody in your audience.  Most people in an audience will relate to stories.  However, there are always others who prefer to be convinced with statistics, testimonials, and examples.  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss how to implement this system into your presentation and sales pitches. 

Whether it's to just one person or a staduim full of people, all persuaders are presenters.  Presenting involves taking the stage or spotlight to persuade others to accept your idea or product.  We've all been in presentations before that were boring, offensive, and ineffective.  Conversely, we've all been in presentations that have completely captivated us and put us in the mood to be persuaded.  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss how preparing to present is half the battle.  They three time tested methods that will help you prepare to present with power. 

Have you ever had a day where you didn't feel like doing something you KNOW you needed to do?  How about everyday?  The fact is sometimes we just don't have the emotional gas in the tank to do something that we know we need to do on the logical level.  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article by Harvard Business Review that gives some great tips on getting past this motivation hurdle that impedes all of us.  They also get into how to effectively use humor in persuasion, as well as some recent peruasion blunders...and ninjas...associated with the Winter Olympics. 

Have you ever been involved in a negotiation with somebody and wondered "can we just drop the facade?  can we drop the formalities and get to the point here?"  Well, the answer is no.  When negotiating or persuading, many times people expect the ritual.  They expect the "dance."  While it may seem like skipping the formalities will get things done faster remember: persuasion is a people business and people are emotional.  In this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss some ways to effectively go through the negotiation process and quickly get the best outcome.

Have you ever walked into a business and just had a bad feeling from the start?  Chances are, the owner of that business did not know how to effectively use "The Law of Association."  On this epsiode, Kurt and Steve discuss how you can leverage color, smell, and music to your advantage...even if your business is done exclusively over the phone. 

When it comes to effectively persuasing others, the most difficult obstacle to overcome is often ourselves.  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss how we can control and even eliminate beliefs that may be holding us back.  In light of the upcoming Winter Olympics, they also discuss some of the visualization techniques used by professional athletes and how we can use those same techniques in our lives and businesses. 

We've all heard that "assuming the sale" is one of the most effective persuasion tactics out there.   But how does one avoid crossing the line from "confidence" to "shallow and transparent?"  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss the Law of Expectation and how persuaders can assume the sale without offending their prospects.  They also put to bed a few myths about "neuro linguistic programming." 

Have you ever had the great displeasure of dealing with somebody who could never admit they were wrong?  Or somebody who was constantly full of themselves?  On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article by Harvard Business Review that revealed "why we love narcissists."  The points from the article reveal that many narcissists have characteristics that attribute to great leaders.  So while they may be frustrating to deal with, we can certainly learn from them.  Kurt and Steve also discuss the Law of Obligation and how it can be used to create a sense of indebtedness with our prospects and customers. 

We've all seen it: a late night infomercial parading testimonial after testimonial across the screen.  After watching for a few minutes, we inevitably think "wow, if that guy can do it, why can't I?"  When used effectively, testimonials give clients the courage to make decisions.  Testimonials should be credible, believeable, attributable.  In this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss how you can ramp up your testimonials to get results in your business asap. 

It's a well known fact that humans look to others to validate their own actions.  On episode 22, Kurt and Steve discuss how this powerful concept of "Social Validation" can be used to create massive action when it comes to persuasion.  Prospects can be trained to behave a certain way through marketing and sales efforts...a way that makes your job as a salesperson or business owner that much easier.  Kurt and Steve also discuss a recent study about how our relationshiops with others effects our body image.