The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Chris Rawlinson, founder of 42 Courses, a company he started because he believes learning should be a fun interactive journey of discovery. It’s not about being right or wrong because, in fact, sometimes the best way to learn is to be wrong. Learning is about interest and engagement and enjoyment. And much like a great holiday, it’s often more about the journey itself. Chris took insights from a varied background to create online courses that people actually enjoy and complete. In an industry with standard completion rates of less than 10 percent, how does 42 Courses hover around 80 percent? They have incorporated behavioral science and psychology to help ensure a great experience that keeps people learning and coming back again and again? Listen in for tips to incorporate into your own courses. Show Notes: [00:42] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Chris Rawlinson, founder of 42 Courses, a company he started because he believes, "learning should be a fun interactive journey of discovery.” (Agreed!) [03:31] Chris shares about himself, his background, and how he found himself in this space.  [05:00] Why 42?  [07:01] Many of the courses are behavioral science-specific or have behavioral science in them. People need to upscale their creativity, problem-solving, and wellness.  [09:21] Having a limited number of courses at any time makes it so it is easier for people to make a choice and learn something.  [11:03] Chris shares about the framing experiment they did with their pricing.  [13:04] Disney Plus had a price increase and said that it is $1.99 per day instead of the overall price. Chris and Melina discuss the ups and downs of this approach. [15:43] With education you will value the course more if you pay more money. [18:35] For a lot of companies, the best thing they can do is increase their pricing.  [20:20] He started 42 Courses to make great learning that is really enjoyable for people.  [22:47] They have a team on the back end that is moderating all the responses instead of making that automated. (Wow!) [25:08] Their courses offer real-world feedback from real people. They tried to integrate as many things as they could that they learned from behavioral science into all of their courses.  [26:18] They have a much higher completion rate than most of their competitors.  The average completion rate for an e-learning course for around 7-9%.  [27:07] Right now their completion rate is 82%, but it fluctuates between 70-100%.  [29:19] They are rolling out an update so when you join it will show you where you are in your country. It is much more motivating than showing all the users. [31:10] Everyone learns differently.  [33:32] Whatever you are doing online, in particular, if you are doing continuous education, it needs to be short, stackable, and bit-sized.  [34:35] The only way we remember things is through stories.  [37:29] Splitting things up into little lessons which have a mixture of easy and hard stuff really works.  [40:32] Should you get progressively harder only or mix in some easy stuff? [41:52] In most education settings online you are missing the interactions with peers after the lecture, so they created and added opinion-based questions. [44:18] We do need community, but the community side of things needs to be at a certain breakpoint.  [46:56] There are ways to have those “water cooler” moments that can help get the value of what was happening and bring it into a virtual space.  [49:21] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [52:31] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Alchemy, by Rory Sutherland The Behavior Business, by Richard Chataway The Voltage Effect, by John List The Choice Factory, by Richard Shotton Nudge, by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein Connect with Chris:  42 Courses Website 42 Courses on Twitter Chris on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem  (episode 126) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Framing (episode 16) Peak-End Rule (episode 97) Surprise & Delight (episode 60) Paradox of Choice (episode 171) Disney: A Behavioral Economics Analysis (episode 144) Partitioning (episode 58) Scarcity (episode 14) Incentives - The "N" In NUDGES (episode 36) Social Proof (episode 87) Relativity (episode 12) The Network Effect (episode 106) The Truth About Pricing (episode 5) Behavioural Science Club: Interview with Co-Founder Louise Ward (episode 118) Using Behavioral Science to Tackle Addiction (and the Lessons for any Business), Interview with Richard Chataway (episode 134) The Voltage Effect with John List (episode 190) The Power of Story, an Interview with Dr. Michelle Auerbach (episode 145) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter  Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

As a lover of questions, I get asked a lot of things on all sorts of topics. One that comes up often is this idea about machine learning, AI, big data, data analytics, and how it combines with the behavioral sciences. Is there an overlap or are they competing? How can they work together?  Around the same time as I was prepping to be part of a debate at the Insights Association’s CONVERGE conference on a similar topic, I had my conversation and interview with Manuj Aggarwal. He went from making $2/day to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies as a business mentor. He now has four patents, two published books, and more than 180K students across the globe. He has worked with multiple businesses including Microsoft, Pearson, IBM, and many others. He even developed an AI-based system to help students avoid dropping out of degree programs that were praised and mentioned by Barack Obama and Bill Gates. He is the host of the Bootstrapping Your Dreams podcast, where I was honored to be a guest recently and I am delighted to have him with me here on the show to talk about the value of AI and how it can overlap with behavioral science. Listen in as we discuss all about combining AI with behavioral science. You don’t want to miss the many great insights!  Show Notes: [00:08] I'm delighted to introduce you to Manuj Aggarwal to discuss the opportunity of combining AI with behavioral science. [01:07] In December 2021 I (Melina) had the honor of being part of a debate put on at the Insights Association's CONVERGE conference where my team was arguing that "When it comes to capturing consumer insights, AI is never going to work." [03:59] Manuj shares about himself and the work that he does. [06:42] We are all experts in something and we are always trying to improve ourselves.  [07:17] Technology moves at a very rapid pace.  [10:18] Blockchain can decentralize and negotiate that trust between us as a technology; we don’t need the bank or any third party. Instead, we can put our promise on a blockchain, and when that promise is fulfilled the technology is going to complete that transaction.  [11:35] Manuj shares two of his favorite projects. The first project was a mining project they did with UPS. [13:27] In the second project they applied behavioral science and AI with universities to keep students from dropping out of their degree programs after the first year. The system they created was talked about and supported by Barack Obama and Bill Gates. (Awesome!) [15:47] It is about understanding what people are thinking and what the reference point is that they have in their mind to get that concept.  [16:20] We need to find out the objective and work backward.  [18:38] Monitoring the data and enhancing the models in real-time lets things get even more accurate.  [20:10] Instead of focusing on the problem you think exists, they start by asking, “What are the results you are looking for?’ [21:15] Figure out what the result is that you are looking for and then work backward on the root cause.  [23:50] There are so many common problems that people are having. Scaling happens gradually.  [25:46] There has never been a greater time than this to create a globally scalable company or solution.     [26:34] At the fundamental level when we break open AI it is actually a network of networks.  [28:33] You have to clean the data and you have to continuously do many experiments to fine-tune your data.  [30:09] You don’t have to become an AI expert to apply it.  [32:12] As a business owner or individual, you need to look for repeated patterns in real life and that is where AI can be really helpful to optimize a business.  [33:03] Not sure where to start? Look at some repeated patterns where something happens consecutively three times.  [35:41] 95% of our decisions are made by our subconscious mind.  [36:44] Mediation allows you to connect with other human beings at a much more meaningful level.  [38:08] Mediation is really about unplugging and doing something that you would do any day of the week for the sake of having fun.  [41:34] The script needs to be flipped around. First, we need to feel fulfilled and happy and clear off all these negative emotions which then leads to amazing opportunities. (Melina calls this “calming the elephant” often) [43:46] It is all about having conversations, building connections, and relationships.  [45:08] Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.  [46:17] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [49:05] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: The Voltage Effect, by John List The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey Subtract, by Leidy Klotz Nudge, by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein A More Beautiful Question, by Warren Berger     Connect with Manuj:  Manuj’s Website Manuj on Twitter Manuj on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: The Voltage Effect with John List (episode 190) Already Heard That One? Try These:  The Network Effect (episode 106) Herding (episode 19) Familiarity Bias (episode 149) The Speed and Economics of Trust, an Interview with Stephen M.R. Covey (episode 148) Priming (episode 18) The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem  (episode 126) Availability Bias (episode 15) Combining Artificial Intelligence and Behavioral Economics, with Sam Albert of Behaviorally (episode 166) When Machine Learning Meets Neuroscience, with Ingrid Nieuwenhuis of Alpha.One (episode 170) The Brainy Benefits of Gratitude (episode 76) How To Set Up Your Own Experiments (episode 63) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Bootstrapping Your Dreams Show Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Were you a fan of The DaVinci Code? I loved that book, and quickly read everything by Dan Brown, which led to a fascination with the world of signs and symbols. I never really thought about how that aligns with my love of brain associations and behavioral economics, but they are very much rooted in the same fascinating topic.  When I was introduced to Rachel Lawes, by recent guest Elina Halonen, and I got to check out her first book Using Semiotics in Marketing and then an early read of this new book Using Semiotics in Retail, I was hooked and knew I had to share it with you all here on the show. Rachel is here to talk about the ins and outs of semiotics, and some fun stories about how they impact us all the time even when we might not realize it. I really love everything to do with semiotics and I think you will too.  One of my favorite insights from our conversation is, “Where there is choice, there is meaning.” Take a moment to ruminate on that, and let’s start the show. Show Notes: [00:47] Sometimes things come up that get me beyond fascinated and this is one of those episodes. It is because of the entire field of semiotics. Signs, symbols, and brain associations and how they impact businesses and buying decisions, it is truly fascinating.  [03:15] Rachel shares about herself and her background, and how she got into the field of semiotics. As a social psychologist, she is all about relationships and how people communicate with each other. [04:24] Semiotics starts out from the view that people in conversation with each other actively and cooperatively build and construct versions of reality.   [06:24] Semiotics is the study of how people interpret and make sense of signs.  [08:15] Rachel shares about the Game Stop stock market saga.   [10:47] Millions of people bought shares in Game Stop with the result that by January of 2021 it was one of the most high-ranking businesses in the world in terms of its shares.  [13:07] Game Stop is a great story about business and how people create meaning amongst themselves.  [16:01] People were very quick to use the tools of language to create a sense of group identity.  [19:01] It simply changed the rules of the game because the stock market was not designed that way.  [21:05] Rachel shares the story from her book about a jam business gone terribly wrong.  [23:41] She went to the jam business and took photos to find out what was keeping people away. [24:03] An essential question in semiotics is “Where have I seen this before?”  [25:13] She shares her findings when she visited the jam business. (Listen for a laugh!) [28:07] When you hear it all explained, it sounds classy, but when you get the comparison you can see the flaws.   [28:57] Trust your instincts. If there is something making you uncomfortable, you need to take that seriously until you find out what that is.  [30:12] “Where have I seen this before?” is one of Rachel’s favorite questions because it is one that her clients can start to use right away. It is also user-friendly for people just beginning semiotics.  [30:45] Where there is choice, there is meaning.  [31:19] She shares an example of Donald Trump’s hair.  [33:50] Rachel shares the hilarious videos of Jeff Bezos and Leonardo DiCaprio. [36:56] No matter how much money you have, money will never trump good looks. [40:32] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [41:42] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Using Semiotics in Retail, by Rachel Lawes Using Semiotics in Marketing, by Rachel Lawes The Power of Us, by Dominic Packer & Jay Van Bavel Elements of Choice, by Eric Johnson The Experience Maker, by Dan Gingiss Connect with Rachel:  Lawes Consulting Rachel on Twitter Rachel on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: The Power of Metaphors for Brands with Olson Zaltman’s Malcolm and Hannibal Brooks (episode 181) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Priming (episode 18) The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126) Behavioral Blueprint, including COM-B and MOVE models with Elina Halonen (episode 188) A Guide for You to Create a Brainy Brand (episode 43) The Sense of Sight (episode 24) The Sense of Smell  (episode 25) The Sense of Hearing (episode 27) The Sense of Taste (episode 26) The Sense of Touch (episode 28) Herding (episode 19) The Power of Us with Dr. Dominic Packer (episode 178) Peak-End Rule (episode 97) Surprise and Delight (episode 60) How to Create Remarkable Experiences with Dan Gingiss (episode 185) Availability Bias (episode 15) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. John List, former chief economist at Uber, current chief economist at Lyft, professor at the University of Chicago, co-author of the wildly popular book, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life, who is here talking about his newest book, which just came out a couple of days ago, titled The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale. In this episode, we talk about ideas that can scale, possible hurdles you may face when scaling, and how to overcome those obstacles. John shares about his brand new book and the five vital signs to vett your own ideas as you are growing to determine if they will scale, and what to do for those that might not be ready to scale yet. Listen in to learn all about making those good ideas great and your great ideas scale! Show Notes: [00:42] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. John List. Former Chief Economist at Uber, current Chief Economist at Lyft, and professor at the University of Chicago.  [02:38] John shares about himself and his background in behavioral economics.  [03:18] He quit on his dream to be a professional golfer to pursue his new dream in economics.  [05:29] After learning he would take the lessons in many cases from the classroom and use them in the real world.   [07:19] He hasn’t been to all the baseball stadiums yet, but nearly all of them.  [08:42] John shares the moment he started becoming more interested in scaling when he started a preschool and created his own curriculum. [10:59] Turning a mountain into a molehill.  [12:23] We very rarely say, “Are we doing something that is scalable?” and “What do we need to do differently in our original research if we find the program works to make it scale?”  [14:12] A constant thread in all of his walks of life is that you can only make big changes at scale.  [16:58] There are five important vital signs that any idea has to have a chance to scale.  [17:49] Just because your idea doesn’t check all five boxes doesn't mean you shouldn’t still go for it.   [20:01] Vital Sign 1: Make sure your idea actually has voltage before you try to scale it.  [21:14] Vital Sign 2: know your audience.  [24:41] His group developed a new product called Uber Apologies. Apologies really only work for new users.  [27:09] Vital Sign 3: Understand your situation. [29:05] Look at all of the constraints and flaws at scale and bring that back to the original research. With those constraints in place, do we have an idea that can still work? [30:18] Vital Sign 4: the spillover effect.  [32:06] His team rolled out tipping at Uber in the summer of 2017.  [34:35] Vital Sign 5: understand whether your idea has economies of scale or diseconomies of scale. Anything that has made it big has great economies of scale.  [37:28] The context or the properties of the situation are super important.  [38:02] Poke and prod and figure out where the weaknesses are. What are the nonnegotiables and if those aren’t available at scale then you have to change your idea and refine.  [40:53] We have a finite number of days we get to live on this earth and we only have so many ways to change it and make it better. Why not give yourself your best shot? [42:38] The second half of the book is using storytelling and standard ways to think economically to make better decisions in your life.  [45:09] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [47:16] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: The Voltage Effect, by John List The Why Axis, by John List & Uri Gneezy The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey Start at the End, by Matt Wallaert Subtract, by Leidy Klotz Connect with John:  John on Twitter John’s University of Chicago Faculty Page John on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: The Network Effect (episode 106) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Confirmation Bias (episode 102) Survivorship Bias (episode 110) The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126) Framing (episode 16) Anchoring (episode 11) 3 Steps to Better Decision Making, An Interview with Matthew Confer (episode 158) The Hawthorne Effect (episode 117) How To Set Up Your Own Experiments (episode 63) Using Ethnography to Understand Your Customers and Staff, an interview with Felicity Heathcote-Marcz (episode 137) Amazon: A Behavioral Economics Analysis Episode (episode 159) A Behavioral Economics Analysis of Costco (episode 47) Disney: A Behavioral Economics Analysis (episode 144) Peloton: A Behavioral Economics Analysis (episode 86) Starbucks: A Behavioral Economics Analysis (episode 73) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Zoe Chance. She got her Ph.D. in marketing at Harvard and has taught at Yale's School of Management for over 10 years. She has done a TEDx on how to make behavior addictive, and has been featured on NBC News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Washington Post, Fast Company and so many more amazing places. She is here today to discuss her fantastically awesome new book, Influence Is Your Superpower, which officially comes out on February 1, 2022. I had the honor of reading this book early and let me tell you, you want this book. Hit pause, go place your order and come on back to listen to the conversation. Listen in as we talk about how you can actually have fun in your work and break the rules a little. We also talk about Zoe’s “No” challenge and her magic question. So much goodness… you don’t want to miss it!  Show Notes: [00:43] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Zoe Chance. She got her Ph.D. in marketing at Harvard and has taught at Yale's School of Management for over 10 years. [03:02] Zoe shares about herself and how she got into the world of behavioral science. She teaches at Yale’s School of Management and the book that she wrote is based on the course she teaches (the most popular in the business school!).  [05:57] Rejection doesn’t kill you. If you are not getting rejected it means you are playing small.  [07:27] “No” is so hard for people to say and it is so hard for people to hear.  [08:24] When we are comfortable saying no we are helping other people be more comfortable saying no.  [09:36] “‘No.’ is a complete sentence. ‘No, thank you.’ is a polite complete sentence.” [11:32] Why it is empowering to just say, “No, thank you.” [12:10] She has her students do a 24-hour “No” challenge where for 24 hours they say no to everything and everyone. The results are always surprising. [14:18] Nobody is going to dislike you for asking for something or rejecting a request if you do it in a warm way.  [16:49] If you have shorter chapters between your longer ones rather than a smaller number of long chapters, the book feels easier to read so you get more momentum going through.  [17:37] We're setting people’s expectations and influencing their experiences by the names and frames that we give.  [19:55] In her book, Zoe wanted her readers to know that they don’t have to do things the way everyone else is doing them and you can question all the norms and rules and do the thing that feels good and is fun to you.  [20:26] Zoe shares about her visit to the Harry Potter Studios outside of London and the impact it had on her. Melina chimes in with her experience as well! [23:06] If you ever have a chance to do the London Harry Potter Studio tour Zoe and Melina both highly recommend it.  [24:17] Zoe shares about the psychological illusionist Derren Brown.  [26:28] In The Invisible Gorilla, you are focusing on one thing which is asking your brain to ignore everything else.  [27:27] Magicians are masters at directing attention and framing what we pay attention to.  [29:54] The Apocalypse, is Derren (and Zoe’s) favorite show of his. He persuades the friends and family of a selfish loser to have him believe the end of the world is happening and there is a zombie apocalypse. He steps up as a hero.  [31:31] People want to say yes to you.  [33:45] The magic question is “What would it take?” [34:36] When the other person tells you what it would take, they’re implicitly committing to supporting that outcome if you follow the road map.  [36:32] Zoe’s book, Influence Is Your Superpower is a personal journey of transformation to becoming someone that people want to say yes to.  [38:22] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [39:03] When you are having fun people can sense it and it makes them more likely to be attracted to what you’re doing. [40:04] I challenge you to take Zoe’s “No” Challenge – say no to everything for the next 24 hours (after you buy her book of course-ha!).  [42:06] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Influence Is Your Superpower, by Zoe Chance Influence (New & Expanded), by Robert Cialdini How to Change, by Katy Milkman The Invisible Gorilla, by Christopher Chabris & Daniel Simons The Experience Maker, by Dan Gingiss Connect with Zoe:  Zoe’s Website Zoe on LinkedIn Zoe on Twitter Top Recommended Next Episode: Dr. Robert Cialdini and the (Now!) 7 Principles of Persuasion (episode 157) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Priming (episode 18) The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126) How To Change, an interview Dr. Katy Milkman (episode 151) IKEA Effect (episode 112) How to Create Remarkable Experiences with Dan Gingiss Framing (episode 16) Vision Does Not Happen In The Eyes, But In The Brain - On The Sense of Sight (episode 24) Peak-End Rule (episode 97) Surprise and Delight (episode 60) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Zoe’s Yale Faculty Page How to Make a Behavior Addictive: Zoë Chance at TEDxMillRiver Derren Brown, The Apocalypse Derren Brown, Perfect Present Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Elina Halonen, a behavioral insights strategist who has worked in the space for 15 years and co-founded a London-based insights consultancy working with global brands on branding, communications, and product/service development projects. She has expertise in behavioural analysis & design, consumer insights & market research, Cultural understanding, desk research & trends, branding & marketing strategy, and more.  Today on the show we talk a little about the COM-B and MOVE models, as well as Elina pre-committing to us all that she is going to write a book, called the Behavioural Blueprint! COM-B is for: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior. MOVE is for: Meanings, Observations, Viewpoints, and Experiences. We dive into what these models mean, a couple of examples, and so many other great topics. Show Notes: [00:40] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Elina Halonen, a behavioral insights strategist who has worked in the space for 15 years and co-founded a London-based insights consultancy working with global companies on branding, communications, and product/service development projects. [03:13] Elina and Melina have been connected on LinkedIn for years and officially meeting for the first time for this interview!  [03:53] Elina shares about herself and her background.  [05:15] For the last couple of years she has worked as an independent consultant and has worked with various research agencies.  [08:02] Tips for starting a business in an emerging market? Find a niche where you can raise awareness for what you do. Some areas are easier than others. Find a way to educate the market. [09:52] You will need a lot of creativity to promote yourself and what you do.  [12:07] If you pick what you are going to do, you have to be all-in on that thing for at least a year to give it a chance to be successful.  [14:55] Elina’s first degrees were in marketing and it was always about consumer behavior.  [16:42] All of business is a long game.  [17:22] Give information generously. Make sure you add value to people. [20:31] She works with market research agencies and brings her behavioral science expertise.  [22:19] There are different ways of talking about behavioral science depending on what it is you are doing. It is not one size fits all.   [23:01] When they do a project, they think about the target behavior, what is the business objective, and what behaviors do they want to influence or change.  [25:04] Elina shares her commitment to writing her book, Behavioral Blueprint. Hold her accountable on Twitter. (handles below) [27:51] Melina shares her tips for writing a book, including to break it down and just get started.  [28:39] Break it down into chapters and look at what content you already have that fits that information and start segmenting it in.  [31:34] Bringing cultural psychology into behavioral change is becoming increasingly important.  [33:45] She has an intuitive process of looking at things in a certain way that is her Behavioral Blueprint.  [35:02] Start by looking at the situation and accessing what you are up against. [35:44] She is a big fan of the COM-B model: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior. [36:46] There is a huge amount of context that applied behavioral science often ignores.  [39:11] When she is analyzing or trying to organize things she likes to make it logical.  [41:54] Solving the wrong problem is very common and very human. Not spending enough time identifying the problem is the biggest mistake Melina sees companies make.  [43:37] Elina shares her blog post that she wrote about Netflix solving the wrong problem.  [45:10] Everything you do has an opportunity cost. We need to be sure we are solving the right problem first. It is the foundation of everything we do.  [48:03] We need to understand someone’s logic empathically, putting ourselves in their shoes before we try to change their behavior.  [50:53] There are just some ways of spending money that is socially acceptable and some that aren’t.  [51:15] Never assume you understand why someone does something because you don’t.  [53:45] It’s not about you, it’s about the audience. Could it help someone else? [54:35] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [56:19] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Engaged, by Amy Bucher Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely Semiotics in Marketing, by Rachel Lawes Get it Done, by Ayelet Fishbach What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You, by Melina Palmer Connect with Elina:  Square Peg Insights Elina on LinkedIn Elina on Twitter Top Recommended Next Episode: The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Reciprocity (episode 23) Dan Ariely Interview: Discussing Shapa, the Numberless Scale (episode 101) Framing (episode 16) Survivorship Bias (episode 110) What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You: All About Melina’s First Book (episode 147) How to Set, Achieve & Exceed Brainy Goals (episode 70) Precommitment (episode 120) Time Pressure  (episode 74) The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making (episode 32) https://thebrainybusiness.com/podcast/164-how-businesses-can-design-for-behavior-change-with-dr-amy-bucher/ How To Set Up Your Own Experiments (episode 63) Confirmation Bias (episode 102) Interview with Rachel Lawes (episode 191) coming Feb. 11! Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  De-Mystifying COM-B And How It Can Be Used In Research The MOVE Framework: Meanings, Observations, Viewpoints, and Experiences in processes of Social Change Squared Away Newsletter Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Kurt Nelson, one of the cohosts of Behavioral Grooves as well as the president and founder of The Lantern Group.  In our conversation today we dig into motivation and incentivizing people at work and how to align that with your company strategy. We discuss how simple, seemingly “obvious” things can cause miscommunications so easily, like the word “grooves” in Behavioral Grooves. Tim and Kurt had many conversations about the name and agreed to it and were doing their first interview when they realized they had totally different ideas of that context - ha! Listen in to hear the full story. Kurt also shares his top podcasting tips and advice for anyone thinking about starting their own show. He shares so many great insights in our conversation, you definitely want to make sure to listen in.  Show Notes: [00:41] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Kurt Nelson, one of the cohosts of Behavioral Grooves as well as the president and founder of The Lantern Group. [02:17] Recently, Tim and Kurt did a session in the BE Thoughtful Revolution - watch the replay. [03:26] Kurt shares about himself and his background. He is a behavioral scientist and he has been working in the field for 20+ years.  [05:04] Discussion on the music piece of Behavioral Grooves (and an interesting miscommunication that can teach you about business).  [07:43] There are over 260 episodes of the Behavioral Grooves podcast.    [09:34] Melina believes that Abbey Road by The Beatles is the greatest album ever.  [12:25] Sometimes we get constrained by our own knowledge. The idea of not knowing allows you to be more expansive in your thoughts about what could be. [13:40] People get limited not only by their expertise, but also by their history. [15:33] The interesting piece about business and the world is that it is constantly evolving, shifting, and changing. What worked last year might not work this year. The context changes by company and year.   [17:31] Co-hosts work on a podcast if you have a clear understanding and respect for each other. You also need to have an understanding of who is doing different roles.  [18:59] Consistency is key!  [20:18] As a host you have to bring a unique perspective to the story they are telling and ask them the right questions.  [22:04] A lot of the work Kurt does focuses on applying a behavioral science lens inside of organizations and trying to help the company understand the drivers of an employee’s behavior and the motivation behind that behavior. They usually start with a behavioral audit.  [24:06] A big gap is almost always communication. You can have the best incentive plan, total rewards, and structure in place, but if people don’t understand it or buy into it, you are missing a big opportunity. [26:27] Kurt shares two of his corporate projects. They looked at the current programs they had in place and what behaviors they were driving.  [28:26] Companies want the behaviors the incentive plans and rewards programs are driving to align with the company strategy.  [29:03] The pandemic has been a real game-changer for many organizations.  [30:14] You need to treat your employees as humans. Understand what you can do as a manager to allow that human-centeredness of your employees to really be there and that you are bringing in the elements of listening, care, empathy, and concern.  [32:19] Understanding incentives becomes even more important when people are working remotely.  [32:39] The incentives need to match the audience you are currently trying to appeal to.   [34:43] That alignment with your incentives and your audience might mean you might have to exclude a certain group of people. [35:47] Get the philosophy aligned with where you want to go before you even start to think about the specifics of how your rewards, incentives, and communication all go into play.  [36:50] In business we often think we are on the same page, but there are so many different perspectives that didn’t even come into your brain.  [39:03] There is a real value of bringing someone in that isn’t a part of the organization to do some of this work.  [41:47] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [42:22] Join my free community, the BE Thoughtful Revolution. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Friction, by Roger Dooley Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely Finding Confidence in Conflict, by Kwame Christian Never Go With Your Gut, by Gleb Tsipursky Good Habits, Bad Habits, by Wendy Wood Connect with Kurt:  Behavioral Grooves Website Lantern Group Website Kurt on Twitter Top Recommended Next Episode: Secrets of Motivation and Incentives, Tim Houlihan Interview (episode 109) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Only 1% of People Blow the Whistle at Work—How to Fix That, with Nuala Walsh (episode 153) How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race & Inequality: Interview with Kwame Christian  (episode 107) Dan Ariely Interview: Discussing Shapa, the Numberless Scale (episode 101) Anchoring (episode 11) Incentives - The "N" In NUDGES (episode 36) How to Avoid Disasters When Returning to the Office, with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky (episode 175) Status Quo Bias (episode 142) Friction - What It Is And How To Reduce It, with Roger Dooley (episode 72) Framing (episode 16) Priming (episode 18) Loss Aversion (episode 9) The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making (episode 32) Herding (episode 19) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Texas A&M Certificate Program Melina on Behavioral Grooves episode 109 Melina on Behavioral Grooves episode 242 Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Ayelet Fishbach. She is the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the past president of the Society for the Study of Motivation and the International Social Cognition Network (ISCON). She is an expert on motivation and decision making and the author of the brand new book, which just released this week called Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.   Of course, Ayelet’s insights are valuable all year round, but it is very much intentional to have this as the first episode of the year. This really is the time of year where people are thinking about goals and motivation. Your New Year’s resolutions are still hopefully intact, and you can increase your chances of meeting and exceeding them with these insights from Ayelet. Regardless of when you listen, it’s always a good opportunity to set and achieve a new goal. After all, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life. 😉 She shares so many top tips for getting it done this year…you don’t want to miss it!  Show Notes: [00:42] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Ayelet Fishbach,  the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the past president of the Society for the Study of Motivation and the International Social Cognition Network (ISCON). [01:17] Ayelet’s groundbreaking research on human motivation has won her several international awards, including the Society of Experimental Social Psychology’s Best Dissertation Award and Career Trajectory Award, and the Fulbright Educational Foundation Award. [04:18] Ayelet shares her background and how she got into the space of motivation science.  [07:02] Our circumstances often influence what we achieve in life and sometimes we are lucky to have situations where our personal interests fit what people are starting to be interested in around you.  [07:57] She started her research with an interest in self-control and the question on her mind was how people respond when they learn that there is an upcoming problem. For example, will you eat more or less when you know in advance that the food at the party will be delicious and tempting? 🤔  [09:22] Her Ph.D. dissertation research was testing if the anticipation of knowing temptation was coming made people better able to combat these temptations. [11:05] Thinking through problems and knowing what obstacles are going to happen to allow you to create a plan to keep yourself motivated and on track.  [13:52] Ayelet’s new book is called Get It Done. She shares how the book cover came about.  [17:33] Ayelet’s book takes a very different approach by starting with a cautionary tale about Everest.  [19:19] Choosing the right goal is critical. Have a healthy relationship with your goals.  [21:56] We need to move from setting unhealthy extreme goals for our lives.  [22:37] Setting goals can also have downsides.  [24:58] More than half of the New Year’s resolutions that people set are working out and eating healthy.  [26:04] The predictor of success for our New Year’s resolution is how much pleasure we find in the path of pursuing the goal. So plan accordingly.  [26:40] It has to be somewhat rewarding as you do it and you have to find a path that is fun and rewarding along the way.  [28:47] We don’t have a lot of empathy for our future selves. We think that our future self will do what is important to her.  [29:42] The number one mistake in setting resolutions is setting it to some ideal version of yourself that is not who you are.  [31:45] Do the mental simulation of how it will feel to do your resolution all year. Then think about how you can make it more fun.  [34:05] Ayelet shares why something like Pokémon GO! can be valuable for goal achievement of being healthier or walking more. It allows you to get the steps, connect with other people, and connect to your childhood.  [35:16] Make your activities rewarding in the moment so you are excited to do them. [36:41] The problem with avoidance goals is that they are not exciting and they bring to mind the thing you are trying to avoid.  [37:28] You need to consider, “What should I do so I don’t do the thing I don’t want to do? What should I think about that is helpful to me?” Framing things as what you should do is almost always better.  [40:04] When people think about healthy food in a tasty way, they are better able to actually eat the healthy food.  [41:25] She shares a wine example that comes from thinking about how people resolve tradeoffs.  [43:42] Ayelet shares the four buckets all goals need to have so you have a better chance of achieving them. [45:01] The last element is social support. Who in your life is going to help you with your goal? It is so critical that people around us are supportive.  [47:34] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [49:53] Check out and subscribe to Brainy Bites — now on LinkedIn! [52:16] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Get It Done, by Ayelet Fishbach How To Change, by Katy Milkman Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely The Power of Us, by Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer Good Habits, Bad Habits, by Wendy Wood Connect with Ayelet:  Ayelet’s Website Ayelet on Twitter Ayelet on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: Temptation Bundling (episode 136) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Priming (episode 18) Get Your D.O.S.E. of Brain Chemicals (episode 123) How To Change, an interview Dr. Katy Milkman (episode 151) Dan Ariely Interview: Discussing Shapa, the Numberless Scale (episode 101) The Power of Us with Dr. Dominic Packer (episode 178) Framing (episode 16) How to Set, Achieve & Exceed Brainy Goals (episode 70) Good Habits, Bad Habits: An Interview with Wendy Wood (episode 127) Expect Error: The "E" in NUDGES (episode 39) Give Feedback: The "G" in NUDGES (episode 40) Resolutions and Keeping Commitments (episode 29) Time Discounting (episode 51) The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making (episode 32) How to Get (and Stay) Motivated (episode 67) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter  Texas A&M Self-Control Research Could Help You Stick With Your New Year’s Resolutions University of Chicago, Chicago Booth School of Business Faculty Directory: Ayelet Fishbach Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

Today I am beyond delighted to introduce you to my friend Dan Gingiss to talk about how to create remarkable experiences that your customers can’t wait to share. Dan is an international keynote speaker and coach who believes that a remarkable customer experience is your best sales and marketing strategy.  His 20-year professional career included leadership positions at McDonald’s, Discover, and Humana. He is the author of two books, including The Experience Maker which we will discuss today, and is the host of two shows, the Experience This! podcast and The Experience Maker LinkedIn live show.  While Dan’s insights are valuable at any time, it is very much intentional to have this as the last episode of the year. This is a time many reflect on the year that has just ended and think about what they will be doing next. If your plan doesn’t already include an improved customer experience and having a business that people can’t wait to share about, it should. Listen to today’s episode as you consider your customer experience and look to improve it in the new year.  Show Notes: [00:39] Today I am beyond delighted to introduce you to my friend Dan Gingiss to talk about how to create remarkable experiences that your customers can’t wait to share. [03:36] Dan shares his experience speaking at Social Media Marketing World for the first time.   [04:30] Dan shares his background of 20 plus years in corporate America.  [05:04] We all know that word of mouth is the holy grail of marketing. It is much better when someone is saying nice things about us than if we are saying nice things about ourselves.  [05:29] A remarkable customer experience is your best marketing strategy.  [08:34] We have so much data on our customers that we don’t use and we forget to come back to.  [11:03] Experience can happen anywhere. It is about knowing when to provide the right experience when your customers need it most or don’t expect it.  [13:47] There are so many little things that we can do. Some people may advocate to only focus on one side, but Dan (and Melina!) suggest you both get rid of pain points and create positive moments.  [14:26] If we keep focusing on the little things, they absolutely add up to something amazing.  [15:48] We have got to empower all of our employees to truly believe they are in the customer experience business.  [16:56] Become a customer of your own business.  [18:49] Remove pain points and create peaks in your customer journey.  [20:08] If your customer is frustrated with your company, they are going to be more open to a TV commercial or social media ad for your competitor.  [22:16] The WISER Methodology teaches you how to create the kinds of experiences that people want to talk about. You have to be intentional about the experience to make it so someone wants to share it.  [22:55] W stands for witty, I is immersive, S is sharable, E is extraordinary and R is responsive.  [25:18] Millennials and Gen Z in particular want a relationship with the brands they spend their hard-earned money with. In order to have a relationship, you have to have human interaction.  [26:48] We don’t have to delight in the same way every time.   [28:57] There is a part of every business where either you do it the same way as everybody else or the same way it has always been done and you can turn it into something that can be an experience when people least expect it.  [30:43] Whenever you can play to peoples’ kids or pets, you are going to hit them in the heart.  [32:36] There are lots of opportunities, but we just have to seize them and look for chances when people don’t expect it.  [35:07] With gift-giving, make sure you are giving a gift you would like to receive (i.e. don’t slap a giant logo on your “gift”).  [37:00] Shareable is the end goal and it has to be strategic and intentional.  [39:27] There are so many opportunities where we can kick it up a little notch and do something unique—it is a great way to stand out. You don’t have to spend more, just spend differently.  [40:39] Look for ways to make work more fun and enjoyable.  [42:37] Every communication is an opportunity.  [45:36] Melina shares her closing thoughts.  [48:28] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!) Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! More from The Brainy Business: 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉 Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: The Experience Maker, by Dan Gingiss Start At The End, by Matt Wallaert Giftology, by John Ruhlin Choice Hacking, by Jennifer Clinehens Friction, by Roger Dooley Connect with Dan:  Dan’s Website Dan on Twitter Dan on LinkedIn Top Recommended Next Episode: Surprise and Delight (episode 60) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Dr. Robert Cialdini and the (Now!) 7 Principles of Persuasion (episode 157) Friction - What It Is And How To Reduce It, with Roger Dooley (episode 72) Peak-End Rule  (episode 97) Sludge (episode 179) How to Build Products That Create Change, An Interview with Matt Wallaert (episode 128) Bikeshedding (episode 99) Get Your D.O.S.E. of Brain Chemicals (episode 123) Herding (episode 19) Where CX and Behavioral Science Meet, interview with Jennifer Clinehens, author of Choice Hacking (episode 141) A Guide for You to Create a Brainy Brand (episode 43) The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126) Unboxing videos (episode 180) The Power of Fast-Choice & Implicit Testing with CloudArmy’s Keith Ewart (episode 183) Focusing Illusion (episode 89) Other Important Links:  Dan’s Error Page Experience This Show Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

So much happened in 2021 at The Brainy Business and in the Palmer household, it has been fun to reflect on it for this episode. Here are a few highlights:  In January, I started teaching a new class at Texas A&M University through the certificate in Applied Behavioral Economics via the Human Behavior Lab.   In March, we rolled out the new website and on May 1st, I launched my free global community of behavioral economics enthusiasts with (currently) over 500 members.  My first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You come out on May 11, 2021, and I got to be part of some amazing events this past year sharing about it and other parts of my work.  And, while I didn’t talk about it much publicly, I had a baby in 2021! The Brainy Baby, Mr. Hudson Grey Palmer, was born on August 9th and is a fantastic addition to our family.  Join me as we take a look back at all the excitement and top content of 2021. I hope you will enjoy this walkthrough of last year as much as I did.  Show Notes: [00:06] Today’s episode is showcasing the best content from The Brainy Business in 2021. [02:12] My very first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You came out on May 11, 2021! [03:49] Melina had a baby in 2021! The Brainy Baby, Mr. Hudson Grey Palmer was born on August 9th. Look how cute he is. :) [07:51] Top Countries Downloading The Brainy Business: The US is first, followed by UK, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands and Spain.  [09:02] Top Ten States: Coming in at number 10 Pennsylvania then New Jersey at number 9, Virginia at number 8, Illinois at number 7, Ohio at 6, Florida as number 5, New York at number 4, Washington at 3, Texas at 2, and California still with the top most downloads of 2021. [10:32] Of the 470,000 total downloads of the show so far, 250,001 have come from the US. That means nearly half of our downloads are international, which is so cool. [12:53] Of those more than 175,000 downloads of the show in 2021, and now with 184 episodes of content to choose from, we get our top 10 episodes of the year, starting with episode 136 on Temptation Bundling. [14:20] Next we have episode 165, when Matej Sucha of Mindworx and insideBE came onto the show discussing research they have done and the case studies of insideBE, which launched in 2021 as well. [15:32] At the number 8 spot we have episode 158 with Matthew Confer letting you know the three things everyone needs to do before you decide. [16:12] Next, at number 7 we have episode 160, an interview with Matt Johnson, coauthor of Blindsight. [17:20] At number 6, we have the only foundations episode to make the top 10 this year, and it was a relatively new one which is pretty cool. This is episode 171 on The Paradox of Choice. [18:33] Our top 5 kicks off with episode 164, an interview with Amy Bucher about her fantastic book Engaged, and so much more about her work in applying behavioral economics. [19:32] At number 4, is episode 140, an interview with Benny Cheung where we talked about some research he did at Dectech that was also featured in chapter 28 of my book, which showcases the importance of testing. [20:55] At number 3 we have episode 159, a behavioral economics analysis of Amazon and coming in at number 2 is episode 144, a behavioral economics analysis of Disney. [22:22] Our top most downloaded episode of 2021, which was episode 157, my interview with Robert Cialdini on his new and expanded edition of Influence, which includes a whole new 7th principle of persuasion. [23:27] One of my main tips is to play the long game and form great relationships so pitching is easier. [26:33] There has never been a month of the podcast where every episode didn’t get at least 1 download. [27:24] Let’s dig into that top 10 of all time list starting with number 10, which was episode 111, Avoiding everyday work disasters, with Gleb Tsipursky. [28:24] Next is episode 62 on Game Theory and the 8th most downloaded episode of all time, is number 102 on Confirmation Bias. [31:00] The 7th most downloaded is episode 83, How to organize your brain with behavioral economics followed by episode 61 on Color Theory.  [33:37] The episodes with the fifth and third most downloads are both analyses of companies again, like I already talked about for the top downloads of 2021. However, these are different profiles, including number 86 with a behavioral economics analysis of Peloton, and episode 73 with a behavioral economics analysis of Starbucks.  [34:57] In that number 4 spot we have episode 5, The Truth About Pricing. [35:37] Number two is episode 2, The Top 5 Wording Mistakes Businesses Make. [36:37] The most downloaded episode of all time is the very first one, Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain. [39:55] The final top 10 list are the most read articles from my Inc Magazine column in 2021. For the full list, check out the blog post linked here with the summary of all three top content areas! [42:50] The 7th most read article is called, “Dread going to work every day? The culprit may be hanging in your office.” [43:16] The 6th most read article on Inc is the first one I wrote for them. It is called, “1 Simple Brain Trick That Can Help You Overcome Self-Doubt Forever.” [44:57] The fourth most read article is on one of my very favorite things. It’s called, “Forget brainstorming. Try questionstorming.” [45:38] The third most read article is, “Feeling unproductive? This brain bias could be to blame.” [46:07] In our still Zoom-filled virtual world, it isn’t surprising that the second most read article this year was, “Why you hate seeing your face in video meetings.” [47:02] “Don’t ask ‘What are you thankful for?’ Try this instead” is my most read article of 2021. [48:22] What’s ahead for The Brainy Business in 2022? [51:22] Thank you again for making 2021 such an amazing year and for listening, subscribing, sharing, rating, and reviewing The Brainy Business podcast. I appreciate you all, and can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution – our free behavioral economics community, and keep the conversation going! Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:   The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz Never Go With Your Gut, by Gleb Tsipursky Influence (New and Expanded), by Robert Cialdini Engaged, by Amy Bucher Blindsight, by Matt Johnson and Prince Ghuman Top recommended next episode: The Best of The Brainy Business in 2020 (ep 133) Already heard that one? Try these:  The Best Content from the Brainy Business in 2019 (ep 82) Dr. Robert Cialdini and the (Now!) 7 Principles of Persuasion (ep 157) Behavioral economics of Disney (ep 144) Behavioral economics of Amazon (ep 159) Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain (ep 1) The Top 5 Wording Mistakes Businesses Make (ep 2) Starbucks (ep 73) Other Important Links:  Best of 2021 Blog Post  Best of 2020 Blog Post Best of 2019 Blog Post Don’t Ask “What Are You Thankful For?” Try This Instead (Inc.com) Why You Hate Seeing Your Face In Video Meetings (Inc.com) Feeling Unproductive? This Brain Bias Could Be To Blame (Inc.com) Texas A&M Certificate in Applied Behavioral Economics The Brainy Business Shop Check out Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia