Episodes

For this episodes article, Kurt and Steve discuss the top techniques of hostage negotiators. Admit it, you're thinking of the movie "The Negotiator" all of the sudden. Now that we got that out of the way, we can actually talk about negotiation. While hostage negotiation can seem intimidating and have very high stakes, there are some critical lessons that we can learn that can apply to even the most seemingly mundane of everyday business interactions. Based on listener questions that have been c...

The better you become at handling objections, the more persuasive you will be. The key to great persuasion is anticipating all objections, problems, or concerns before you hear them. Great persuaders are always able to accomplish three critical objectives during the objection process: 1. They can distinguish between a real objection and a knee-jerk reaction. Our studies show that most objections should not be taken at face value, because there are other issues involved. 2. They listen intently t...

We tend to rate our skills that we want, that we need or that we require higher than they actually are. To improve, grow and become more successful we have to know our weaknesses and be able to identify our blind spots. If we don’t know what they are than we can never truly improve. The reason self-perception bias has such a negative impact in our lives is because we are lying to ourselves. That's the bottom line. We are blind from the truth. We are deceiving ourselves. Denial is our happy plac...

Are you good at flirting? Admit it, when we asked you rolled your eyes but were A LITTLE bit interested, deep down. As it turns out, flirting is related to your ability to influence. A recent article by Psych Central discusses what makes somebody good at flirting. Check out the article here. At a minimum you'll be entertained. Thoughts → Emotions → Actions It all starts with your thoughts. Your thoughts lead to emotions and your emotions lead to your daily actions. Take an honest look at your...

Being in sales or being a business owner can be emotionally exhausting. It's important to develop the ability to pick yourself up out of a bad mood. To start this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that gives you "8 ways to feel better in a hurry." If there's one topic that people just don't want to hear about anymore, it's listening. Ironic, isn't it? As we've researched successful persuaders, we've found listening to be one of their top attributes. Listening is a habit we can lo...

Can your personality type change? A recent article from Psychology Today seems to think so. It's not uncommon for many to become more friendly (or less friendly) the older they get. Check out the article here for more info. Did you know there are over 60 different personality types? This has led many to try and simplify the science of personality types down into sixteen, or even as few as four different categories. On this episode, Kurt and Steve give a compelling argument as to why peresonalit...

Is Google rigging elections? On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that thinks so. Merely telling the masses that a candidate has a "high" approval rating tends to gender more support. So how much influence do the "Googles" of the world actually have? Check out the article here. Most persuaders would rather deal with an angry prospect than an indifferent one. Indifferent prospects are tough to do anything with! Enter the Law of Involvement. Using the Law of Involvement helps ...

Everything that we understand and know about our world is based around words. Words don't just have meaning, they have feeling. That's why some words in some languages just don't directly translate. One particular author has used this to apparently create a childrens book that makes children fall asleep. When it comes to influencing, there are words you should never use. Kurt and Steve discuss many of these on this weeks episode, as well as many of the most influential words in the English lang...

As we get closer and closer (even though it's a long way away) to the 2016 presidential election, more and more persuasion blunders will be on display. A recent article shows that politicians who have deeper voices (yes, even women) are perceived as more credible by voters. Check out the article here. Due to listener feedback, Kurt and Steve realized that they didn't cover the Law of Expectations deeply enough on Episode 101. On this Episode (103) they return with more ideas on how you can prim...

You can't visit a business web page without hearing "follow us on Twitter!" We're certainly guilty of this too. Follow us on Twitter @influencemax! A recent article from Psych Central shows that when customers complain about a business on Twitter, businesses can actually shoot themselves in the foot by responding too much! Check out the article here. If you've ever been told your product is too expensive, you need the Law of Contrast. This is the most effective way to set the terms of value. M...

When you're an entrepreneur or sales person, being mentally tough is key. If you want the rewards that come from owning your own business or being on commission, you need to put up with days that can be full of rejection and disappointment. Check out a recent article posted by Psych Central that discusses the Six Stages of Mental Strength. In any persuasive encounter, your prospect has certain expectations. And so do you! When things don't go according to expectation, people feel frustrated and...

It's been 100 episodes! After inserting some canned applause and patting themselves on the back, Kurt and Steve discuss why disobedient kids may actually make more money as adults. They then proceed to insult people who don't listen to their show. But if they're not listening does it really even matter? Different personalities relate to different persuasion techniques. One method may resonate clearly with you but be completely useless on your prospect. That's why it's important to use the T.E.S...

Whether you think you love it or not, you love to procrastinate. The brain thrives on it. The reason is that we tend to treat our "current self" much better than our "future self." We give our future self way to much credit. We think "future me will save more money" or "future me will lose more weight." But when the future gets here what happens? Kurt and Steve discuss it during this week's article. We don't like getting objections. Nobody does. But when they come, take it as a good sign! Your ...

Do you sort your mail over the trash can? Do you delete most emails before you even consider them? That's the reality of advertising today. Messages to your prospects need to be compelling and grab their attention. To start this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article about which is more effective: digital or print media? Ever now and then on Maximize Your Influence, we like to return to what is most imporant: mindset. All the tactics in the world dont' change anything for a persuader ...

After Steve gives the full report on his recent trip to Puerto Rico (including a priceless blunder by the Ritz Carlton resort), Kurt discusses this week's "geeky article moment." A recent article on Psych Central reveals the advantages of both active and passive communication styles. The rest of the show centers around a recent interview Steve conducted with Brad Harker. Brad is the author of The Laws of Influence - Mastering the Art of Sales, Leadership, and Change. He operates a sales company...

To kick off this episode, the guys discuss what is likely the most offensive article they've ever featured on the show. Kurt insists that it's Steve's doing. We'll let you read it for yourselves, but just know that "hand's on" father's might be uhm...smaller. For the main show topic, Kurt and Steve discuss some of the non-verbal habits that can kill your charisma. Use these habits and your sales career will never get off the ground. Conversely, they discuss some of the habits that the charismat...

A recent study shows that if you want to look trustworthy, you should also look happy. What's the catch? Looking happy doesn't necessarily make you look competent. Kurt and Steve discuss this study and how persuaders can walk the line to acheive maximum trust and competence at the same time. On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss recent obervations they've made about Negotiaton's Dirty Deeds (yes, they are done dirt cheap). When your prospects resort to infantile tactics that have worked for t...

In persuasion, there are a few words and phrases that a lot of people say, but that they don't really mean. In a recent article on Inc.com, 11 of these terrible sayings are reviewed. It's an entertaining article and Kurt and Steve discuss it in detail. Have you ever received an annoying voicemail from a salesperson? Or better yet...have you ever LEFT an annoying voicemail? We all have. Many think leaving voicemials is pointless. Otheres will leave them for days and not get any results. On this ...

When it comes to persuading others (through owning a business, church, non-profit), it's all about networking. Anyone who has ever been successful can attribute at least a part of that success to meeting the right people at the right time. But what if you hate talking to strangers? Can you be an effective networker? A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review discusses this very issue. On this episode, Kurt and Steve answer an email from a listener who wants to learn how to ask mo...

If you're like most people, you don't really enjoy paying taxes. A study in the UK recently discovered how to vastly increase the rate of collected taxes, just by adding one simple sentence to collection notices. Kurt and Steve discuss this on the show. You can find an article from CNN Money here. Many say there is such thing as "beginners luck" in sales. But is it luck? Or is that beginners haven't learned some of the habits that plague veterans? On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss three o...

Nobody has a perfect self esteem. We all have insecurities in ceratin areas of our life. The same is true for your prospects. Raise a prospects self esteem and you'll catapult your chances of persuading them! On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that gives Five Tips For Raising Your Self Esteem. Is your prodcut or cause desperation or inspiration based? Your prospects are all either running towards or away from something. It's essentially the difference between inspiration a...

Did you know that the noise of an aircraft engine can cause you to crave different foods? A recent study by Cornell University makes some compelling links between decibel level and food cravings. Kurt and Steve discuss the artice and also learn a new word! There's one thing that annoys your prospect more than anything else: unsolicited small talk. Many of the stereotypical sales annoyances (fast talkers, lack of knowlege) are still high on the list, but in this day and age your prospect wants t...

Is optimism overrated? A recent study from the University of Utah thinks so. Kurt and Steve discuss the study and what it means for persuaders. Some of us are better negotiators than others. Some of us respond differently to different tactics. Negotiation is all about researching your product and what your prospect needs and wants. Failure to do so inevitably leads to insulting your prospect and that's a tough one to come back from. On this episdoe Kurt and Steve discuss how to make an offer to...

Do you know somebody who is always blaming other people for their problems? Is it you? The fact is, we all do it. And sometimes we're right. A recent article, however, shows why blaming others is not productive...even when it's completely true. We all know the stereotypical profile of a persuader: fast talker, slick, stretches the truth, etc. And we all know that this style of persuasion is not nearly as effective as it used to be. In this day and age, introverts are the best persuaders. Kurt a...