This morning my kids were arguing about Friday’s plans with Grandma.
The older sister was trying to tell the younger brother Friday’s plan, and he was arguing back with his understanding of the plan.
“No! On Friday you’re going…”
“No!”
Thing is… neither was correct!
And that didn’t matter, because the plans are still up in the air anyways.
On the way to school I like to discuss ideas of self-improvement with my kids. (more…)
I’m sitting at the dining room table, hand writing some of the sales letters from the Robert Collier Letter Book while my licorice tea cools off.
Collier was a direct mail writer, successfully selling all kinds of products during his career, including jewelry, tires, books, and clothing.
Hand writing successful sales letters like these helps to slow down and focus your brain, while (more…)
Millennials may think they’re a different breed.
Perhaps, the reasoning goes, because they grew up in a distracting environment… their brains have adapted to the distractions of our fast paced world!
I frequently hear, “Maybe this generation is different!”
Attempts to outlaw competitive sports or bullying rely on that same flawed belief — that somehow humans are reaching a new level of consciousness. Finally.
For all the drum-beating about “Science!” it’s amazing to see how many people (more…)
While the financial reward of being a good salesman has it’s
appeal, I’ve not historically been good at selling things to people. (Or at least that’s the story I’ve told myself!)
The last time I was trying to “sell” (as a career) was during the down economy in the early 2000s.
No one was buying, and I wasn’t making any money trying.
I’m an introvert, mostly — again, one of the things that I tell myself. I’ve practiced becoming more extroverted. I’ve intentionally put myself into situations where I need to be more extroverted.
One reason I’m drawn to persuasion because I see it as a way to interact with people. It allows me to better understand their motivations and behaviors, and to better connect with them. It pushes me to do so.
Sales, on the other hand, is a whole different beast of persuasion. To be “salesy” meant (more…)
I started the persuasion and marketing book reviews on PersuasionReadingList.com (now Goldmine.Marketing) in 2016. The first was My Life in Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins, a classic written in 1927.
Since then, I’ve summarized my favorite lessons from dozens of books — and I have dozens of other marketing, copywriting, and persuasion books on my shelf that I’ve read but not written about.
It’s been fun and educational on my end — and I hope on your end too!
As I continue along my journey, learning about the forces that influence us and how we, in turn, can influence the world around us, I was bound to (more…)
Dear reader, we’ve discussed mind-reading, remember? We know it’s probably not real… right?
Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. That’s beside the point. Honestly I don’t know the scope of reality beyond what my brain understands, and I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t understand.
A wise man is never certain about anything!
So I don’t know if some specially attuned people can read minds or not… but I’m pretty sure that your run-of-the-mill news reporter cannot.
Much of what we think of as “persuasion” is really “motivation.”
The secret to “motivating people” is to find what already motivates them, and to tap into that. Because you’re not likely to change someone’s mind, and…
people aren’t going to work against their own happiness.
A great way to tap into existing motivations is to frame your argument in a way that encompasses the interests of each group. (more…)
A few days ago I asked my email list if they had any side projects going on, any hobbies to direct their creative energies, any businesses they were trying to build.
I heard back from a few of my most excellent subscribers (thanks!) sharing some cool side projects. Photography and drop-shipping are among of the responses that I share an interest in.
One reader, William, wrote in, and he and I had a little conversation… William mentioned that he had an interest in side projects… but was having a hard time finding something interesting enough to spend his valuable time. (more…)
Last week we discussed Reactance.
Reactance is people’s natural resistance to your suggestions. People prefer the known, they don’t want to change the status quo. If you suggest a change…
“What makes you so smart!?”
As people of influence, how do we combat people’s natural resistance to being told what to do?
This past weekend I attended a kid’s birthday party with my 5 year old daughter.
The party is at a gymnastics gym in the suburbs. Short and sweet and cake and we’re outta there. The staff takes care of everything, pretty good setup with minimal fuss for the parents.
