On this week's episode, Kurt and Steve lead off with the "Geeky Article Moment" as well as some banter about food, NFL playoffs, and seagulls eating hotdogs. Yep. It happened. A restaurant in Pittsburgh has recently decided that it will ban "tips" for its servers. Instead, servers will receive a salary and annual bonuses. Kurt and Steve discuss how this will impact staff performance and if it's a good idea or not from a leadership perspective. After this, Kurt and Steve discuss presentation pitf...
Jan 17, 2015•31 min
Happy New Year! We're back with the first episode of 2015! If you we're asked "do you have a rewards card with us" last time you were shopping, you're not alone. Business are loading up on rewards programs like never before, in hopes of enticing you to return and buy more stuff from them. As it turns out however, a good old fashioned "thank you" is more effective. Kurt and Steve discuss this recent study on this episode. Well it's 2015. It's time to set goals. You're either excited about that or...
Jan 08, 2015•27 min
If you have kids or employees (they're kind of the same, aren't they) you have probably used threats as a way to gain compliance before. When we are in a rational state, we can all agree that most of the time threats are only good for very short term compliance. But when we become emotional, it's easy for our brain to think that a threat is the best solution to the problem. In a recent study by McGill University, researchers discovered that threatening children doesn't stop them from lying. Here...
Dec 27, 2014•30 min
Are you tired of faking that you like your boss when you really don't? Michigan State University has good news. Apparently, you don't need to fake it anymore! Their study shows that your productivity and your bosses satsifaction with your work performance goes UP when you both can admit that you're just co-workers and not necessarily best buddies. After discussing the weekly article. Kurt and Steve launch into the important topic of persuasive writing. In order to persuade, you need people to ta...
Dec 11, 2014•29 min
Every year it happens. Black Friday. That one day where retailers apparently lose their mind and start giving away massive discounts in order to lure bargain hungry shoppers. The urgency created on Black Friday is unparalleled! On this episode Kurt and Steve discuss what retailers do right on Black Friday as opposed to what they do wrong. Using some of their tactics could turn your prospects away...or it could create massive legitimate urgency that will spike your sales, big time. Tune into this...
Dec 04, 2014•29 min
Do you work in an environment where you need to be motivated...but your boss just doesn't motivate you? This is increasingly the norm, unfortunately. A recent article by Harvard Business Review gives some helpful pointers if you find yourself in this type of environment. Check out the article here. Are you your competitor's best sales person? Let's rephrase. Have you ever worked really hard building your products value with a prospect, only to have them go with a cheaper option or a competitor? ...
Nov 19, 2014•30 min
Are you one of those sports fans that feels like the officials are conspiring against your team? Everybody has been THAT sports fan at some point in their life. As it turns out you may not be that paranoid. A recent study shows that shorter NBA refs call more fouls than their taller counter parts. The question remains though: is this due to a bad case of vantage point or a bad case of "small man syndrome?" Check out the article here. It's a fact, though. We judge people based on height. The fact...
Nov 14, 2014•26 min
Persuasion is one of those skills that gives you a leg up on the competition. When it comes to sales, there is no award for second place. And advantage you can get goes a long way towards coming in first place! Make sure you regularly tune up your persuasion ane influence skills. These are skills that can atrophy over time if you don't use them. And when you need to use them...it's too late to learn! So why not use Maximize Your Influence to stay fresh! In Kurt's geeky article moment, we learn w...
Nov 07, 2014•31 min
After discussing Kurt's upcoming visit to the Middle East, Kurt and Steve launch right into this week's article. According to a recent article from Science Daily, toddlers who exhibit low empathy are in for a tough life. The study says that there will be long term problems with aggression. The good news is, it's not too late to fix it. After the article, Kurt and Steve get into the Third R of Resistance, which is "resources." We're all taught in sales that we need to qualify our prospect. Mostly...
Oct 30, 2014•28 min
Do you enjoy the Maximize Your Influence Podcast? Learn more at www.universityofpersuasion.com. You'll have access to all of our top persuasion and influence training! You'll get our 52 week persuasion mastery course, our persuasion university library, persuasion software (solves objections for you), and much much more! On this episode of Maximize Your Influence, Kurt and Steve discuss the second R of resources. One of the main reasons we encounter resistance from prospects, employees, family, e...
Oct 23, 2014•35 min
On this episode, Kurt and Steve interview the CEO of Entrepreneur on Fire, John Lee Dumas. John is one of the most successful "virtual" entrepreneurs out there. His podcast is by far one of the most popular business downloads on the internet. He is known for producing massive amounts of valuable content and giving it away for FREE. His audience is large and he has a very high level of trust with them. This allows him to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars of his products every month. And even ...
Oct 16, 2014•35 min
Oct 09, 2014•29 min
Did you know that money can buy happiness? A recent study published in "Psychology Today" shows just that. Kurt and Steve discuss the ins and outs of this study and how money certainly can buy happiness...up to a point. Continuing off of recent episodes, Kurt and Steve cover how we can overcome objections before they ever occur in the first place. This concept is called "inoculation." The term comes from the medical field, where patients are given a weak form of a virus so that their body can de...
Oct 01, 2014•33 min
Stay tuned as we will soon be rolling out Influence University...your way to access absolutely everything that Kurt has ever produced on Persuasion, Influence, Negotiation, and Leadership! One of the greatest features of Influence University is Kurt's "Persuasion Software." There are 77 potential objections out there and this software allows you to click on whatever one you've received and immediately see the course of action you should take! On this episode, Kurt and Steve follow their discussi...
Sep 25, 2014•35 min
After a rant about Philly Cheesesteaks and Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Kurt and Steve continue to break down the psychology of objections. Undestanding what's happening to your prospect mentally will help you overcome objections faster and many times, avoid them all together. A study done by Knox and Inkster shows us that people tend to justify and feel more confident in their decisions AFTER they have made them. So if your prospects are not at least subconsciously making a decision to do business w...
Sep 18, 2014•26 min
Have you ever had a conversation that just didn't get results? Or even worse, one that felt completely fake? On this episode, Kurt and Steve interview John R Stoker, author of "Overcoming Fake Talk - How To Hold Real Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results." This is a fantastic new book (available at "overcomingfaketalkbook.com", by the way) that will show you how to have more productive conversations. Whether this is with a co worker, a teenager, or a boss, you'l...
Sep 09, 2014•36 min
Closing a deal isn't about a slick line at the end of your presentation. It's about understanding what your prospect is REALLY saying when they say things like "I need to think about it" or "I don't have the money." First we need to figure out if we are dealing with a real objection or one that is just pure "venom." If somebody is just objecting to be a pain in the butt, there isn't much you can do there other than to cut your losses. But if they have a genuine question or concern, or even a "kn...
Sep 03, 2014•25 min
Have you ever met somebody that didn't seem all that sharp but could sell circles around you? Here at Maximize Your Influence we help you hone your persuasion skills to generate the income and results you want! As always, send your comments, questions, and ideas to maximizeyourinfluence@gmail.com. Also: Kurt is willing to give you a FREE audio download of his book Maximum Influence if you leave a review of this podcast on Itunes! Just log into Itunes and leave a review, then email us at maximize...
Aug 27, 2014•30 min
In Episode 54 of Maximize Your Influence, Kurt and Steve start things off by discussing a recent study about the chemical oxytocin. According to the study, the more oxytocin present in somebody's system, the more accepting they are of others. This of course leads to better social skills and possibly, the more persuadeable they are. Many business and marketing firms are trying to trigger the release of this chemical through smell. Heaven help us all! The core of this episdoe deals with how to hel...
Aug 21, 2014•30 min
A whole year of Maximize Your Influence Podcasts are now behind us! And listenrship in the Islamic Republic of Iran is still strong (that has to be a fluke, right)! After two podcasts delving into the female brain, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that reveals that women get cheated at the negotiation table more than men. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkely found that women were "warmer and more kind" in negotiations, and thus were more taken advantage of. Getting...
Aug 13, 2014•35 min
Don't worry, it's still us! We just have a new Itunes and podcast logo. Kurt and Steve discuss the recent news in the Middle East and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. They discuss the generations of emotion that are involved in the conflict and why a resolution is unlikely. They probably offend both sides of the issue as well, which is par for the podcast! They also discuss an entertaining blunder by United Airlines. Here's a link to the letter. Judge for yourself what the blunder is or fe...
Aug 06, 2014•31 min
The new www.maximizeyourinfluence.com is up! Not so much running...but definitely up. Pardon our dust as we continue to refine the new site. You can still, however, download the latest podcast episodes and read the blog. In the "geeky article moment" for the week, Kurt highlights a recent article from CNN.com. A company in Chicago recently started timing how long employees were spending in the bathroom. More than six minutes got you in trouble. Kurt and Steve discuss why this is a bad move from ...
Jul 31, 2014•26 min
Remember: please subscribe to Maxmize Your Influence on Itunes, Stitcher Radio, the Windows Market Place, or whatever service you use to download podcasts! We appreciate you listening to the show! After giving some nots so great (and un-licesned) legal advice, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent study about "moral code." Individuals are more likely to compromise their morals when they are in a group setting. We do this because we feel more anonymous and less responsible. This is all intuitive. But k...
Jul 23, 2014•31 min
We hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday! Even if you didn't celebrate American indepencence day and the 4th of July was just a regular day for you...we hope you had a great one anyway! Remember to subscribe to the Maximize Your Influence Podcast via Itunes, the Windows Market Place, or Sticher Radio. And as always, you can listen to the show at www.maximizeyourinfluence.com. The show begins by Steve hijacking the Geeky Article Moment form Kurt. This week's article discusses the new scienc...
Jul 17, 2014•28 min
After some useless banter about who should be allowed to wear bathing suits, the Fourth of July, and barbeques, Kurt and Steve launch into Episode 48. First, they tackle an article about how word choice reflects somebody's mood. It doesn't happen the way you think. As it turns out, when somebody is feeling good they use more words with a long "i" vowell. When they aren't feeling good they use more words with a long "o" vowell. The human brain is amazing! You can learn more about the study here. ...
Jul 08, 2014•32 min
After diving into "Negotiation's Dirty Deeds" last week, Kurt and Steve continue the discussion by uncovering even more of the underhanded tactics other's will use on you while negotiating. Steve takes over today's "geeky article moment." In a recent article by Harvard Business Review, we learn that managing conflict requires that we first ascertain whether we're dealing with a "hot" conflict or a "cold" conflict. The strategy is entirely different depending on which type of conflict you are usi...
Jul 03, 2014•36 min
Due to listener demand, Kurt and Steve finally unleash "negotiation's dirty deeds." These are underhanded tactics and strategies that others will use against you while negotiating. Before this happens, however, Kurt discusses a recent article about "meeting productivity." According to the Social Psycholigical and Personality Science Journal (that's a mouthful), standing during meetings creats more excitement and productivity. Apparently this has the obvious effect of making the meetings shorter....
Jun 25, 2014•35 min
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 a...
Jun 19, 2014•25 min
Kurt and Steve begin the show by discussing Steve's recent trip to Dallas and how may pounds he put on from eating too much barbeque. They also discuss Kurt recently celebrating a birthday (happy 70th birthday, Kurt)! This turns into a rant about chicken wings until Kurt and Steve realize that you tune into the show for persuasion tips...not food commentary. There is a common saying in business that you should "under promise and under deliver." In a recent article entitled "nobody cares how good...
Jun 12, 2014•29 min
Is power different than influence? Absolutely. One can be influential without having a lot of power. But as power increases, it gives you more ability to influence. On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss some examples of when power is used and what the long term implications are. Many times as persuaders, parents, co-workers, we fall into the influence/power cycle. We want somebody to do something and we first try with "carrot." But once somebody refuses or doesn't comply, we go to the stick. T...
Jun 05, 2014•31 min
