Results tagged “influence” from stevenfeinberg.com
Part of what drove me to write The Advantage-Makers is what I perceived as unnecessary waste of effort and opportunity. Many people put themselves at a disadvantage, and they do so unwittingly.
You can be a leader, a mom, a dad, a brother or sister, a fireman or police officer, whatever your career or family roles there are advantages and disadvantages that will come your way.
When you meet an obstacle, whether expected or unexpected, how do you respond?
When you meet an opportunity, whether expected or unexpected, how do you respond?
While true disadvantage exists, and some people have it easier than others from the start, the annals of history are replete with the lives of those who were at a disadvantage in which the odds were against them and they won anyway. The reverse is also true. People who had all the advantages blew it.
Many people don't realize that their relationship with obstacles determines the outcomes, the experiences they have in life. We all encounter obstacles and we are often called upon to do more with less.
Likewise, many people don't realize their relationship with opportunity determines the outcomes, the experiences they have in life. We all have opportunity knocking on the door, but how do we answer?
No one I know wittingly puts themselves at a disadvantage. They do so unwittingly.
The first step then is to recognize or spot the action that puts you at a disadvantage.
That's what the Five Shifts of Advantage-Makers is all about.
You can perceive the pain, but can you perceive the solution.
Shift the odds in your favor. Change the lenses you are looking through.
Shift the question and you will perceive answers you didn't know existed.
Shift time and you will find leverage where none existed before.
Shift interactions and people will do unexpected good things.
Shift perceptions and you will influence people rather than be controlled by them.
Shift structures and you will set yourself up to succeed.
Today, simply practice shifting the question.
You can do so by having the following question as the background for your events:
What are the opportunities here for someone, perhaps even me?
You might be surprised to realize that obstacles and opportunities are often in close.
So instead of putting yourself at a disadvantage, place yourself at an advantage.
Each day the choice is ours. Advantage or Disadvantage.
Sometimes we are more fortunate and things go our way, as if the stars are aligned.
Other times we have to make it happen.
All you have to do to confirm this is watch the World Cup or Olympics
They prepare and are ready. But folks can get bad breaks not of their doing,
or good breaks that they capitalize on.
When you get bad breaks what do you do?
While complaining is normal, the important point is how quickly do you shift?
Are you prepared to shift?
You don't have to know what the answer is to know that its time to shift.
The first step is to recognize it is time to shift. Too many people take too long on this step.
To accelerate your performance, to get better results now, shift sooner.
You can look for solutions by sorting through the five shifts that create Advantage.
Shift the Question, instead of accepting the Givens. This will construct options
Shift Time, instead of being stuck. This will overcome the boundaries.
Shift Interactions, instead of doing more of the same. This will change the game.
Shift Perceptions, instead of a loser mindset. This will influence outcomes.
Shift Structures, instead of being controlled. This will shape new behavior.
We sometimes don't realize that if we are complaining we are not shifting fast enough to what will work.
Shift faster!
What are the daily influences on our lives?
The three main influences are a) people in power, b) persuasive communicators and c) structural forces at play.
Let's identify the three:
People in power is pretty clear - those in authority in both private and public arena. CEO's and executives, President Obama and Congress, and non-profit leaders.
Persuasive communicators - can be the same as people in power but can also be those without any formal power at all. Persuasion is a great equalizer to power.
However, structural forces at play - the hidden drivers of behavior, like a riverbed shaping the direction of the river's movement, can shift the outcome whether you are in power or are a master of persuasion.
Take for example, the recent Olympics decision, involving Chicago vs. Rio de Janeiro's bid to hold the 2016 Olympic Games.
Rio won. Part of RIO's presentation was to vividly and persuasively paint the picture that South America contrasted with other parts of the world because they were one of a few continents that hadn't hosted an Olympics. The Rio presenters repeatedly pointed out on a map all the places that had hosted the Games and how South America was not represented at all. A compelling persuasive presentation. Rio had a persuasive message, and structural forces at play (most countries wanted the continent that hadn't had the Olympic Games) in its favor. Neither country had any actual decision power.
President Obama went to Copenhagen to make the final appeal. His position, a strong economic bid and persuasive abilities could not overcome the structural forces at play - specifically, South America has never had an Olympics, 90% of the Olympic voters are from outside the U.S.A., and Africa has never had an Olympics either. The tendency for action within the International Olympic Committee was clearly leaning for the continent that hadn't had an Olympics and RIO was perfectly situated, and I venture a guess that the African nations wanted to see a continent that hadn't hosted the Olympics as well. Strategically they would be the natural next place and likely voted accordingly.
The Chicago bid had a strong economic package and venue, and persuasive abilities of the Chicago committee which included Oprah Winfrey and high profile Chicago executives. Unfortunately, this was not equal to the the structural forces that were against them - they were going upstream in effect, and they had no decision power - most of the voters were from outside the USA. They had one of the three influence factors on their side.
President Obama took a chance, the country leaders of the other four finalists appeared at the Olympic committee vote. He would have been blamed by the political opposition if he hadn't gone, and we have the unprecedented demonstration by conservatives cheering when the USA lost the bid. They were actually rooting for America to lose! The neoconservative groups were shown cheering upon hearing that Chicago loss. The Olympics are a source of pride, and never before have we seen a political group actually root against America.
In terms of power, persuasion and structural forces at play I think the conservative strategy will backfire during the next election cycle. This will be a revealing and vivid image Democrats will use showing Republicans rooting against America. You just have to wonder what conservatives would have said if liberals had booed America in the same way.
Pay attention to the three daily influences and begin to arrange them to support your best efforts. If you have all three you increase your chances of success dramatically, but you can win with two of the three, as long as influence can align with the structural forces at play.
Let's root for America and Congratulations to Rio!
Susan Charles, an Advantage-Maker school principal, has a distinct way of responding to colleagues and peers who make recommendations to solve problems. Her response is, "Convince Me."
"That way", she said, " I know they have thought out the issue, found a way to make a case, and if it was well designed it was fine with me that they knew more than i did. And i decide to try their approach."
She wasn't trying to block the idea, rather she wanted a rigorous well thought out argument that she could agree with.
How better off would leaders and entrepreneurs be if they had open minds and said 'convince me' to their employees. Of course, if you are not convinced the presenter goes back to the drawing board.
Convincing is a real competency. One that can be improved. Your ability to convince others is critical to the perception that you are an A player, an influencer, someone who can influence at work.
What are the facts of the health care debate?
With all the coverage we should know by now. But most of what we know is government takeover, death panels, and bureaucrats rationing care. Of course, there has been the Democratic effort to refute this as falsifying the facts. And reality, in my opinion, is that the facts have been falsified.
But reality, and the facts, are not what is driving the debate.
Perception is.
Whatever your political persuasion, it is persuasion and how the facts are framed that is determining voters perception. The efforts of both sides are to frame the issue. Our purpose is to look at how frames determine decisions.
Imagine for a moment an actual frame around a picture. Not any frame but an ornate expensive frame. That picture will seem more significant and of more value.
Now imagine the picture sitting in the Museum of Modern Art. This picture is now important indeed, and deserves commentary and appreciation. If however, we took that picture and placed it on a street vendors table as if it were a poster or copy, it would now have been 'framed' to seem cheaper and certainly less expensive. The frame determines how we perceive the facts.
Some frames are physical, but most of what we will deal with are mental constructs. Let's consider how different frames might play out.
The Democratic argument may be valid, that costs will be doubling in a few years, that people are already being denied service and that rationing is occurring etc. However, Death panels for grandma, in contrast, is certainly more vivid (even if not true). Nevertheless, research shows that vivid arguments win more often over valid arguments. And certainly, the Republicans have mobilized their troops better for now around their framing of the argument. We are beginning to see a shift as President Obama frames the argument more powerfully and vividly. Whoever wins the framing war wins the perception game.
It may be sad that democracy and progress may be determined by bungling frames rather than the truth and what is good for the people. Dissent is part of our American tradition and it is good for us to argue Healthcare reform in the marketplace of ideas.
The Democrats could have framed the issue as America's Competitive Health plan. Another frame they can still use is the Patient-Doctor Choice Plan, or better still, The Patient Care program. We can shorten these to be Competition, Choice or Patient Care program. Any of these are far better than the public option or even single payer. It would be hard to argue against The Competition Plan. It's American to value competition. Moderates couldn't be accused of socialism. This could combat the socialism claim of every argument by Republicans. Who would be against driving down costs with America's Competitive Health Plan.
Or consider the Patient Care program vs. The Insurance Industry Profiting program.
Every decision is for the patient rather than by an industry bureaucrat and their profit.
This really is a framing battle going on. You be the judge.
Examining the facts of the cost of healthcare through the frame of Patient Care will influence how you interpret the facts. Money for patients or money for industry profits. The same is true for, 'the Government is bad frame' that Republicans use to run all their information through. As Americans we have a cultural disposition to not trust the government, this sentiment goes back to the American Revolution. So that frame works. These aren't complex frames. They are quick to understand, which makes these frames even more powerful.
From a framing and influence strategy, we must always endeavor to portray the truth, while understanding the mindsets of the people we are speaking with. What I have stated, in Advantage-Makers is to 'Make your valid argument vivid.' Your frames should be easy to understand, simple to think about, and fast to grasp.
The most vivid frame most often wins the argument. A powerful frame inoculates you against the other sides argument. For instance, Doctor-Patient Choice vs. Private Insurance Company determines your medical care. As Americans we prefer choice. When the private insurance company program is being pushed, you can simply say I prefer my physician and I choosing what's right for me rather than the insurance company deciding. This is a pre-inoculation to equip your side for the counter argument that is coming. On an issue as contentious and important as the healthcare debate, framing is pivotal. In the midst of the noise and falsehoods, the facts are viewed through the lens of the frame you have established.
For your own business, professional or political efforts, before you argue a point, establish a frame within which you then offer the facts. As long as facts are not being falsified, this is a powerful and ethical way of increasing the likelihood of people saying yes to your presentation. (in a later blog we will discuss the degrees of latitude you have before you start alienating your listeners)
While I endeavor to see reality as it truly is, and to portray the facts accurately, whoever wins the framing battle will win the argument.
There are five pivotal platforms of perception. Each of these platforms provides an opportunity for you to get your point across skillfully. I've found that most of us, moi included, inadvertently bungle opportunity, or don't see possibilities that skillful eyes spot almost immediately. This is especially true when it comes to influencing others.
First, Product Influence: nuances in messaging can turn customers on – or inadvertently turn them off. This applies to your Point of Purchase, new product introductions, or similar activities. One message shift achieved a 545% increase in sales, and reduced mistakes that were driving away customers. The company wasn't placing the product in the right context for the customer to consider. First establish the context before you make a request.
Second, Promotion influence: tapping naturally occurring ‘decision triggers’ motivate customers to buy now, not later. One easy shift, based upon seeing what was missing, produced an immediate 45% increase in sales. This had been overlooked in plain sight.
If you would like the full report send me an email at steven@stevenfeinberg.com It is an 8 page step-by-step of how we did more with less, achieving unexpected results, and how you might also.
Fourth, Perpetual influence: targeting the “moments of truth” that influence your customer experience and drive brand perception every single day. This is where customer decision triggers impact in-store experience and customer facing interactions in most any industry, online and brick and mortar. We performed an influence audit and recommend ways to manage the customers experience.
Fourth, Perpetual influence: targeting the “moments of truth” that influence your customer experience and drive brand perception every single day. This is where customer decision triggers impact in-store experience and customer facing interactions in most any industry, online and brick and mortar. We performed an influence audit and recommend ways to manage the customers experience.
Fifth, Personal Influence: your professional ability to influence others shouldn't be overlooked. You must know how to influence people. Are you perceived as influential? Your leadership is at stake. You probably weren't born with the complete tool set although you were born equipped to learn it fast. Acquiring the Advantage-Makers secret tactics to instant influence will change you from loser to winner.
I'm just finishing up the new book on The Secrets to Instant Influence: Revealing the Advantage-Makers Influence Tactics.
Decision Triggers: My 2 Cents Worth
You brain makes lightning fast connections. And equally fast decision triggers. A single reliable piece of information that instantly makes judgments. For example, buy low sell high. Instant trigger. Knowing the triggers can influence people to say yes to your request.
Here is how it works.
I call it ‘My 2 cents worth’ influence strategy. But it can be worth immediate cash to you as it has been worth millions when applied. A $15,000 luxury hot tub spa was producing slow sales. In determining what to do to move sales Dr. Cialdini, an influence strategist, asked the salesman, “What would an addition to a home cost in this neighborhood?”
“About $70,000.”
Next time a prospect asks begin your answer with, “What would an addition to your home run you?”
and immediately after they say $65 - $75,000, you add in this information, “Well this luxury spa is like an addition to your home, and its $15,000.” Sales skyrocketed.
I call it ‘My 2 cents worth’ influence strategy. But it can be worth immediate cash to you as it has been worth millions when applied. A $15,000 luxury hot tub spa was producing slow sales. In determining what to do to move sales Dr. Cialdini, an influence strategist, asked the salesman, “What would an addition to a home cost in this neighborhood?”
“About $70,000.”
Next time a prospect asks begin your answer with, “What would an addition to your home run you?”
and immediately after they say $65 - $75,000, you add in this information, “Well this luxury spa is like an addition to your home, and its $15,000.” Sales skyrocketed.
That simple, easy, quick contrast, established a psychological trigger inside the prospects brain that grabbed their attention. A comparison that made enormous sense to the move
them from prospects to buyers.
them from prospects to buyers.
When you put in your ‘2 cents worth’ make it worthwhile for the customer or your colleague. This is replicable. The masters of influence use it every day.
What they know is that whatever comes first establishes the context for the conversation. Let me repeat, whatever comes first establishes the anchor for the conversation. When you first walk outside from a movie theater your squint because your eyes need to adjust from dark to light. You’ll say it is so bright out. But it’s just where you’ve just come from.
By establishing the context - an addition to their home - so they could and would think of this purchase as a deal. Remember these were people who were looking for a spa. The contrast effect worked as a decision trigger.
Imagine 3 buckets. One with hot water, one with ice and one room temperature.
Place your hand in the hot water and then into the room temperature bucket, it will seem cold.
Place your hand in the ice water and then into the room temperature bucket, it will seem hot.
Bucket of Ice Bucket of Perception Bucket of Hot Water
Hot? Cold?
Depends on what came first
Whatever came first affected the ‘bucket of perception’. It was the contrast that determined the ‘bucket of perception’.
Ask yourself compared to what?
You always have to find what matters to your audience and create a contrast.
It’s not about positive thinking or negative thinking, but influence thinking.
The contrast principle is also the foundational thought process used when creating winning brands. Listerine compared to Scope. Bayer compared to Tylenol.
If you are not using the contrast principle I can assure you are bungling opportunity.
And this strategy only costs your “2 cents’ whether you use it with your customers, your peers or your boss.
Headwinds. That’s what you are up against. It stresses you and your people.
It would be great if in the midst of all this chaos you could find a tailwind.
Many motivational speakers encourage you to have a positive attitude, get rid of your negative attitude. Not a bad idea, but will attitude positive or negative change your business results or generate income?
I was at a Las Vegas craps table, you’ll understand why they call it craps in a second.
The guy rolling the dice was making lots of money. Whooping and hollering encouraging
his luck. Everyone was getting in the mood, the good feeling of being on a roll. Like having the wind at your back. Intoxicating in itself.
The gambler looks at everyone and says out loud, “Let’s have some good positive thinking here. Good positive thinking.” We all smile until…
The table croupier (the dealer working for the casino, running the craps table) says,
“Positive thinking?” Yeah these casinos are all built with that positive thinking!”
A nervous knowing laugh erupts at the table, and we keep encouraging the shooter.
Stay positive we whisper to ourselves. Some operate like this in every situation. Pathological optimism? Eventually everyone loses at the craps table if you stay too long. Crapping out is not something we can actually control. If you can heed the message you take your winnings and leave early.
Positive thinking is betting on a wish. Nothing wrong with having a good attitude.
It sure beats a negative attitude.
Let’s talk about those negative attitudes everyone is trying to talk you out of, including
me. Some folks no matter what you say take on the devil’s advocate role, or Eyore in the
Whinny the Pooh storybooks. Nothing will every work out, they shoot down all suggestions. Woe is me. Woe is you. Woe is the world.
I call this kind of negative thinking ‘Swiss cheese thinking’ (my apologies to the Swiss). Swiss cheese thinkers only notice the holes in the cheese, not the cheese. A pretty empty experience.
Neither ‘pathological optimism, positive thinking’ nor ‘Swiss cheese, negative thinking’ will actually bring in more revenue, improve performance or do more with less. They probably will make you miss opportunity.
What will?
Strategic Influence.
Some people consistently know what to say, when to say it and how to say it to get people to say yes to their request. Their influence is unquestionable, I call them Advantage-Makers. They are masters at influencing perception. When you are up against a headwind and the disadvantages we are all facing, influence becomes a huge advantage if you know how. The ROI on influence is dramatic.
At one company a simple, easy, quick psychological contrast positioned the product inside the customers mind so vividly that it increased sales by 546% almost overnight. They compared the inexpensive cost of ownership of the product to a much larger potential purchase. This single move dramatically increased sales. In this case they didn’t have to lower price, change the spec’s on the product, switch out sales employees or do a major reorganization. But without an influence strategist showing them the specific words sales had been flat.
Imagine the time you needed to influence – your boss, employees, peers, vendors, customers or position your products and services for customers to reduce resistance and increase desirability. Strategic influence is the key to helping yourself with a tailwind.
Do you have the magic to get people to say yes to your requests, your point of view more often? The key is the decision triggers in the brain. For example, during times of uncertainty the power of the herd mentality in non-arguable. Do you employ it?
Or consider how powerful it is to tap the unconscious motivations of being consistent with the image you have of yourself. If you strongly value being a 'provider' for your family, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Knowing the psychology of Yes is worth millions.
Is it more important for your argument to be valid or vivid? Many engineers I work with argue that it must be valid. I ask them how their valid arguments are working for them.
Not well is the usual response. They fall on deaf ears. It actually isn’t deaf ears it’s a bungled influence moment. A more useful strategy you can use is to ‘to make your valid arguments vivid’ We then get to work on making their valid argument vivid, with a 75% improvement in their influence ability.
This isn’t some theory, this is based upon real results. Wouldn’t that make a difference in your bottom line. In fact, wouldn’t it make a difference in your top line. And it begins by saying 'No' to silly attitudes, like always having positive attitudes or always avoiding negative attitudes as the key to your success.
Do you know the magic? It’s actually not magic at all when you know the influence strategies. A set of 9 specific decision triggers in the brain that ethically gets people to say yes willingly.
What’s the biggest hidden killer of business?
It's central to leadership, sales, influence, persuasion, marketing, performance, doing more with less, getting stuff done on time, taking the right tack, and outwitting your competition in the midst of economic uncertainty.
This is not a trick question.
It’s knowing how to manage interactions.
The road to hell is paved with mishandled interactions.
Sticky problems become stickier when you don’t handle interactions skillfully.
And it doesn’t have to be that way.
Your interactions with customers, colleagues, and especially with your competitors' strategy make a huge difference.
Jan Carlson, president of SAS Airlines, turned an ailing airline, SAS, around from $20 million in the red to $80 million in earnings by managing interactions. Specifically, he identified 5 significant "Moments of Truth" – the points of contact in your business interactions in which you create advantages or disadvantages. Like baggage handling, seat selection, boarding, and departing from the plane etc.
Carlson asked the question, "What business are we really in? We are not in the business of flying airplanes. We are in the business of providing for the transportation needs of the traveling public. Therefore, our real assets are not the airplanes, but the passengers. We have to focus on giving them quality service for repeat business."
And Carlson got to work influencing customer perceptions by managing the interactions. On average there were 10,000 daily passengers experiencing 5 Moments of Truth each flight. That’s 50,000 Moments of Truth each and every day.
Carlson was an Advantage-Maker. Shifting interactions changes the game. And furthermore, he shifted structures to accommodate to the new interactions with the customer. By shifting structures you shapes behavior with less resistance.
How many moments of truth does your business have? Have you identified them?
Do you know how to manage those interactions?
Are you skillfully shifting the structures to shape customer behavior or aligning employee actions?
