Download 7 Hidden Psychological Secrets to Maximum Sales here!

The executive looked down and saw in his hand a check for $500,000. signed by (continued inside)

* * *

I bet that would make a lot of people rip open the envelope to find out who wrote that check. Wouldn’t you be curious?

Curiosity works well in combination with a strong benefit. Curiosity is a major selling point for direct marketing. Remember, customers can’t see or feel the

item you’re offered so if you build up enough curiosity they have to see it for themselves. Selling of information products leads right into this.

Download 7 Hidden Psychological Secrets to Maximum Sales here!

Telling people the reason why you are doing something is one of the most powerful influencers of human behavior.

Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. in his book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” talks about an experiment by Harvard social psychologist, Ellen Langer, that concluded people like to have a reason for what they do.

Her experiment consisted of people waiting in line to use a library copy machine and then having experimenters ask to get ahead in line.

The first excuse used was “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?” This request coupled with a reason was successful 94% of the time. However when the experimenter made a request only: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” this request was only granted 60% of the time. A significant drop.

Okay now for the shocker.

It may seem like the difference between those two requests was the additional information of “because I’m in a rush”, but that’s just not the case.

Because in a third experimenter, the experimenter asks “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?” There’s no reason mentioned or new information presented, just the words “because”.
This time a full 93% of the people said yes simply due to the word ‘BECAUSE’! And it didn’t even matter that there was no reason given. Just the word because triggered a magic response.

Using this psychological ‘trigger’ can massively increase your Marketing success. Max Sackheim, famous for the long-running ad “Do You Make These Mistakes In English” and originator of the book-of-the-month concept, says this: “Whenever you make a claim or special offer in your advertising, come up with an honest reason why, and then state it sincerely. You’ll sell many more products this way.”

Here are a few examples of successfully using stories:

The first is the single most successful letter ever mailed according to Denny Hatch, former editor of “Who’s Mailing What?”. How about that for proof this trigger works? It is the famous Wall Street Journal mailing with “two young men”. Here’s how the story (and copy) starts:

* * *

“On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both – as young college graduates are – were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

Recently, these two men returned to college for their 25th reunion.

They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had gone to work for the same company Midwestern manufacturing company after graduation, and were still there.

But there was a difference. One of the men was manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president.”

* * *

Here’s another example, it is from Joe Sugarman’s most famous ads for Blu-Blocker sunglasses. He uses a story approach:

* * *

“I’m about to tell you a true story. If you believe me, you will be well rewarded. If you don’t believe me, I will make it worth your while to change your mind. Let me explain.

Len is friend of mine who knows good products. One day he called excited about a pair of sunglasses he owned. “It’s so incredible,” he said, “when you first look through a pair, you won’t believe it.”

“What will I see?” I asked. “What could be so incredible?”

Len continued, “When you put on these glasses, your vision improves. Objects appear sharper, more defined. Everything takes on an enhanced 3-D effect. And it’s not my imagination. I just want you to see for yourself.”

* * *

And the copy continues in a story fashion. You’ll notice Joe’s friend talks about the benefits of the sunglasses inside the dialogue so prospects don’t have their “ad defenses” up. It slips right by.

You know it’s going to be a bad day when she storms into the building, screams at the receptionist, walks in without saying hello to anyone and slams the door of her office behind her.

You see her typing away furiously on her keyboard behind closed doors and it isn’t long before you hear the incoming mail alert.

“Dear colleagues,

Our productivity was below average this month and as such, we will be instituting new rules, effective immediately:

• Bathroom breaks are to take no longer than five minutes and are not to be taken more than twice a day.
• Coffee breaks are hereby banned. You are paid to work, not to drink coffee and chat. You can do these things on your own time.
• Women in the office are to wear concealing clothing and no make up. We feel you are distracting your male colleagues and this must stop.
• Spot desk checks will be performed. Your desk is a place for you to put your work. Photo’s of ‘loved ones’, cartoons or other distractions will not be tolerated.”

So, perhaps the above story is a little exaggerated (or perhaps not, in my own experience!), but we’ve all worked in offices with managers who make you wonder how they actually got to be managers in the first place. After all, it clearly had nothing to do with their people skills.

Type A personalities of the old school Anglo ‘Command and Control’ style of top down management are thankfully becoming a rarity in Australia, but remnants of this archaic and aggressive style of management can still be seen in corporate Australia from time to time.

Interestingly, the above picture is in direct contrast to the Swedish style of Management.

In Sweden, the manager is considered to be a facilitator rather than a dictator.

It is common for staff to go on long coffee breaks, with management’s blessing, in order to reach consensus on different ideas and thoughts.

Consensus is really the key word when it comes to Swedish Managers. Like Australians, the Swedes pride themselves on being an egalitarian society. However, they take it a little further than Australians, particularly in the workplace.

It is not uncommon for a Swedish manager to work within an open door style management framework, allowing employees to come and speak about the concerns and worries they have and facilitating a solutions-based discussion.

In this country, it is an outlandish and perhaps revolutionary idea – that by not cracking the whip you may actually be able to achieve better results from people. The Swedish style of management is also on trend, as coaching, mentoring and facilitation are becoming the catch phrases of choice in 21st century management vocabulary.

The concept of personal responsibility is a culture within the Swedish workplace. This puts the onus back on the worker to, in many ways, manage themselves and this is backed up by the fact that everyone else is doing the same thing and it has become an expected standard of behaviour.

Importantly, this is also the style of management that Generations X and Y are inherently drawn to. So, guess what? If you want your company to build its employer brand and become an employer of choice among Gen X and Y, you need to make sure that your managers are adept at this open style of Swedish-designed management.

The Swedish style of management also lends itself to innovation – as evidenced by highly innovative Swedish companies, like IKEA. The freedom people feel to speak their minds without fear of negative repercussions or put-downs leads to an environment in which innovation can flourish.

The Swedes understand that by listening to all ideas, even the ones that seem foolish, they foster a culture of employees who think for themselves.

This is not a practice that can be replicated and implemented overnight. It needs to be ongoing, so that employees have time to trust and believe that this isn’t just a one-off change and that everything will revert to normal fairly soon. A corporate culture of personal responsibility will also take time to foster.

The pay offs, however, are potentially substantial. Managers will spend less of their time managing disputes and grievances and more time fostering consensus among staff; staff will be more content and have a greater investment in the success of the organisation; innovation and free-thought will flourish; and attraction and retention of staff, particularly those in Generations X and Y, will become easier.

It seems clear that Australian managers potentially have a lot to learn from their Swedish counterparts.

By opening the door on consensus-based Swedish-style management, Australian organisations may find a range of benefits, for less effort, than they had ever thought possible.

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For more information about Anders Sorman-Nilsson, please go to: www.Thinque.com.au

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha

We’re several days into the New Year, and many of us are still basking in the glow of a fresh start.

Every year, January brings renewed optimism for change, for a better life, for a better you. And that’s a wonderful thing.

It’s wonderful, because this fresh start gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. It allows us to reinvigorate ourselves, to shed the baggage of the previous year and do anything. Anything is possible!

That is a gift, my friends, and I suggest we make the most of this gift. Not just by creating and sticking to resolutions (here’s my guide for doing that), but by reinventing the way we live.

Here’s how.

1. Let go.

Many times we are held back by the tangled web of previous failures, commitments, emotions, barriers. We cannot change careers because we’re used to what we’re doing and it’s too hard to change. We cannot find time to get healthy and fit because we have all these other things to do. We cannot find time for our loved ones because we have too many commitments.

This is all old baggage. A fresh start demands a clean slate. Let everything from the past go (easier said than done, I know). Clear your plate and your palate.

Let go of attachments to what you’ve been doing for the past year, or years. Let go of failures. Let go of fears you’ve built up. Let go of reluctance. Let go of your ideas about what your life has to be like, because that’s the way it’s evolved so far. Let go of long-held beliefs and habits.

You have a fresh start. Let go of last year, and start anew.

2. Decide what matters most today.

Forget about your goals for all of this year. Instead, decide: what do you want to do today?

What matters most to you, to your life? What are you most passionate about, right now? What excites and invigorates you? What would give you the most fulfillment?

Often the answer is in creating something, making something new, helping other people, becoming a better person, working on a project that will be an accomplishment to be proud of. But whatever your answer, have it clear in your mind at the beginning of the day.

This might be something you work on all year, or it might just last a month, or it might last a week or a few days, or just today. It doesn’t matter. What matters is today — that you’re going to work on this with all your heart, today. Tomorrow … we’ll decide on that tomorrow.

3. Clear away distractions and focus.

Clear away email and Facebook and Twitter and your favorite blogs and news websites and social forums, clear away the iPhone or Blackberry or Android or cell phone, clear away all the little nagging work and chores and errands that pull at your attention, clear away the clutter that surrounds you (sweep it off to the side to deal with later).

In fact, if you can, shut off the Internet for awhile. You can come back to it when you take a break.

Now, find focus. Even if only for 15 or 20 minutes at first, but preferably for 30-60 minutes. You can take a break and check your email or whatever after you’ve focused. Focus on the thing that matters most. Do it for as long as you can, until you’re done if possible. Feel free to take breaks, but always return to your focus.

When you’re done, focus on the next thing that matters most, and so on.

4. Find happiness now.

Don’t look at happiness as something that will come when you’re done with this goal, or when you’ve attained a certain accomplishment or certain amount of wealth or material goods. Don’t look at happiness as a destination, something that you’ll get later.

Happiness is possible right now. Always remember that. When you push it back until later, it’ll never come. When you learn to be happy now, it’ll always be here.

When you’re doing whatever you’re passionate about, whatever matters most, whatever you decide is worthy of your time and heart and focus … be happy! You’re doing what you love. And that is truly a gift.

5. Reinvent yourself, every day.

Every day, you are reborn. Reinvent yourself and your life, every day. Do what matters most to you, that day.

It might be the same thing that mattered most yesterday, or it might not be. That isn’t important. What’s important is today — right now. Be passionate, be happy, right now.

You’ll have a fresh start every single day — not just on January 1. And that, my friends, is the best thing ever.

If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.

By nature, leaders are decision-makers. The more influential the leader, the more consequential their decisions will be. Leaders are out in front because they have proven their ability to choose the appropriate course of action when faced with big decisions.

However, when a leader begins to rely solely on personal observation and intuition, that leader is headed for trouble. Even the wisest among us has a limited perspective, and we will miss important decision-making clues if we become entirely self-reliant.

In this edition of LW, I am indebted to the brilliant thought of Dr. Saj-nicole A. Joni in her book, The Third Opinion. An extremely well-written text, The Third Opinion makes the case for the value of outside insight to the performance of a leader. In her book, Dr. Joni identifies four signs that the time is right to consult decision-making advice.

• When multiple decisions need to be made, and you don’t have the required amount of time to focus fully on each one.
• When the implications of the decision are far-reaching, and you know your organization will be in serious trouble if you don’t do the right thing.
• When you lack the expertise to tackle the issue on your own, regardless of whether you have the time.
• When you are capable of taking action, but you know the decision will be better off if you consult the experiences and insights of someone else.

As a leader, once you’ve determined to seek advice, how do you go about doing it? How can you most effectively glean insights from the thinking of advisors?

To Successfully Engage Others to Gain Insight Requires …

1. The Security of the Leader
2. The Credibility of the Process
3. The Quality of the Questions
4. The Ability of the Team

The Security of the Leader

“Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it most like it least.”

– Dr. Samuel Johnson

Leaders can be stubborn when it comes to seeking advice. Insecure leaders who worry about their status, position, or power tend to reject the ideas of others, protect their turf, and keep people at bay. It takes a secure leader to admit their assumptions may be wrong, or to defer to the expertise of another.

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