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Is it harder to influence people you know?

 

 

The number of people you are influencing (one Vs. many), and how familiar they are can radically alter how you approach the task.

When it comes to influencing groups, the biggest upside is scale — the sheer weight of numbers. However, you will have to manage dynamics within the group and the tendency for freeloading, which is when people feel they can hide behind the efforts of others.

Individuals have the advantage of heightened engagement — it’s harder for...

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How to sell if you don't like selling

 

I hate selling.

Now, that's a problem if you are someone like me who runs their own business, or you're in a role that requires you to bring in the dollars.

Or maybe you are trying to 'sell' your credentials in a job interview or sell the benefits of a new project?

Bottomline, how to sell if you don't like selling?

In this video I explain how to think differently about selling, and the ONLY three reasons people don't buy.

This is a sample of content from my Just Do This...

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Portable habits

 

My number one tip, when people ask about habit change, is your physical environment. Set it up to make it easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing.

But there’s a problem with relying on your environment. What if it changes?

 

The perils of contextual cues

I was travelling recently but completely forgot to take my vitamins in the morning. Why? The context had changed.

The behaviour of taking my vitamins is tied to my breakfast routine at home, and it turns...

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Dealing with the biggest objection of all

 

How to overcome the biggest objection of all?

I’m not talking about price!

I’m talking about incumbency.

The ‘we’re fine with what we’ve got’ or what we’re doing as your customer swats you away, like an annoying little fly.

In my latest video I explain what to say to get your customer's attention and listen to what you have to say.

This is a sample of content from my Just Do This membership program. Find out how you can join here.

 

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What to say to convince your boss

Convincing your boss to do something differently is one of the biggest frustrations people have. 

It’s not just your boss, of course. It could be any colleague whose support you need. 

So let’s walk through an example that I’ve shared with many of my clients.

 

How to convince your boss

Start with unifying language, tethering their objectives to yours.

“As you know, our task/objective is to get people to…”  

We’re using...

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How to sound more persuasive

 

Do you have an 'um-ing' habit?

Perhaps you equivocate a lot, like saying something 'might' work rather than it 'will' work?

If you do, is this turning your customers and colleagues off?

In sample video from my online membership program, Just Do This, I share how these hedges and utterances impact how people perceive you.

And guess what? The news isn't all bad!

Hear me explain:

- The two types of hedges, and how to combine them to sound more persuasive; and

- How um-ing can actually help,...

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Getting proportionality 100% right

Proportionality is core to how we navigate the world.

It’s how we gauge the extent of something.

Is it a big slice or small? Generous or miserly? Almost complete or barely started? Half full or half empty?

We might be ‘middle aged’, ‘middle class’, or just ‘middling’ along.

To know where things stand, we rely on proportionality signals.

So what do you think might be my concern with the new Australian fire danger ratings?

In a positive move, the...

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The Williams Behaviour Book

 

I was nervous, of course. 

Approaching the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, one of the world's most successful advertising agencies, for a blurb for my new book was a little daunting.

But Rory Sutherland is an exceedingly generous and supportive person who told me he'd be delighted.

'Bri Williams is the Linnaeus of human behaviour', he wrote. 'The best taxonomy of the different approaches to understanding human behaviour I have ever seen'.

Wow! 

But...please excuse my...

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The $3,000 coffee

Most of my trip to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges, South Australia, last year went as planned.

Plenty of wildlife, time in the red dirt, and lots of friendly fellow road trippers.

But the $3,000 coffee caught me by surprise.

I’d stopped in the small town of Blinman, boasting a population of thirty five, for a coffee and to sample some of the bakery’s finest. 

Strolling the main street, I spotted this sign.

Being a huge fan of Indigenous art, I jumped back in the van and drove a...

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How to close a sales conversation

 

It's awkward, isn't it Bri?

That moment in a sales conversation when you have to ask for the deal? 

Or maybe it's not even a sales conversation, but a discussion with a colleague whom you are trying to get to make a decision?

In this video I explain:

  • The three stages of an effective sales conversation
  • The role that tension plays
  • What to say to close the sale

And why do I call it "conversion cutlery"?

Because as you'll see, the three stages relate to a spoon, knife and...

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