If you're like most people, you don't really enjoy paying taxes. A study in the UK recently discovered how to vastly increase the rate of collected taxes, just by adding one simple sentence to collection notices. Kurt and Steve discuss this on the show. You can find an article from CNN Money here.

Many say there is such thing as "beginners luck" in sales. But is it luck? Or is that beginners haven't learned some of the habits that plague veterans? On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss three of the key mistakes that verteran sales people make. Getting back to basics and avoiding these mistakes will help you see an almost immediate increase in your sales results!

Nobody has a perfect self esteem. We all have insecurities in ceratin areas of our life. The same is true for your prospects. Raise a prospects self esteem and you'll catapult your chances of persuading them! On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article that gives Five Tips For Raising Your Self Esteem.

Is your prodcut or cause desperation or inspiration based? Your prospects are all either running towards or away from something. It's essentially the difference between inspiration and deseperation. Using the wrong kind of motivation on your prospects will backfire everytime. Tune into this episode for great tips on how to leverage the power of dual motivation!

Did you know that the noise of an aircraft engine can cause you to crave different foods? A recent study by Cornell University makes some compelling links between decibel level and food cravings. Kurt and Steve discuss the artice and also learn a new word!

There's one thing that annoys your prospect more than anything else: unsolicited small talk. Many of the stereotypical sales annoyances (fast talkers, lack of knowlege) are still high on the list, but in this day and age your prospect wants to see value. They want to feel like they have a reason to talk to you. Only then does should you make a serious effort at buildng a connection with them. Otherwise the unsolicited small talk will kill your presentation before it begins!

Is optimism overrated? A recent study from the University of Utah thinks so. Kurt and Steve discuss the study and what it means for persuaders.

Some of us are better negotiators than others. Some of us respond differently to different tactics. Negotiation is all about researching your product and what your prospect needs and wants. Failure to do so inevitably leads to insulting your prospect and that's a tough one to come back from. On this episdoe Kurt and Steve discuss how to make an offer to your prospect that sets the negotiation playing field, without insulting them.

Do you know somebody who is always blaming other people for their problems? Is it you? The fact is, we all do it. And sometimes we're right. A recent article, however, shows why blaming others is not productive...even when it's completely true.

We all know the stereotypical profile of a persuader: fast talker, slick, stretches the truth, etc. And we all know that this style of persuasion is not nearly as effective as it used to be. In this day and age, introverts are the best persuaders. Kurt and Steve discuss why this is and we can apply techniques that come naturally to most introverts.

It's always helpful to learn more about what successful people do in their daily lives. In this episode, Kurt and Steve highlight three key lessons we can learn form succeessful people.

For this week's Persuasion IQ question, Kurt and Steve talk about how to effectively build emotion at the right time during your presentation. Measuring the rate of your speech during the credibilty phase and then changing to the right rate during your call to action can make or break you!

After discussing Kurt's recent trip to Las Vegas, Kurt and Steve discuss an article that may be helpful if you've been to Vegas recently: "Are White Lies Good For Relationships?" You'll be surprised at the conculsion!

How can we tell if our prospect is "visually oriented?" Whe asking them a question that requires some thought, they often look upwards. In contrast if they are "auditory", they tend to look side to side. Finally, if they are "kinesthetic", they look downward. How does this impact you in the persuasion process? Tune into the episode to find out more!

Have you ever witnessed an animal "sniff" another animal and thought "wow I'm so glad I'm human?" A recent study shows that you might rely on smelling other humans. Check out the study here.

On this episode, Kurt and Steve discuss what attribute customers appreciate most about top persuaders. They give some pointers on how to improve this characterisitc as well as minimize more harmful ones. Check out the episode for more details!

Do you rely on email marketing to generate leads? What about telephone prospecting? As it turns out, there are specific times of day and the week that are more effective...and it's not quite what you think. Check out this episode for the exact statistics.

Colors shape our perception of products and services, period. They can also be used to set the tone on how we feel when we go into a persuasive encounter. Some colors instill a feeling of professionalism. Some colors make us hungry. Others grab our attention. On this episode, Kurt and Steve break down colors and how we can use them to enhance our message as persuaders.

They've talked about it a lot on Maximize Your Influence, but on this episode Kurt and Steve discuss a recent article entitled "10 Body Signs Somebody Is Lying To You." They discuss the merits of the article as well as some additional suggestions that will help you detect deception.

Have you ever had a prospect stall on you? Your product is a perfect fit, it fits their budget, but they just aren't making a decision? On this episode Kurt and Steve discuss some of the techniques that will get your prospect off of the fence. Tune in for details!