Influence People, LLC

05/28/2026

😯 We all intuitively know about scarcity because we naturally want what we think we can't have or what might be going away.

❤️ Maybe you saw it when dating. You broke up with someone but as soon as you found out they were dating someone else, you started to want them again.

🎁 Perhaps you were at the store considering a purchase. A salesperson informs you what you're looking at is the last one. Something inside you suddenly wants that thing even more.

🚗 One last example... you rush somewhere (store, movie, sporting event) to get in before the doors close.

⁉️ If you want to be more persuasive, the BIG question is ➡️ Do you know how to leverage scarcity?

🐠 Tom Sawyer did... and enjoyed a day fishing because of it.

05/27/2026

🤔 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗱𝗱𝘀?
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟭 𝗶𝗻 𝟴𝟬𝟬! 😳

Check out the clip from the Insurnace Dudes Podcast with Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman to find out what 1 in 800 is all about.

You'll also gain insight on:
➡️ Connecting with others
➡️ Authenticity's role in influence
➡️ Ways to boost your giving

They also give a shout out to David R. Carothers, CIC, CRM, CWCA for his giving through unique swag.

To win your sales or client, you need to step a little extra by locking your meaningful gesture with them. Some little surprises, names, happy notes - all th...

05/26/2026

🛠️ AI is a great tool, but like any tool, we can get lazy using it. A calculator is helpful, but kids still need to learn basic math. If they don’t, when the calculator spits out a wrong answer, they may not recognize it.

🚛 AI is similar. If we don’t understand how to use it well, it can produce weak, misleading, or inauthentic results. As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.”

💻 I use AI extensively and I’m open about that. When I write articles, I draft them first, then use very specific prompts to help me edit and improve my writing. That’s not much different from how I worked with developmental and line editors on my books. Some suggestions I take, some I reject, and others we modify together. Whether the feedback comes from a human editor or AI, the finished product can be better. The key phrase is “can be.”

✅ Click below to keep reading.

AI is a great tool, but like any tool, we can get lazy using it. A calculator is helpful, but kids still need to learn basic math. If they don’t, when the calculator spits out a wrong answer, they may not recognize it. AI is similar. If we don’t understand how to use it well, […]

05/21/2026

📕 People often ask me whether 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion' and Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence are still as effective today as they were more than 40 years ago when his book hit bookstores.

✅ My answer is always the same: Absolutely!

💻 Technology has changed dramatically. We’ve moved from letters to email, from phone calls to texts, and from television ads to personalized social media feeds driven by algorithms and AI.

🧠 But despite all that change, the human brain hasn’t evolved nearly as fast as technology.

People often ask me whether Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion and Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence are still as effective today as they were more than 40 years ago when his book hit bookstores. My answer is always the same: Absolutely! Technology has changed dramatically. We’v...

05/19/2026

When it comes to persuasion, which is the better approach?
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹

I think Loving and Eternal is better because Ethics entails rules and it's human nature to get as close as possible to the limits, or exceed them as long as it's not by too much.

Check out the short clip where I discussed this idea from my book 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 with Tim Houlihan and Kurt Nelson, PhD on the Behavioral Grooves Podcast.

Human nature and ethics

05/14/2026

🤔 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

🎙️ I discussed this with David R. Carothers, CIC, CRM, CWCA on his show, The Power Producers Podcast.

🇬🇷 Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, put it well → "Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion."

😥 Lose your reputation and you lose your influence!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/11/2026

✈️ The Columbus Airport is beginning to feel like home away from home.

🏙️ I’m off to my 5th city in the last three weeks. Today sights are set on Baltimore.

😊 Tomorrow morning I’ll work with more Selective Insurance agency partners on Persuasive Selling.

05/07/2026

What a difference a day makes… and location. Yesterday in Denver it was cold and snow. Today in Phoenix, it’s sun and warmth. 😊

This is the last session of a whirlwind week that had me in Seattle, Denver, and now Phoenix, to work with Selective Insurance agency partners.

Even though the messages the same, it’s always exciting to share Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion with a new audience.

Take the principles of influence and creatively applying them to the selling process can make a huge difference in terms of success.

Yesterday, one agent said that the application of certain principles to the referral process was one of the two best pieces of sales advice he’s received in his 20+ years of attending sales training.

That was a very good day!

05/06/2026

Denver, I expected a warm welcome in May, not the cold shoulder!

Despite the weather, it will be another great day working with Selective Insurance agency partners as we focus on leveraging Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence for persuasive selling.

05/05/2026

✈️ Today I'm in Seattle (first visit for me) to work with another group of Selective Insurance agency partners.

👓 We'll look at Dr. Robert Cialdini's principles of influence and some ways they apply to insurance sales as outlined in 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨.

In addition to the principles of influence, we'll cover:
1. Pre-suasion to Set the Stage
2. Dealing with Telematics Objections
3. A psychological approach to Getting Quality Referrals
4. Building better, stronger Relationships

After the training concludes, agents will enjoy Top Golf but I will be flying to Denver to rinse and repeat with Colorado partners.

Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents

04/30/2026

‼️ Great day working with Selective Insurance agency partners in Hamilton, New Jersey.

😊 It’s always fun and rewarding to open people’s eyes to the science of influence, the powerful research, and most importantly, how to apply Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion so they can enjoy more success and happiness.

✈️ Next week it’s agents in Seattle,
Denver, then Phoenix.