The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics

I am very excited to bring back Nikki Rausch, from Sales Maven and one of my very favorite people on earth. You have heard Nikki's name on the show before, and even her voice a couple of times – she is the first repeat guest ever on the show…but last time she was here she was doing the interviewing when the brainy pricing course first launched. Now, I'm asking the questions and we are having more of a comfortable conversation about ways to make it easy for people to do business with you. I've had the joy of knowing Nikki for over 5 years now (almost 10? I've lost count!). We were in the same networking group and always got along. When I started doing freelance work while still in a corporate space, Nikki was one of my early clients – she hired me to edit her second book! I'm actually mentioned in the acknowledgements for her book Buying Signals, (though my last name is different). That book is awesome by the way, as is her third book The Selling Staircase. Nikki and I don't study exactly the same thing, but her background in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) has a lot of similarities to behavioral economics. It is understanding and speaking better to the brain's natural tendencies…so it is no wonder we get along so well. We have an amazing conversation about making it easy for your potential clients to do business with you. Nikki shares tips that are aligned with the principles of NLP that can really make a difference when dealing with clients and potential clients. We talk about how to make it easy for your customer to take the next step, how to make the email about them, and scheduling with the client in mind. Show Notes: [04:43] Nikki is a sales coach, trainer and speaker; her company is Sales Maven. She is also an author and a podcaster with a background in sales and NLP. [05:17] Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is the study of communication and the way we process things in our brains. The programming part is about habits and patterns. Nikki has about 1,200 hours in training (compared to the 200 most others in the field have). [08:31] Many of us inadvertently communicate in a way that makes it difficult for customers to buy. [09:18] The easier you make it for someone to take that next step, the more likely they are to follow through. [11:02] Every time you put up a roadblock, you risk the chance of losing that potential client. [12:47] The answer to "tell me when you're available" … is "never." [14:18] You can use the three times technique. Ask if the potential client would like to chat and then give them three ranges of times. A range could be anytime between 9:00 and 3:00 or 8:00 and 8:30. Then follow up with, "Please choose what's best for you. If you prefer something else…" [17:24] Scheduling links are common, but it needs to be framed in a way that doesn't turn off your potential client. Make it easy for them. Don't use "I" statements. Make it for the readers benefit. "Please choose the time that's best for you." Not "These are the times that work for me." [24:27] Make "you" statements and ask questions. "Would you be open to meeting to talk?" [25:30] In a hurry? Don't send that email. It's worth it to slow down and think about how it will be received. [30:10] "What questions come to mind to you?" This phrase sounds better than "does that make sense?" (Melina's personal mission is to remove this phrase from use.) "If" statements can be too much too. [33:31] "Do you have questions?" also isn't an effective phrase. Try "What questions come to mind so far?" instead. [37:18] Let people know what you want instead of having a "go fish" mentality. Have a clear next step when you want someone to take action. Schedule a time to circle back. [45:10] You can find Nikki and her podcast on the Sales Maven. You can also download Closing the Sale for free. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: [email protected] The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram Sales Maven With Nikki Rausch Closing the Sale Free Download Nikki Rausch Sales Maven on Facebook Getting Ghosted By Potential Customers? It May Be Your Email Approach A Starbucks Barista Asked Me This 1 Simple Question, and Using It May Be a Great Way to Boost Your Sales Buying Signals: How to spot the green light and increase sales The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling 66. Ultimate Pricing Confidence with Special Guest Interviewer Nikki Rausch 16. Framing: How You Say Things Matter More Than What You're Saying: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 23. Reciprocity: Give A Little, Get A Lot: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 45. Overview of Personal Biases 95. Hate Being on Camera? Understand Your Brain's Biases To Change Your Mind 11. Anchoring & Adjustment: The 1 Word That Increased Sales 38%: A

There used to be a time when people who were camera shy could mostly avoid being in photos or on video. For better or worse...those days are long gone. A lot of us hate seeing ourselves on camera, and today I'm going to talk about why. Our brains are actually programmed to hate seeing ourselves on camera because of specific biases. I'm going to talk about those biases, how they affect our brain, and give some tips to overcome those biases. In a world of selfies, Instastories and YouTube…it's hard to not be on camera these days. With the coronavirus pandemic (which I covered in episode 91), the world has been flocking to Zoom, which before the end of February had already added more active users than in all of 2019. In the coronavirus episode, I touched on why the brain is wired to react the way it does during a novel and frightening situation like this, and why we all feel inclined to hoard lots of supplies like toilet paper even when we know that is a bit irrational. Today's episode gets into concepts like familiarity bias, confirmation bias, and comparisons that are working to make our brains hate seeing and hearing ourselves from the outside looking in. I talk about what we see and hear and what others see and hear. I explain how these biases affect us. I also share my own experiences with these biases, and share seven tips you can use to convince your brain that being on camera, audio, and video isn't that bad after all. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:32] Not too long ago, any of us who wanted to could pretty much avoid cameras – either video or photos. [08:13] I get it. AND I want to help everyone understand some of the things going on in all our brains that make us less than excited about seeing ourselves on video (or listening to our own voices on a recording) to make it a little easier to do that next one. [08:23] There are a couple of mind tricks conspiring against seeing yourself on camera, including confirmation bias, familiarity bias, and the comparison effect (essentially relativity), and the focusing illusion. [08:55] FAMILIARITY BIAS This is one of those things that is so obvious when you hear it, but not something that people are usually connecting the dots on themselves. [09:19] We see everyone head on, and they see us head-on. The only way we see ourselves is a reflection in the mirror. We actually see the opposite of what everyone else sees. [10:23] This is why our familiarity bias kicks in when we see our image in a photo, and we think that something is off. [10:56] Studies have actually shown people two images – head on and mirror image – to see what people preferred, and it confirmed that friends and partners…everyone else, prefers the "straight on" image of us, and we all prefer our mirror images. [11:13] People could never explain why they didn't like one and why they preferred the mirror image. The conscious can't explain it…but the subconscious knows what it is used to looking at. [11:47] Until you train your brain to see your "real face" more, it will not be familiar and it will feel off. This means putting in the effort to be in more pictures and on video and watching yourself. [12:11] Some smart systems like Zoom actually let you choose if you want to be looking at and recording your "real" face or your "mirror image." (Bonus side note not in the episode - I did a run through of a training using GoToMeeting the day after recording this and saw myself in NOT mirror image for the first time in a while...my brain's immediate reaction was that it was awful! But I was able to use the tips from the episode to get past it and not make it awkward.) [12:42] Help train your brain to get used to the good stuff of the true you. Our brains dial in WAY too closely on things when we are thinking about them. [13:22] You will be focusing on yourself in a way no one else does. So you have two options. First: train yourself to watch the general image and try not to narrow in on one specific item. [14:21] The second option is to know that the focusing illusion will still be happening because your brain is wired to focus on stuff. Focusing on the good stuff will make you happier and smile more. [15:26] Zoom also has a "touch up my appearance" option that gives you a smoothed out look and can be the edge you need to feel more comfortable. [16:50] We actually hear ourselves differently than everyone else, because our voices are reverberating around inside our heads while we speak. Your perception of yourself is biased. [18:26] CONFIRMATION BIAS Familiarity bias combines with confirmation bias to really reinforce the bad stuff deeper into your brain. [19:26] We remember the feedback that aligns with our self esteem more than we remember anything that doesn't align with it. [20:42] Your subconscious is making 99% of the decisions and evaluating tons of information every second to screen out what fits its rules and what doesn't. [22:24] You need to embrace the new positive just make it

I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Sudy Majd, a behavioral scientist applying concepts from behavioral economics in business. Sudy has always been interested in how people behave. Right out of college, she worked for a consulting firm that enabled her to travel all over the world to study consumer behavior. She then got a PhD in Psychology at Columbia where she focused on consumer decision making. She is now a consultant and on the advisory board of startup Candid™. In today's episode, we talk about a couple of specific projects she did on behalf of Candid™, a company that helps people straighten their teeth with clear aligners without ever having to go into an office. Sudy has been bringing behavioral science out of the lab and academia, and testing things within a real business. She shares how applying behavioral economics principles in a real business setting had unexpected results, and she discovered that the business questions were more complex than she realized. This is that concept of "finding the right answer to the wrong question" you hear me talk about on the show often, and the value of "questionstorming" – which I teach to many of my clients and with the group of members in the BE Thoughtful Revolution. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [02:23] Dr. Sudy Majd has been interested in how people behave for most of her career. Right out of college, She worked for a consulting firm that enabled her to travel all over the world and observe how people behave to make recommendations to increase sales. [03:03] She then got a PhD in Psychology at Columbia where she focused on consumer decision making. [03:16] This gave her insight into why people make decisions and how to influence those decisions. [03:27] She then started working at tech startup Candid™. She also works with other clients to help incorporate behavioral science into their businesses. [04:08] Sudy shares a story of how consumer behavior ended up being different than she expected it to be. [05:02] Many Candid™ customers didn't return their kits with impressions and photos, so that wouldn't result in a sale. [05:43] They added cards that incorporated behavioral science into the copy, and the return rate became worse (hindsight helps, I offer up a reason it may not have been successful). [07:45] Humans have a lot of conflicting things going on in their lives, one card wasn't enough to push them over the edge. [09:21] They decided to identify psychological traits of customers who were and weren't returning their kits. [10:52] They implemented feedback loops with penalties or rewards. This was a different way of framing the message with loss aversion and incentives. This also included nudging, time discounting, and herding (links to past episodes below). [12:05] The penalty framing worked the best. These customers converted worse but were cheaper to acquire. [14:19] Marketing is to get people interested enough to take the next step. [16:30] They always incorporated customer feedback to figure out why something was happening. [18:17] Have the user see themselves in your brand and use their language to describe the product. [21:18] Sudy thinks the future of behavioral science is testing it in actual businesses. She loves discovering how the physical design of retail spaces influence how people behave. [22:41] She would also like to incorporate behavioral science theories into big data applications. [26:25] Having something that doesn't work teaches you as much as something that does work. [29:17] Testing is key to the growth and success of any business. Keep trying and improving. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: [email protected] The Brainy Business on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram Candid™ Sudy Majd, PhD on LinkedIn 51. Time Discounting: The I'll Start Monday Effect – My Favorite Concept!: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 16. Framing: How You Say Things Matter More Than What You're Saying: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 9. Loss Aversion: Why Getting New Stuff Is Not The Same: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 18. Priming: Why You Should Never Have A Difficult Conversation With Someone Holding An Iced Coffee: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 19. Herding: Come On And Listen…Everyone Else Is Doing It: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 36. Incentives – The "N" In NUDGES: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 63. How To Set Up Your Own Experiments 87. Social Proof: How to Use Herding to Boost Engagement and Sales 88. Marketing to Mindstates: A Discussion With Author, Will Leach 4. Questions or Answers Join the BE Thoughtful Revolution Forget Brainstorming, Try Questionstorming (Inc Article by Melina)

Have you ever wondered why it's blindly accepted to just do things the same way they've always been done? Have you noticed how a new business can completely disrupt an industry by doing things totally different? Sometimes they put established companies out of business, even though the original business could have implemented the same strategies before the disruptor. A big reason this happens is normalcy bias. Normalcy bias is where the brain believes that everything will be normal and waits for things to be normal again in a time of crisis. This principle not only applies to business, but it very much applies to some of the reasons many people weren't prepared for the coronavirus pandemic even though it had been on the news weeks before the shutdown. This normalcy bias episode is directly influenced by episode 91. Coronavirus and How the Human Brain Responds to Pandemics. If you have not yet listened to that episode…I highly recommend it. There is so much going on right now with new announcements every day of countries taking new and very important precautions to stop the spread of this disease. That episode talks about why the brain is wired to react the way it does during a novel and frightening situation like this, and why we all feel inclined to hoard lots of supplies like toilet paper even when we know that is a bit irrational. Normalcy bias is very much tied in with the situation we all find ourselves in as coronavirus is changing our entire world. It is also a bias that you can overcome to benefit your business. It's also something we are talking about in the BE Thoughtful Revolution. If you're interested in joining the BE Thoughtful Revolution, you can get a 7 day free trial and a 50% discount using the code HALFOFF through March 31, 2020. Show Notes: [03:39] Normalcy bias is the tendency for the brain to believe that everything will be normal – and to wait for things to be normal again in times of crisis or change. This impacts both sides of change. [04:20] It's easy to assume that things will stay the same and remain normal. This combines with availability bias and time discounting. [05:09] We have a hard time preparing for something before it happens. [05:48] Disruptors are able to infiltrate because those in the industry are too close, and their normalcy bias is telling them that things will always be the same. [06:09] Disruptors can see things differently, because they aren't subject to the same constraints of the brain. [07:29] Progressive's head of marketing "fires himself" every 12 to 18 months to reset as if he just got hired. [10:03] Normalcy bias makes it so we all don't properly prepare for or anticipate a big change. The other side of this, is that once change is thrust upon us, while we are in the midst of it…we cling to "normal" more than ever. [10:28] The brain grieves for what used to be, what it was used to, and its inclination is to ride out the storm until things are normal again. [11:12] Our brains love the status quo and what they are used to. [12:02] An example of the finance industry, status quo, and Apple Card. [14:29] The desire to wait and see…to weather the storm when you are in the midst of change…is normalcy bias keeping you stuck. If you aren't careful, it can cause you to miss the boat and your business could be in serious trouble. [15:47] My brain is constantly wanting to say that this is a temporary setback. I can't rely on that being the case. My business model needs to adapt to the possibility that there may only be a few conferences in the coming months. [16:44] This is the time to look at other opportunities: what can be done virtually? [17:33] I also need to make sure that I am investing time and energy into what is the best fit for the market. What do people want, and need and where does that coincide with my expertise? [18:29] Having too much reliance on any particular product line, client, or type of service is always something that should be reviewed. [19:07] If you are listening to this episode right when it comes out or shortly thereafter, coronavirus is presenting the opportunity for you to practice getting out of your own normalcy bias and looking at your business differently. [20:04] If you aren't already a member of the BE Thoughtful Revolution, please do join us now. You can take advantage of a 7 day free trial if you join by March 31, 2020 and use the code HALFOFF to get a 50% discount. [20:41] Normalcy bias is constantly impacting you in life and business. Now is the time your brain wants you to wait and see…and I'm here to tell you that strategy will not suit your business well. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: [email protected] The Brainy Business on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram 91. Coronavirus and How the Human Brain Responds t

Fundamental attribution error is another example of a behavioral economics concept with a really terrible name. Similar to my choice to call "hyperbolic time discounting" the "I'll start Monday effect" fundamental attribution error is one where I think we can benefit from a simpler name, I like to call this the "Pot / Kettle Phenomenon." You may be able to tell from that name a little bit about how this concept works, but here's the simple explanation and then we will get into the details. If you have ever heard the phrase, "that's like the pot calling the kettle black" we are basically talking about fundamental attribution error – when you use different criteria to think about yourself and how you are acting than you use to think about and judge others. Today, I explain this concept and share examples that bring it to life. I also give you an actionable five step plan to change the way you react to others and have less instances of this phenomenon. I've received an overwhelmingly positive response from listeners about last week's episode about coronavirus and why our brains react the way they do in pandemics. If you're still wondering why people are hoarding toilet paper, this episode will help explain why. If you're interested in joining the BE Thoughtful Revolution, you can get a 7 day free trial and a 50% discount using the code HALFOFF learn more here. Show Notes: [04:38] FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR is another example of a behavioral economics concept with a really terrible name. I prefer to call this the "Pot / Kettle Phenomenon." [05:16] "That's like the pot calling the kettle black" is basically talking about fundamental attribution error. It's using different criteria to think about yourself and how you are acting as opposed to how you would think about others and how they act. [06:16] How do you feel about someone who cuts you off in traffic? How do you feel about yourself when you cut someone else off in traffic? When thinking about yourself, you know you are a good person and this one act doesn't carry over into your interpretation of your entire personality. [07:39] When you hear the story of someone else who you may have labeled as "bad," you'll have empathy for them when you understand their story - like the Wicked Witch of the West. [08:26] Why can't we stop ourselves from doing this and realize how often it impacts our personal and business relationships? [08:39] Even when we know about the rules our brain uses to make sense of our surroundings, it doesn't mean we can just change them. [09:43] You have to use your conscious processing over the top of the thing your subconscious wants you to believe. [10:01] Your brain is biased to think of you (itself) as different and better than others…especially people who are not like you. You don't have to let that immediate reaction form a lasting impression of someone else. [11:01] In the workplace, think about someone who shows up late to your meeting…what is your immediate thought about them? You likely think, "Ugh, he is so rude and disrespectful" this can then combine with the focusing illusion, so that you only notice times where the person in question is doing things that are rude and disrespectful. [12:16] INTRINSIC VS EXTRINSIC The big difference between the way we see others and how we see ourselves is the intrinsic story compared to the extrinsic story. [12:42] If someone's personality or their disposition led to the lateness, it is intrinsic or internal attribution. If it was due to the situational factors, it would be external. [14:37] Steps to change the way you react to others: 1) Decide you want to work on this and understand why it's important to you. 2) Choose an initial group or person to start the process with. 3) Reframe your in-group 4) Consciously adjust to extrinsic attributes for a decent number of total interactions (30 days is a good rule of thumb for people you see often) 5) Move to the next group [16:26] If you have been passed up for a promotion or been told you aren't a team player or feel like everyone is out to get you… fundamental attribution error could be a culprit. [16:44] Fixing your mindset in regards to the way you think about others is about your choice. You can't change them or their responses to situations. [19:43] In the "in-group" perspective shift, it will take a little time at first where you have to consciously remind yourself to not have an "us versus them" mentality. [22:58] Resist the urge to use the same "good thing about them" every time. [24:21] Once you have completed the process with the first group you can move on to the next one. And the good news is, this should get easier over time. Unlike other goals which need to be limited, this can combine and add other groups where you start to use these techniques whenever you are ready. It is a positive snowball. [26:00] I want to talk a little about the flip side of the Pot / Kettle Phenomenon. It's important to look at your own behavior the way oth

Coronavirus (or COVID-19) is everywhere on the news, and everyone's talking about it. The statistics and status of outbreaks are changing rapidly, and there is uncertainty around the virus. I can't answer all of the questions surrounding this issue…(no one can at this point) but I hope this episode will help you understand a little bit more about how the human brain responds to pandemics. I'm going to talk about how the way our brains work affects our reactions in situations like this. We'll start with an example of framing. What do you think of when you hear a "state of emergency" is declared? I live in Washington where we had the first coronavirus death and the first state of emergency declared in the US. California is the second state to have declared a state of emergency. "State of emergency" is a name that doesn't help contain public fear. I understand why it's called this and why it's important to declare it…but…talk about a framing issue. I also talk about the focusing illusion and how focusing on something makes it seem more significant. I'll cover several other concepts that apply to what goes through our minds in times of uncertainty, danger, fear, and panic. I'll also cover opportunities to make the most of things and lots and lots of informative links to help you educate yourself about the current situation. It is important to note that the information about coronavirus specifically is changing rapidly – what I put in my notes and record today will not be accurate by the time this goes live on March 13 and after. Also, there is no judgment or criticism of choices any person or country or entity has made. The intention of this episode is to explain how our brains are wired to work during times of uncertainty, like the coronavirus pandemic. Show Notes: [02:54] I've been reading a lot about coronavirus lately, and it's a big deal. I live in Washington state where we had the first recorded coronavirus death in the US. [03:32] Declaring a state of emergency is definitely a framing issue. When the brain hears this, it doesn't take it lightly. It wonders what the emergency means and creates more panic than is helpful. [03:58] The human brain has a lot of capacity to process information: when given something new and unknown it will run rampant. [04:15] Our brains will over analyze and freak out a little bit. Focusing on something will make it feel more important or significant. This is the focusing illusion. [04:36] Our counterfactual and prefactual thinking will also ramp up and go into overdrive. [04:59] A lack of control is a breeding ground for fear and a brain bonanza. [05:19] New or unknown things are scary, because we can't categorize them using the concept of relativity. We have nothing to compare it to. [06:17] Probability neglect is where we drastically overestimate our own personal risk in a situation. [07:21] We also have a zero risk bias where we would rather eliminate all the risk we can. [08:37] Our inability to properly understand probabilities and aversion to risk AND need for control AND penchant for the status quo all combine in the worst possible way when we are confronted with an unknown, highly contagious disease. [09:05] Availability bias is when our brains believe what we hear most often to be true. [10:47] I want to make sure everyone knows that I know we are talking about real humans – each of those numbers represents a person: mother, father, sister, brother, friend. I do not take this lightly as I share the details throughout the episode. [13:20] Why don't we hear about (or get as scared by) the flu-related deaths that happen every year? It's because we've all had the flu, and it's a known entity. [14:02] Our availability bias says that flu is annoying, but it's not that big of a deal. [14:37] The recommendations to stop the threat of coronavirus are the exact same recommendations to stop influenza. [15:18] Availability bias is a huge culprit in the reaction to the coronavirus. The focus is on the scary stuff. [16:32] The unknown variables of the coronavirus are what make it really scary to the brain. [17:47] We need to maintain these better habits that will keep us healthier and happier well into the future. [18:02] Why is it so difficult to change habits? We are used to habits. We have subconscious rules stuck in our brain. [20:30] Changing habits takes diligence at the beginning, and continued effort to maintain. Conscious processing can only do so much work at the same time. [21:44] Before you react, stop and ask if your behavior is rational or if you need this. Take a moment to breathe and focus. [22:36] One other problem we have when it comes to changing behavior, is our brain's natural risk thermostat. Essentially, when we do one thing good, we feel justified slacking on something else. [23:52] If we can all do only one thing well to fight the spread of viruses, because that one thing has a bunch of hidden steps, we should be focusing on the one thing that is proven to

I am very excited to introduce you to Samuel Salzer, founder of the super awesome resource Habit Weekly. He provides content via a newsletter and LinkedIn every week with lots of great updates in the behavioral world. There are links for job openings in behavioral science around the globe, upcoming conferences, top podcasts and articles of the week – it is a really fantastic resource I recommend everyone subscribe to. Today, we discuss how Samuel became interested in behavioral science and his interest in habit formation. We also talk about not creating content for the sake of creating content. Samuel discovered firsthand that if you create what people actually want, they will ask you for more. This is so applicable in business. Find out what people actually want and give it to them. Put good stuff out into the world and people will want to engage with you. Show Notes: [03:03] Samuel has always been an entrepreneur and started his first business when he was 16. [03:51] He moved from Sweden to Australia to study accounting and economics. He also started doing research on behavioral economics. [04:34] This opened his eyes to the nuance of human decision-making. [05:35] He also wanted to use this knowledge to help his mother establish a meditation habit. [06:38] He started studying the science of habit formation, behavioral science, and psychology. [07:37] Samuel is his first test subject, and he does his share of self-experimentation. [08:44] He helps clients create behavior change for good. [09:31] You are succeeding if you create value for your customers and a solution for their problem. [10:55] Samuel likes to focus on the underlying principles of what he is trying to do. [12:29] Samuel likes the concept of friction: both decreasing and increasing it. [13:16] There are moments when it's beneficial to increase friction. You can strategically increase friction to eliminate negative habits. [16:20] Samuel is fascinated by habits and how they are formed. There are also ways to boost behaviors. Such as loss aversion or framing behaviors to make them more motivating. [17:07] Habits can have a trigger and a reward or consequence. There can be a negative (or positive) consequence after a behavior. [20:25] We often have habits or things we do that are designed to remove a negative. [22:53] The concept of "eating the frog" or doing the hard thing first. [25:43] Samuel started sharing links on LinkedIn. This eventually evolved into Habit Weekly. It's now a mailing list that sends content related to behavioral design on a weekly basis. [28:04] You know you found something that people really want if they are reaching out to you asking you to create a mailing list. [30:09] Samuel works to make sure that anyone interested in behavioral design has the best resources throughout the week. [33:26] Accurate research and due diligence are very important to Samuel. [34:02] Samuel is excited about the future of behavioral design. In his opinion, the field is in the adolescent stage. The mature stage will be more about the process. [36:44] He's excited about being able to take all the tools and components and using them together to accomplish great things. [39:46] Samuel's super power or wish would be to see the world through other people's eyes. That's part of what has drawn him into his work. A good book or movie can show the world from another person's perspective. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: [email protected] The Brainy Business on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brain Science Behind Your Shopping Decisions (watch Melina's TV interview!) Habit Weekly Samuel Salzer Samuel Salzer on LinkedIn Samuel Salzer on Twitter Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time 81. How to Finally Change Your Behavior (So it Sticks) 16. Framing: How You Say Things Matter More Than What You're Saying: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 9. Loss Aversion: Why Getting New Stuff Is Not The Same: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 72. Friction – What It Is And How To Reduce It, with Roger Dooley 51. Time Discounting: The I'll Start Monday Effect – My Favorite Concept!: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 58. Partitioning: Why We Eat More Cheetos From A Party-Sized Bag Than A Fun Size: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 32. The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making 34. Optimism Bias: The Good And The Bad Of Those Rose-Colored Glasses: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 85. What is BrainyTab? An Interview with the Founders Radu and Raluca Judele 23. Reciprocity: Give A Little, Get A Lot: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode 30. Booms and Busts

In a previous episode, I talked about a study on happiness which found that when asked if people thought they would be happier if they were to suddenly be a paraplegic or suddenly win the lottery, most everyone believes they would be happier winning the lottery and significantly less so to lose the use of their limbs. In actuality, these two groups of people – paraplegics and lottery winners, are essentially just as happy as anyone else. Why would this be and why would people predict it incorrectly? It has everything to do with the focusing illusion. When people only focus on one piece of a giant puzzle that piece ends up with far too much weight. Losing the use of your legs or winning the lottery is just one small piece of an entire life. There are so many factors that play into happiness, and while these pieces are significant and impactful in many ways, they don't tend to have an impact on overall happiness like we think they would. This episode is all about the focusing effect and how these principles can be used in your business and your life. I talk about focusing on that one thing and making it incredibly clear to your target market. I also talk about asking yourself what people should focus on when thinking about your brand and what would motivate your ideal customer to take action. Show Notes: [04:44] A study about happiness that illustrates the focusing illusion. [05:47] Kahneman did a test back in 1998 to find out if Californians or Midwesterners were happier with their lives. [06:24] If you said Californians, you would be wrong. A focusing illusion bias puts more weight on things like sunshine and a seemingly laid back lifestyle. People adapt to their surroundings. [07:06] "Nothing in life is quite as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it." - Daniel Kahneman [07:53] Focusing on something, not surprisingly, puts a whole bunch of attention on it. [08:59] Think about decluttering and how you would feel getting rid of something you might need. The focusing illusion is combining with counterfactual and prefactual thinking to maintain your status quo bias and keep you stuck. [09:54] When you are asked to think about how happy someone would be or how angry something would make you or how satisfied you are or would be…your brain will focus WAY too much on a few key aspects and answer in a way that is just not in alignment with reality. [10:47] Social proof. People are more likely to take action based on the thoughts and actions of others. They are also likely to weigh a few key items as the most important indicators of their happiness. [12:32] Our brains are split up into two processing systems: the subconscious is super busy filtering through 11 million bits of data per second, while the conscious can only handle 40 bits per second. Your brain will sort through all of the data to validate what you're focused on. [13:20] Anything you want to believe (or that all important first impression) will be supported by the focusing illusion. [13:36] Another example by Kahneman from Thinking, Fast and Slow using the halo effect. [15:25] Initial traits in a list changed the very meaning of the traits that appear later. The sequence in which we observe characteristics of a person is often determined by chance. Sequence matters, however, because the Halo effect increases the weight of 1st impressions. [16:40] When you are focusing on something, a particular aspect, you build it up in your mind and it changes your perception, expectation, experience, and memory of an experience. [17:20] There's a high likelihood that you will create bias in questions asked on surveys - hire an expert. [18:08] Focusing on finding examples to back up your brain's earlier perceptions is confirmation bias. [19:17] It's good to take a step back and ask yourself if your bias may be guiding your interactions. [19:48] I share the story that was inspiration for this episode. [22:02] Live that truth and focus on that now. Your brain will focus on what you want it to. [23:34] Think about your approach to a project – what you focus on, the way you do things (or the way the company does things). [24:31] The problem that is facing you may not be as big of a deal as it seems – and something you aren't even aware of could create a much bigger impact if you took the time to look for it. [25:36] A story about a detergent company fixing an obvious pain point and communicating it in their advertising. [26:32] Find the one or two points of value and talk about those…all the other features and benefits are extra. [27:12] Focus on that one thing and make it incredibly clear to your target market. [28:12] The mindstate guides the focusing effect and what the subconscious is looking for. Narrowing your messaging makes it more likely to resonate because it aligns with the brain of your customer. The BE Thoughtful Revolution membership group is live! Use the code LAUNCH to lock in your rate and save 60% (ends March 1, 2020). Thanks for l

Companies are getting more savvy about using behavioral economics not only to sell products, but to help consumers make better choices. Will Leach has taken the concepts of behavioral economics and social sciences to the next level with his book Marketing to Mindstates: The Practical Guide to Applying Behavior Design to Research and Marketing. I am very excited to talk with him today. He is the founder of the behavioral consultancy TriggerPoint. Previous to starting his business, Will led behavioral science methods at PepsiCo, and he has won numerous awards for his innovative work in behavioral economics. When reading Will's book, I knew within the first few pages that he needed to come on the podcast. This is even before I realized that he got his master's from Texas A&M University (I talked about the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab in episode 33 where I interviewed Dr. Marco Palma.) Will and I had a lot of fun talking about the lab and team down there before we jumped into the interview. Will was at A&M before the lab was built, but we have both seen it in person thanks to Dr. Palma. Will does such a great job of breaking down a really complex area of marketing into a formula that any business can follow – from global corporations like PepsiCo to small businesses. One area I know non-marketers (and even many marketing teams to be honest) struggle with is determining their target market and really narrowing it down and then knowing how to properly communicate with them. Will and I talk about his and the concept of the 18 different mindstates and nine motivations. He also shares his step by step process to help you determine which is the best for your company. This is an innovative and mind opening interview. Show Notes: [03:46] For Will, behavioral economics was the classic "I didn't know it existed until I stumbled upon it." [03:56] Will joined the military right out of high school. He then studied classical economics. [04:16] He discovered marketing research through a graduate program and fell in love with it. It wasn't just looking at economics, it was looking at why people do what they do. [04:39] While working at PepsiCo, he discovered behavioral economics and behavioral science. In 2009, PepsiCo invested $20 million in a laboratory to study the neurological impacts of messaging. [05:08] Will was lucky enough to get to run behavioral science experiments, and he loved it so much he started his own business and wrote a book about it. [05:55] His favorite project was working on a brand new snack. It was a healthy baked hummus chip. The brand called Wicked Crisps was designed using purely behavioral sciences. The target market was the owner's daughter (or millennial moms). Will helped design the name, logo, tagline, bag, and website. Behavioral science was behind everything that they designed from fonts to benefits. [11:58] Will studied economics. He didn't want to just talk about theory. He wanted a practical book. [13:02] He conveys specific models through story. [14:01] He also dug into motivational psychology and goal theory. He looked at all six social sciences and found patterns. [16:25] Will thinks of mindstates as moments in time when we are being influenced. We aren't always consistent with our beliefs and attitudes. Our environment changes us. [18:20] His book is about moments in time and why a certain archetype may behave outside of the norm for them. Applying mindstates can help understand beliefs and values and impacts of the environment on these moments. [20:57] Companies now look at how to help customers make better choices. Making their whole life better gives the company permission to sell them more. Brands are getting smarting and taking a holistic approach. [24:46] Will is the most excited about the idea of getting the mindstates out for everyone to use. They want to get more and more people to understand that there is science behind our decisions. There are also emotions around our decisions and just understanding a few small rules is a huge benefit. [25:57] We can sell more with behavioral economics. We can also reduce anxiety levels and create a better society. [26:30] Will is getting more excited about the education side and using these concepts to help understand and overcome biases. [27:02] He uses goal theory to help understand what people are trying to accomplish. Helping people reach their goals can create a better society. [29:39] The nine motivations are achievement, autonomy, belonging, competence, empowerment, engagement, esteem, nurturance, and security. Then find optimistic and cautious examples. [30:28] When guys are asked why they want to lose weight and get healthy the answer is usually so they can walk their daughter down the wedding aisle. [31:20] One reason why a dad would want to do this is nurturance. So a goal is "walk my daughter down the aisle" and the motivation is "nurturance." [32:09] Promotion (or using an optimistic lens) is seeking to maximize losing weight.

Social proof was introduced by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence. It's one of the six principles of persuasion (accompanied by reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, and liking). I talked about social proof in last week's episode on Peloton. I talked about the infamous ad that made Peloton have a dramatic drop in market value, but I also talked about all of the things they were doing right and how they were using availability, priming, stacking and bundling offers, money back guarantees, reciprocity, choice architecture, herding and…of course…social proof. I've heard from many of you who are actually considering getting a Peloton after that episode. That wasn't my intention, but something I love to hear because we have been so happy with ours (and it is an example of the third type of social proof - users). Herding and social proof are closely related. When social proof is present, we are more likely to herd. We also look for social proof because it helps us validate our decisions. I'll talk about the six types of social proof which are expert, celebrity, user, wisdom of the crowd, wisdom of friends, and certification. I'll show how our biased brains are susceptible to social proof, ways it shows up, and how easily it can be implemented in any business – and why it is important to incorporate it. Show Notes: [02:28] Social proof is closely related to herding. [02:39] The concept of social proof was first introduced by Robert Cialdini. Cialdini's 1984 book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion introduced the concept of social proof as one of the six principles of persuasion (the others are reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency and liking). [03:34] Social proof and herding feels a bit like a chicken and the egg situation. We are a herding species, we look for social proof to validate our decisions and be accepted by the group, but when social proof is present…we are more likely to herd. Which came first? [04:31] Having a lot of other people (or the right people) who have made the same choice in the past (regardless of whether or not it is a good one) is the social proof we need to nudge us into making the same choice. [05:01] You may be using social proof in your business or have seen it used in other businesses. Now you have scientific proof that these methods work. [05:19] The six types of social proof are: expert, celebrity, user, wisdom of the crowd, wisdom of friends, and certification. [05:52] Expert social proof would be when someone who is an expert in the industry recommends or speaks on behalf of a product or service. An expert extends a halo effect to the organization who brought them there. [06:37] Be aware of authority bias. People are conditioned to believe those who are in authority. [07:55] In your business, consider who an expert is on a topic, and how you might be able to bring them in to interact with your audience. [08:35] Experts lend credibility and the value of social proof to a brand – they make people feel comfortable about working with you. [08:59] Celebrity: There is a clear value in having a celebrity talk about your product. [10:01] You need to reach the right people in a way that will encourage them to take action. [11:12] Microinfluencers can impact your business by reaching the people who are likely to buy. [11:50] Just because a celebrity is easy to get, doesn't' mean they are a good fit for you or your brand. It is important to be discerning and make sure there is alignment. [12:08] The perceived personality of the celebrity carries over onto the perceived personality of the brand. [12:45] Have a user talk about your product. You could also stack this with a celebrity who used your product. [13:16] Incorporating users includes reviews and testimonials. [13:30] People are more likely to be influenced by those who they consider to be like themselves. This is the herding piece in action, along with our personal biases toward our own in-group. [15:25] Cialdini's towel example shows how incredibly powerful social proof can be. [15:46] A genuine user talking about the product is influential. When you can help people to see that others like them have found value from your business, it is a win. [16:42] I find key moments to mention that I have clients and people do work with me. It helps people to see that others like them work with me. [18:26] For testimonials: you do not need to write out the complete testimonial OR put the name of the person who provided it. [21:51] Understand why you are using the testimonial and why it matters to the person making the decision, and only use the important pieces. [24:16] Wisdom of the crowd is when someone follows you on Twitter and you look at their profile and decide whether to follow back based on the number of followers they have. [25:24] If you have a lot of past customers or clients, or downloads of a podcast, or subscribers to your YouTube channel or whatever it is…that is worth sharing. Showing those numbers (even o

Last year on the show, there were behavioral economics analyses of Apple Card, Costco and Starbucks and this is the first time in 2020 we will be digging into a specific company. I'll talk about the infamous Peloton ad that made the company's market value drop $1.5 billion in three days: what happened in the ad and why it went wrong. Then I'll explain what could have been done better and the behavioral economics concepts that back it up. I also talk about my own personal experience with Peloton. I recently got one and I'm loving it. You'll learn about the behavioral economics of financing options, the 30 day money back guarantee, as well as how they use the concepts of social proof, herding, reciprocity, and more in very smart ways. If you don't have a Peloton, you'll learn a little more about equipment, subscription, and app options. I also talk about some of the really cool things they are doing that align well with behavioral economics – including sharing a bunch of concepts I see in their set up, and we will wrap up with tips for your business based on successes from Peloton. As a note, I don't do any work with Peloton and don't know if they are working with anyone in behavioral economics or if they are familiar with any of these concepts or doing any of this intentionally. The stuff I talk about in this episode are my own thoughts and observations, not from any conversations I have had with anyone at Peloton. If you work there or know someone who does that would like to Connect, please email [email protected] Show Notes: [03:28] Peloton is a fitness company that sells equipment and features live streaming videos on a screen attached to the equipment. [03:52] According to Peloton's website, there now have more than 1.6 million members. They state over 55 million workouts completed in 2019, and in their last fiscal year (which ended in June 2019) the company made $915 million dollars. [04:21] They also have a 94% 12-month retention rate. [04:48] Over the Christmas holidays, they featured an ad about a woman who receives a Peloton from her husband as a gift. We then get to watch her video blog of her entire year riding the bike and she says she didn't realize how much it would change her. [05:38] The internet hated this commercial. There was all kinds of backlash about the husband giving her an exercise bike and how it was sexist. It had negative coverage in all the publications. [06:10] According to Business Insider, Peloton lost 1.5 billion dollars in three days after the release of the ad. [06:33] In my opinion, the ad wasn't as bad as it was made out to be on social media. The real problem is mixed messaging (something many companies struggle with). [07:03] The ads that Peloton makes are clearly directed towards wealthy people. They also only have very fit people in their ads (which is fine if this is a clearly defined niche). [07:34] The other side of their brand is being a community opportunity for everyone to be able to have access to amazing fitness regardless of whether you have access (or time to go) to a gym. [07:49] If you say you are for everyone – a community of all kinds of people coming together to support each other…the ads should reflect that. [08:03] If you are truly only for wealthy people, you should say that. [08:27] There is no reason that any business can't target a high income or high net worth group of individuals. Just make sure that the messaging is clear. [09:15] I think they do want to be inclusive – especially after having the bike for a month now. Their website is "One Peloton" and they share that messaging throughout all the workouts and interactions. They are very focused on their community. [09:24] my recommendations: First the ad needed a teeny tiny back story where everyone knew that the wife actually wanted a Peloton. [10:04] You cannot assume everyone who watches your ad or sees your message is coming from the same place as you. [10:32] When you don't provide the proper context in the backstory, people will fill it in with their own story, which could be loaded with negatives (especially when you're talking about health, diet and fitness). [10:45] Take a step back and look at your message from many perspectives and look for what people would disagree with. [11:17] A noticeable difference in the protagonist from the beginning to the end would have made a big difference. [12:42] If you are going with the inclusive message, it should have closed with a very quick line like "One of the many stories of Peloton" which could then trim down to say "One Peloton". [14:22] Peloton has enough content for a ton of advertising if they take the time to find it within their community. [14:46] Understand your market niche and who you are speaking to. When this is grey you can get into trouble. [14:54] Bring people along with you in your story, you can't assume they know the right context. It is important to share key elements to ensure the right message is being conveyed.

As students of behavioral economics know even when we are aware of our biases, they still exist. Our brains and subconscious act on autopilot and incorporate biases into our decision making process without us even realizing it. If that's the case, how can we make our decisions more rational? Improving our awareness of these biases can help us at least understand how we are being influenced. From there, we can determine opportunities to step back and take a second look at the information at hand. Behavioral economics is a broad subject with a lot of variations of biases and principles. Fortunately, BrainyTab is a tool to help learn about and reinforce some of those biases. I'm excited to have Radu and Raluca Judele on the show today to discuss BrainyTab. Radu and Raluca wanted to create a tool to shine a light on those cognitive biases. They started researching and came up with a browser extension called MyCognitiveBias which has now evolved into BrainyTab. I couldn't resist learning more about a tool set up to share behavioral economics with the world. That's why Radu and Raluca are here today to introduce the extension to you and talk about why they came up with it, how it has helped them, and why it can help you. It's free for everyone, and you can download it from their website. The tabs introduce about 530 concepts, and they are constantly adding new material including relatable, real-life examples. They also have a fun contest where users can get a chance to win $100 worth of books from Amazon. Show Notes: [03:32] Radu was nervous to reach out to The Brainy Business (I'm so glad he did!) He and Raluca wanted to work on a project together. BrainyTab is phase 2. Phase 1 was an extension called MyCognitiveBias which was inspired by the cognitive bias codex. [04:38] A browser extension seemed like a reasonable way to remind users of cognitive bias. [04:51] Raluca did the research. They built the extension together. [05:11] They started thinking about things that were connected to cognitive biases that could improve decision-making. The next step was adding Mental Models. The also thought people should be more aware of Dark Patterns. [06:21] They have received tons of positive feedback. They are focused on growth and what steps to take next. [08:01] They were hoping for 100 users for MyCognitiveBias, but ended up with 3000. [09:04] BrainyTab teaches you a new tidbit each time you open a new browser tab, it will show a random cognitive bias, mental model, or dark pattern. If you like to reinforce one concept over and over (instead of a new one each time) that is an option as well. It also has a bookmark manager. [11:13] Melina had access to the beta version. [12:33] Repetition and loss aversion are some of their favorite principles. We are aware of our bias, yet the reminder helps. [14:01] BrainyTab helps bring awareness to things that exist and identify why our brains are doing something. [17:31] Radu is a marketer, and he has worked in hospitality. As an observer of people he noticed patterns. When he started marketing, he became aware of behavioral economics. [19:17] Raluca had a mini-stroke about 18 months ago. It was stress related and a game-changer for her. She now enjoys her research and what she is doing. In many ways, working on BrainyTab helped retrain her brain and reduce stress. [21:09] Understanding the patterns helps her control stress and emotions. [24:42] They have around 530 concepts on their tabs. They want to make the information relatable and add real-life examples. [27:31] We aren't as rational as we would like to be. Setting a goal ahead of time and removing emotion such as selling a stock at a certain number is a mental model. [29:21] It's Melina's mission to help as many people as possible understand how our brains work and how that applies to our lives. BrainyTab is such an obvious connection point. Melina is excited to help build out the content and sources for BrainyTab (Radu and Raluca are not behavioral economists) to make it more robust). [30:26] Radu and Raluca are having a contest to give free books to users. The BE Thoughtful Revolution membership group is live, and we are digging into live weekly calls in the Brainy Mindset Course next week! Use the code LAUNCH to lock in your rate and save 60% (limit 50). Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: BrainyTab BrainyTab on Twitter Radu Judele on Twitter Episode 9. Loss Aversion: Why Getting New Stuff Is Not The Same: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode Episode 45. Overview of Personal Biases Episode 60. Surprise and Delight Episode 61. Color Theory: When It Comes To Color, This 1 Thing Matters More Than Anything Else Episode 68. Counterfactual Thinking: Why We 'What If' And 'If Only' (A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode) Episode 80. Celebrate! It's More Impo

This show is all about how to stack products and services to make them the most appealing to your potential customers. Those of you who've heard me speak, have heard me talk about this before (especially in relation to The Truth About Pricing) and the concepts of anchoring, adjustment, and relativity. I share examples of how certain numbers can get stuck in our subconscious and in comparison to the real price, we feel that we are getting a bargain. I also talk about how infomercials use several combined behavioral economics techniques in their presentations. To show how I practice what I preach, you'll learn about the pricing strategies for the new BE Thoughtful Revolution Membership group. I also give you an actionable example of how you can increase your prices by 10% and feel great about it. As always, this episode is packed with real world information and examples that correlate with behavioral principles you can use in your life and business. I've had listeners asking about a membership group for a while now, and the BE Thoughtful Revolution Membership Group is now open. I'm so excited about this membership and all of the benefits it has to offer. Members get direct access to me for all of your behavioral economics questions in our dedicated Facebook Community. This is where I'll be doing live Q&As, training, and all sorts of other stuff. You'll also get access to The Brainy Courses. The Brainy Mindset Course and Brainy Pricing Course are $399 each. (That's a combined value of $800.) You'll also get exclusive content from The Brainy Business, and members get special discounts on workshops, products, and strategy sessions and will be the first to know when new stuff is coming out. The membership is $99 a month, but the first 50 people to sign up with code LAUNCH get 60% off and will only pay $39 a month. Lock in that price before it's gone! CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD Show Notes: [05:36] Stacking and bundling products and services. Anchoring, adjustment, and relativity are the real concepts at play in this process. [06:43] Anchoring and adjustment is about our brains being swayed by numbers. [07:11] The Snickers study I share all the time is part of this concept of anchoring. [07:28] The brain latches onto the number and will move up or down from there. [08:15] When an item is limited, people will actually buy more. This is all because of anchoring, and even unrelated numbers can have an impact on this. [09:03] If you throw in a larger number in your description, it makes the price seem smaller. [09:43] The brain kind of glosses over what it hears at any given time because there is a lot going on, but it hears a number and latches onto it for a while. [10:01] Think of these concepts in examples of infomercials. Your brain likely didn't have any preset number for what it thought that random item was worth or what you would pay for it. [12:26] If you ever discount something, or offer a special, make sure you talk about the higher number first. [12:47] When I introduced the group, I talked about the benefits to you first, like "people have been asking for it" which is a combination of herding and priming. [13:08] I mentioned you would get access to the Brainy Mindset Course and Brainy Pricing Course, which are both $399 for a combined value of $800. [14:01] After sharing the value just in the courses being at $800, I shared the regular rate of the group, which is just 99 a month. And THEN I said that the first 50 people could use a code to claim their spot at only $39 a month. (That order was intentional, and it matters) [14:38] You need to spell it out to people in the right order - and know that saying things are "priceless" doesn't help your anchoring case. [15:21] Instead of saying something is priceless, find a way to quantify that value. [16:09] Relativity is where the second number feels lower or higher based on how it compares relative to the first number. [17:16] The way numbers are shared via framing, relativity and anchoring make all the difference in how the customer reacts. [17:36] When you have multiple options available and want to showcase one of them. You don't want to show the least expensive thing first and work your way up. Always start big and work your way down. [18:36] Find the best product that you want to sell and has the most value for clients. Create a high anchor to present before that. Add 10% to the amount that you're going to charge. [25:17] You could also create a totally different third product. You don't have to though. [26:29] You can use the third option when you are selling physical objects like sofas. [28:18] This can make the best option seem like the obvious best choice. It helps customers to feel good about the investment. [29:29] The context and relativity all matters and makes a difference. It takes a little work on the front end to make sure you are presenting the options in the right order to help the customer make their best choice. [30:38] Bundles are gr

Clutter has a negative impact on your brain. It can lead to disorganization, overwhelm, increased stress, and even health issues. That's why organizing your brain and your surroundings is so important. This episode is about the benefits of organization in your life and how it can lead to positive outcomes such as weight loss, decreased stress, increased productivity, and clearing the way to smash through your goals. The benefits of an organized brain are really amazing, and I want to help you get there. This episode walks through a bunch of tips and some of my favorite tools I use to keep organized. This includes a couple of great books that can help eliminate clutter from your physical and digital life, as well as the tools and systems I use to manage all existing commitments while building and scaling The Brainy Business. Tools discussed include: Focus mode on Word, Time Timer, Gmail's Snooze feature, GANTT charts and how I use Trello to get it all done in an organized and sane way. Before diving in, I want to tell you about a really cool article that was posted recently on Bloomberg. It's called Top Jobs for the Next Decade Are Behavioral Scientist, Data Analyst. This is great news for the field, and I am totally not surprised as so many people have been reaching out with questions about getting degrees in behavioral economics or how they can pursue work in the field. More people are also finding the podcast and asking about working together. Look for an upcoming episode with my recommendations and resources for exploring this fascinating and growing field. If you have specific questions you would like included, hit me up on social media. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [01:49] If you want to be featured on the show – leave a review of the podcast in the app you listen to, and I may talk about you and your business in an upcoming episode. [02:25] This episode is going to cover a lot of resources and things you can consider as you work to organize your brain. If you are already on The Brainy Business list, you get direct links to everything related to each episode…as well as access to the super secret subscriber page with all the freebies. [03:44] Bloomberg recently came out with an article called Top Jobs for the Next Decade Are Behavioral Scientist, Data Analyst. So awesome! [04:05] So many people have been reaching out and asking questions about getting degrees in behavioral economics or how to pursue work in behavioral science. [05:14] When your brain is overwhelmed…which happens a lot quicker than you would think…worse decisions are made. An example would be the chocolate cake study. [06:15] Essentially, when the brain gets overwhelmed – even by a few extra digits – it makes worse decisions. [07:20] Your conscious brain's 40 bits are bogged down with that big number. More things that would normally be handled by the conscious brain are now in the realm of the reward seeking subconscious brain. [07:44] Clutter also increases stress, makes it harder to focus, increases the likelihood you will procrastinate, costs time and money, and can keep you stuck in the past. [09:19] We are loss averse as a species, we don't like to get rid of things. We want them "just in case" and the brain will make reasons for why it needs that extra stuff around. [09:48] If the "things" (physical, mental, emotional, digital) surrounding you aren't well organized and are getting out of hand it is keeping you from reaching your goals. This is why the first step in the Brainy Mindset Course is to work on clutter. [10:10] Even if you aren't consciously paying attention to the clutter, your brain knows it is there and it creates distraction. [11:02] The reverse is that the brain loves organization. Think about when you go on vacation or are looking at awesomely organized spaces. [13:10] Americans waste 9 million hours per day collectively looking for misplaced stuff – 30 minutes per person per day on miscellaneous stuff from keys to remotes to shoes and socks. [13:34] Clutter leads to procrastination, weight gain, stress…all kinds of things keeping you from your goals. [14:31] THE LIFE CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo. When people clear up the clutter in one area of their life they make huge shifts in other areas of their life. [16:08] You go throughout your house and make a huge single pile of everything in the category. You start with clothes – everything you own in one giant pile. Does it spark joy? [19:45] INDISTRACTABLE by Nir Eyal has great tips for eliminating digital clutter. [20:43] NO MORE NOTIFICATIONS - Changing the notifications on your phone is easy and SO freeing. It only takes a few seconds and can help you take control of your life, living in an organized style on your own terms. [22:32] You can also turn off email notifications. [25:13] The next tool I've learned to love is "FOCUS MODE" from Word. If you need to write a lot of content…like me…you spend a lot of time in word and it is eas

I don't know about you…but I am having a hard time believing that it's 2020 already. 2019 was such an amazing year with so many milestones for The Brainy Business. This episode will be digging into the top content from 2019. Links to all of the articles and episodes are below along with a link to the post with the full list. My subscribers will receive all of these links along with over 40 freebies I've given away (if you want to be on the list, download any freebie -- including the Master Your Mindset mini-course -- and you'll be automatically added). I want to take a moment to thank you all for listening, subscribing, sharing, connecting on social media, and reaching out to let me know your wins and the behavioral economics concepts you have applied in your own businesses. These are some of my favorite messages to get – I truly love hearing from you. I've received messages from all over the world, including Poland, Romania, Spain, South Africa, India, Italy, Ireland, and more. Wherever you are, if you love the podcast and behavioral economics, please do reach out through your favorite social app to let me know who you are. I love connecting with each of you, and it really is me responding. I'll kick off this show with sharing the top countries that have downloaded the podcast and then move on to the top shows and articles, and I might throw in a few surprises along the way. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD Show Notes: [00:59] I talk about many milestones in this celebration episode 80. Celebrate! It's More Important Than You Think. [01:39] You can also find everything here The Best of The Brainy Business: 2019. [03:58] The top countries downloading The Brainy Business begin with the US and are then followed by the UK, Canada and Australia. [04:23] India has pushed past Germany to claim the number 5 spot. Brazil is still number 7 and Mexico retained its number 8 spot. The Netherlands has made its way into the top 10 claiming the number 9 spot, and South Africa rounds out the list. [04:43] Ireland came in at number 11. [05:12] The top 10 states in reverse order begins with North Carolina at number 10, followed by Colorado, then Georgia, Virginia and Florida at number 6. The state with the fifth most downloads is Illinois, number 4 is New York, then Texas at number 3, Washington is number 2, and California is number 1. [07:07] The top 10 downloads were found by doing a sort of all the downloads of the podcast. [07:53] We begin the countdown with 51. Time Discounting: The I'll Start Monday Effect – My Favorite Concept!: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode. [08:05] I also call this the "I'll start Monday" effect, because it is the concept behind all our new diets, exercise plans, failed resolutions…as well as efforts to save more money, quit smoking and generally change behavior. [09:01] Changing behavior doesn't have to be as hard as we make it out to be, and understanding time discounting is a big way to help combat that. [09:34] Two of the top 10 were analyses of businesses, including episode 42. Apple Card: A Behavioral Economics Analysis at number 9 and episode 73. Starbucks: A Behavioral Economics Analysis at number 5. [09:38] I used real world examples and talk about what top companies do in business that outline various concepts from behavioral economics and how you could use the same concepts in your own business. [10:33] Number 8 on the list was episode 59 on the Pain of Paying: Why The First Item In A Purchase Is The Hardest: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode. [10:44] This episode was part of a series that talked about partitioning as well, and how adding little barriers can impact behavior. [11:14] Getting someone to buy one thing is the hardest part, but once they have bought something it is easier to add on more items. This is why loss leaders are effective. [12:11] While we are talking about paying for things, I want to give a little shout out for The Truth About Pricing, episode 5, which was a top downloaded episode of all time, but didn't quite make the top 10 in 2019. [13:11] The next episode is 62. Game Theory: Life And Business Are A Game…Do You Know The Rules?: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode. This was a really fun episode and so important for understanding negotiations and communication with anyone you know. [13:30] The big tip I will give from this is to understand the difference between playing to win…and playing not to lose. They are not the same thing and result in vastly different outcomes. [14:18] Next, we have episode 45, which was an Overview of Personal Biases, part of the 8-part series on all the biases, and episode 50 on Selective Attention Biases made the top 10 as well, it was actually the third most downloaded episode of the year. [15:23] Next is episode 61 on Color Theory: When It Comes To Color, This 1 Thing Matters More Than Anything Else. This was a topic a lot of listeners asked for and something that comes up so much in branding and marketin

In honor of the new year, today's episode is about how to make behavioral change that sticks. Welcome to 2020 everyone! 2019 was an amazing year here at The Brainy Business, with 52 episodes released, more than 100,000 downloads in 150 countries, a brand new column on Inc.com (which already has 27 articles posted), a white paper on savings behaviors, two courses launched, and lots of engagement with all of you on social media. Next week, I'll dig into all of my top content from 2019. Today, is all about behavior change and narrowing your focus, so you can accomplish what matters most. If you are trying to do too many things at once, you will stay stuck. And, your brain actually wants that. I also talk about the Moment In Time or the Fresh Start Effect (like beginning your new goal or exercise program at the beginning of the year). I also talk about Temptation Bundling, which is combining something you should do (but often neglect) with something you really want to do) to help motivate you. This episode will help you name and claim your goal whether you are using fresh starts or temptation bundling (or ideally both!) to get going. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD Show Notes: [06:45] The first thing to do, and something I have been preaching to you for months, is to narrow your focus. [07:09] The brain can't handle too many priorities. If you are trying to do too many things at once, you will stay stuck. [07:19] The human brain likes predictability, it builds your world based on what has happened in the past and it likes to know where its next reward is coming from. [07:51] If you don't take the time to prioritize what really matters, your brain can keep hiding and keeping you stuck. [08:24] Would you rather look back 10 years from now and say, "I made a little bit of progress on a lot of things…but never really completed what I wanted to" or "I completed one thing at a time and built on each success"? [09:23] Now that you understand the importance of limiting your priorities and goals to no more than three, we can talk about how you can set yourself up for the most success for actually achieving what you have set as your priorities. [09:46] There are many ways to tackle goals, and I'm going to share two of my favorites in this episode. [10:54] You can and should throw everything you can at your goals including the tactics of "moments in time" and "temptation bundling." [11:15] The "moment in time" is also known as the first start effect. This is exactly what you get at the beginning of the year (or decade in this case). [11:36] We humans are wired to look at new moments in time as a fresh start. This is a form of mental accounting. These time breaks allow you to look at yourself fresh. [12:27] We also create a new and distinct version of ourselves along with these fresh starts. [15:04] One thing that the fresh start does is it prompts you to stop and, essentially, look up. [15:39] Fresh starts are the opportunity to stop and look around to reevaluate what you've been doing and decide if it's time for a change. [16:11] Anything and every day can be a fresh start. [19:00] Any moment is an opportunity to be better than you were the moment before – an opportunity to reinforce those three goals you are focused on. [21:51] Having an opportunity to step out of the everyday work and realign your priorities and make sure that you are still on track is a benefit to every business and individual. [22:33] This practice can help you to reinvigorate your dedication to your life and commitments, to see what is working and what needs to change. It keeps you tuned in with yourself and your goals. [22:45] Schedule quarterly appointments with yourself. [23:22] If you are someone who sells products or services that align with being better or positive change…you should know when people are most likely to be looking for you and your offerings. [23:40] At your office, align talking about change at times when people are already aligned for change like a holiday or New Year. [24:37] While milestone dates can be beneficial for forming new habits…they also are a key point where you might BREAK habits – for better or worse. [25:14] You can control this. Awareness is key. [26:11] I've talked about bundling tasks and habit stacking in the goals episode. [26:39] Temptation bundling is another way to motivate yourself to have positive behavioral change. You can combine doing something you really want to do with something that you know you should do. [27:19] The only time you get to do the reward is when you are doing the thing that you should do. [29:33] Two thirds of people would prefer to have their possessions locked up to keep them on track. Committing your goal to someone else means you are much more likely to keep it. [31:09] The thing for you to do is think about what you wish you could do – or something where you tend to get distracted from your goals…and combine it so you can ONLY do it when it is helping you achieve your goal. [

Merry and happy holidays to you all – whatever you celebrate or don't, wherever you are in the world…I hope you are surrounded by joy, friends, family and everything else good as we close out 2019. Can you believe it's almost the end of another year? We've hit a milestone here on the podcast with 80 completed episodes. So much to celebrate – and as you'll learn today, it's very important to celebrate…everything. Yes, everything. Big, small, momentus or seemingly mundane…celebration is great for our brains! This is based on a lot of the foundations I shared with you in The Brainy Benefits of Gratitude. Being grateful breeds happiness. It also makes people more creative and even sleep better. Being grateful makes the people around you happier, you perform better in life and work, and have better memory retention and better relationships. It's an all around great thing. Celebrating is very similar to that. Celebrating allows you to slow down – be thoughtful – and reflect on the great things you have done. On the achievement in front of you. Many of us achievers who want to achieve big things in this world, and I'm guessing that's you if you have chosen to listen to this podcast, we tend to keep our eyes on the prize. We haven't "made it" yet, and so every milestone along the way is just a check mark on the road to greatness. But it needs to be more than that. We need to celebrate the big and small accomplishments and the things that we are so very grateful for. In this episode, I kick things off by sharing some of the Brainy things that I am grateful for and celebrating. Show Notes: [04:07] Our brains choose to do what has felt good in the past. Our experiences are shaped by our actions…not the other way around. [04:31] When we celebrate and mark things in our memory as achievements that make us feel good our brain will look for more of those achievements to boost ourselves up and create a more positive outlook on life. [04:42] "Celebrations are the punctuation marks that make sense of the passage of time; without them, there are no beginnings and no endings. Life becomes an endless series of Wednesdays." David Campbell [05:24] I love celebrating and have always been able to find the silver linings as a default. [05:58] If you have employees, celebrate them at their annual review. I encourage my employees to keep track of wins when they came in. This makes a huge list of accomplishments to begin the annual review. [07:19] The BE Thoughtful Notebook is coming out in 2020! Want one? Get on the waitlist. [08:03] This was an amazing year with a lot of great things to celebrate. [08:19] Highlights include: The Brainy Business blew past 100,000 downloads with listeners in over 150 countries. I launched two courses that both made money on their first time out, and we already have people signing up for the 2020 courses. [09:44] I was offered and started a column with Inc.com; went to visit Texas A&M and started doing research with them (so cool), I spoke to audiences around the country and led workshops abroad. I completed my masters in behavioral economics with a published white paper through the Filene Research Institute and walked at a graduation ceremony. I got to go back to Rome and show my husband where I used to live and we wrapped up our visits to all 50 states. There were amazing partnerships and connections and possible working relationships slated for 2020...so many cool projects underway! [10:11] All this amidst a much more balanced family life and bringing some exercise back into the mix, running a 5k in New York with my husband on Thanksgiving, and seeing the Macy's parade in person! [10:38] What can you celebrate from 2019? Celebrate those little wins too. It's not all about the big stuff. Share with me on social media. [12:08] My dad is a captain for American Airlines. He has flown there for nearly 35 years. His last flight will be on December 19th, and I'll be on it. [13:43] Dad, I don't know if you will hear this – I guess this is a test of who really listens to the podcast – ha! – but I am so proud of you and honored to be able to celebrate with you. Congratulations. [14:02] I want to wrap up the year and this mini episode (80 episodes of The Brainy Business podcast!) by saying, thank you to you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for making this year amazing. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: The BIG Brainy Bundle ending SOON! Use the code BRAINY100OFF by December 31st to get all three pieces (a $1200 value) for just $599. I can't wait to have you join us in 2020. Master Your Mindset FREE mini-course Episode 76. The Brainy Benefits of Gratitude Episode 16. Framing: How You Say Things Matter More Than What You're Saying: A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode Why You Should Celebrate Everything Throw a Party! Why It's So Important to Cele

Holidays are a time filled with traditions and reflecting upon the past, remembering the good ol' days or reliving your childhood…while creating new memories with (and for) those around you. This episode is all about nostalgia and traditions, and it fits in perfectly with the holiday theme. As we dive into the topic of nostalgia, I'll explain nostalgia's Swiss origins in the 1680s and the root of the concept. I talk about how it's not negative or pain inducing, but it can be triggered by a sad or tragic event. There are a lot of benefits of nostalgia and thinking about the good ol' days. It can help increase self-esteem, feelings of belonging, growth on a psychological level, and even make people act more charitably. It can also be a powerful technique for marketing and advertising. People are most likely to become nostalgic at major transitions in life. This is why a midlife crisis is a time where people buy the car they always wanted when they were in high school, or go back to visit their childhood home. Marketing or advertising for these sorts of things at the right time can trigger nostalgia and action in a buyer of a certain age. I'll be talking about all that and why our brains love nostalgia and tradition while also giving a few tips about how to use this in your business – whether it's at the holidays or any other time of year. Show Notes: [02:22] The concept of nostalgia was first introduced in the 1680s. Being far from home caused Swiss soldiers to have all kinds of symptoms. [02:40] The root is from the concepts of "return home" and "pain." [02:55] Everyone can feel nostalgia, and it's not negative in and of itself. [03:11] A sad event may cause us to think about the good old days. There are actually many benefits of nostalgia. It can help increase self-esteem, and feelings of belonging, and encourage psychological growth. It even helps us to remember that our lives can have meaning and value. [03:44] It's also a powerful technique for advertising and marketing. [04:00] Our bodies are made up of constantly changing atoms. Our makeups change every five years. [05:23] Sometimes what feels like a tradition is actually an assumption from the observer. [05:49] Ask a question. If you've always done something a certain way ask why. (Even if it doesn't appear broken...ask.) [06:09] Nostalgia helps us remember our lives have meaning and value. Most of our best memories are from the ages of 10 to 30. This span is called the reminiscence bump. [06:26] This period of time is important, because it's heavily linked to the time that we form a sense of ourselves. [08:45] Children are quite sensitive to effort, and with good reason. Actions speak louder than words. [09:17] Children can differentiate between fantasy and history, evaluate the strength of evidence and prefer claims with scientific framing. Children in many cultures are less likely than adults to appeal to supernatural explanations for unlikely events. [10:09] Feelings of nostalgia are most likely to come up whenever you feel sad or lonely. Nostalgia – remembering important people in your life or key moments – can help you to feel better about yourself. [10:51] People are also most likely to become nostalgic at major transitions in life. This is why a midlife crisis is a time where people buy the car they always wanted when they were in high school, or go back to visit their childhood home. Marketing or advertising for these sorts of things at the right time can trigger nostalgia and action in a buyer of a certain age. [11:16] Finding a trigger that can make someone feel nostalgic can make them feel better and more endeared toward your product. Incorporating all of the senses is also important. [13:03] Studies have shown nostalgia physically warms you up! [13:21] Our brains are also wired to make memories much better than they actually were. Our nostalgic brains build memories up to be better than anything that could possibly be. [14:33] Our brains are nostalgic and brands can and should use this in advertising and marketing when it makes sense to do so. The right memories need to be chosen and triggered properly. Get as close as possible to the context and emotion. [16:32] When you feel nostalgic, ask why that experience meant so much to you. [17:03] The brain does things based on what has felt good in the past. [17:44] There are four key elements of a traditional ritual. This includes 1) a strictly defined time and place, 2) a set of features that are repeated year after year, 3) another set of features that are different from year to year, 4) and a lot of symbols. [18:42] It's psychologically important for the event to contain a lot of sensory information. [19:53] Having enjoyed a happy set of childhood traditions makes parents more likely to give you support and enact effective rituals for their children. It has actually been shown to create more mentally strong kids. [20:34] Traditions have been passed down through story or ritual in cultures a

I am so beyond excited to introduce you to Nir Eyal, author of the fantastic new book Indistractable, which I have mentioned a couple times on the podcast already because..well...I haven't been able to contain myself! I also wrote about some of my learnings from his book in an article from my Inc. column. Nir is awesome, and he was so engaging to talk to. His writing has been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, Time and The Huffington Post to name a few. You may have heard of his first book, Hooked, which became an international phenomenon, loved by everyone from Silicon Valley and beyond. He's taught at Stanford and sold a couple tech companies…I could list the accolades for ages, but I think you get the idea. Nir is awesome and I can't wait for you to meet him as we talk about brains, goals and being Indistractable. So without further ado, Nir, welcome to The Brainy Business podcast! CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [03:10] Nir calls himself a behavioral designer. He uses consumer psychology and behavioral economics to change customer behavior through the technology that we use. As well as helping people shape their own behavior by understanding their cognitive characteristics. [03:41] His first book Hooked was all about how to build habit-forming products and create habits. Indistractable is about how to break habits and how to make sure we can get the best out of these technologies without letting them get the best of us. [04:24] Nir writes because he wants to know the answer. With Hooked, he wanted to uncover the techniques that tech companies use to make their product so habit forming. He wanted to allow other industries to use these techniques to help form healthy habits. [05:40] He wrote Indistractable, because the products can be so well made it's hard to stop ourselves from using them. That was the situation he was in. [06:40] He was using an activity book with his daughter. There was a super power question, and he missed his daughter's answer, because he was looking at his phone. She actually left and went outside to play. [07:41] He decided to read everything that was written about this problem. The answer in all the books was to get rid of the tech. So he did. And...he discovered that he still got distracted. [08:35] This is when he realized the problem was much deeper than the technology. The technology was a proximal cause or symptom of a larger dysfunction. [09:48] He decided to find an answer that actually worked. We can find ways to get the best of these tech tools without letting them get the best of us. [11:07] The opposite of distraction is traction. [12:53] The best place to understand distraction is to learn its opposite. Traction is an action that pulls you towards what you want to do. A distraction pulls you away from what you want to do. [15:03] Tech tools aren't bad if you use them on your schedule. We can turn anything into traction as long as we make time for it. [16:42] Nir wanted to get down to the root cause of identifying distraction and knowing what to do about it. [17:11] Find out what prompts towards traction or distraction. What are the triggers? [18:14] Our most common triggers start from within. The real disease is that we are uncomfortable with our emotions, so we let ourselves be distracted. [19:23] Why do we do what we do? Our brain gets us to act by spurring discomfort. [20:25] Motivation is spurred by a desire to avoid discomfort. [21:11] We use distraction as psychological pacification. Time management is pain management unless we learn tactics to cope with discomfort. The first step is to master these internal triggers. [22:50] People can become addicted to anything from exercise to news. It's not about the behavior. It's about what we are escaping from. [27:46] We were not designed by evolution to be happy all the time. Constantly striving and craving is what helped our species to progress. [28:21] We need to channel our uncomfortable sensations towards traction (not distraction). [29:50] Step two to becoming indistractable consists of three steps reimagine the task, reimagine the trigger, and reimagine our temperament. [36:23] Our brain craves simple answers which always get us into trouble. That's what's happening with the boogey man of distraction. [39:04] Gum sales have gone down since the iPhone has come out. We don't need gum to distract ourselves. [40:01] If it's something you are serving instead of it serving you...it's time to disconnect. [41:06] Step number three is to hack back the external triggers. Turn off phone notifications. Hack back the open floor plan office. [42:31] Every copy of Nir's book comes with a sign you can put on your monitor that says that you are currently indistractable. [44:09] Nir's wife wears a concentration crown to let her daughter know that she is working. [44:48] The fourth step is to prevent distraction with pacts or commitments to stay

"How do I raise my prices?" is a question I hear all the time. You all know that pricing is my jam. In fact, I've even created a Brainy Pricing Course that has a module on raising prices. In a recent questionstorming session with my current Brainy Mindset Course group, they asked to focus on getting past mindset blocks about raising prices. That is one of many reasons this episode seemed particularly fitting right now. It is all about raising your prices and learning to get past your own mindset blocks that have always tripped you up in the past (so you can move past them next time). If you are wondering if you can raise your prices...the answer is probably yes. As I've said many times, it's not really about the price. It's about what comes before the price and the framing of that price. I'll get into the importance of understanding your why and the context of the price too. I talk about scarcity and how it can actually validate a higher price. I talk about why it's okay if raising your prices is scary. It is for everyone. It's how you raise the price and why that matters. I also share a secret tip to convey your price to your clients with confidence just like you were telling them the time or the weather. This episode should help give you the tools and encouragement to confidently make a pricing strategy plan. If you do want more pricing help, I have an awesome year end special where you can get the Briany Pricing Course plus the Virtual Workshop Bundle, and you get the Brainy Mindset Course completely free! The BIG BRAINY BUNDLE is a $1200 value for $699, and if you use the code BRAINY100OFF you can get the whole thing for just $599, or 50% off – but that deal is only through December 31 so don't wait. Show Notes: [04:13] If you wonder if you could or can increase your prices or raise your rates…the answer is probably yes. [04:28] Pricing isn't about the price. It's about everything that comes before. If you can't raise your rates the block is often internal. [05:28] When you are working in massive volumes, small changes that are not going to be noticed much by consumers can have a huge impact on the bottom line. [05:53] Another way to look at profitability and prices is to understand what your costs are and how it all ties into the baseline question of why you want to increase the price. [06:48] Before you go through the process of raising your prices, it's important to know that you definitely could do it. [07:09] The next phase is: should you raise your prices and discovering what you are trying to accomplish. [07:18] The reason you want to raise the price is important to understand as you tackle the fears you have about raising prices. [07:36] Someone in the service industry may want to raise their prices because they're too busy. The brain will try to scare you and ask "what if I lose clients?" The answer is, it's okay to lose people because you're trying to reduce your workload. [08:28] The increase in revenue should make up for the people who leave. [08:58] Scarcity helps validate a higher price, so don't always be available. [09:08] Another reason to raise your prices is if you're not making enough profit. You need to sit down and understand your whole strategy behind pricing before you make the adjustment. [10:15] When raising your prices, know that nothing is for everyone and it's okay not to be a fit for someone anymore. [10:52] Don't tell them they can't afford you. It's their job to decide they don't want to work with you anymore. [11:10] People get more value from things that they pay more for. [11:48] Think about jeans and framing. We believe are expensive jeans are better than our cheap jeans. [12:27] Once you know you want to raise your prices and why, don't over explain and draw attention to the fact that you are doing so. [14:21] Apologies aren't necessary when raising your prices. Most people will pay the price, and some people will move on. [16:52] Some of my favorite questions to ask clients: What would happen if you charged 10 times more? What would make people happy to pay 10 times more? [18:18] If your campaign is all about price people will notice. [19:14] You can also charge new clients the new rate and phase in the new pricing for existing clients. [21:02] This can also be a chance to let a few problem clients go. Think through what you will do when people ask for discounts or threaten to leave. [22:33] Look at the competition and understand what others charge, but don't let it dominate your space. [23:10] Have a plan and understand some people won't want to pay your new rates. That's okay. They're not your people anymore. [26:00] You need to understand what is on the shelf next to your product. Consider the context of the price and what people will compare it to. [27:08] Consider search terms your ideal client will use, where your more expensive item can be showcased as the best choice. [28:32] High anchors can make something look more affordable. [29:01] Everyone hates raisin

Happy Thanksgiving! This episode is coming out the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday – a day of crazy deals and holiday shopping (which I have written a few articles about recently on my Inc column) including, Why Black Friday Is the Perfect Holiday Sale According to Neuroscience, Why Year End Is Actually a Bad Time to Send Gifts to Clients, and Why Offering a Deal at the Holidays Isn't Right for Every Business and Should Always Be Done Thoughtfully. I've also been thoughtful about a year-end deal from The Brainy Business - and we're having one! In honor of this episode, it will be called the Gratitude Discount (details below). Last year at this time, episode 23 was all about reciprocity and the benefits that come from giving gifts. While today's episode is about gratefulness, there is a reason I brought up last year's reciprocity episode to kick us off today. Gratefulness and reciprocity have an important thing in common…a tie that can bond them together…which is a feeling of happiness and joy. Doing things for others, giving things away, can help you to feel happier. And, as you learned in that episode on reciprocity, people want to give something in return; they can feel good from receiving AND from giving. It creates a nice virtuous cycle that I like to extend beyond the holiday season…though this is the perfect time of year to talk about this sort of thing. Reciprocity is the act of helping someone else to be a little happier. Giving away things, even in business, needs to be genuinely about that thing and not what you will get back. This episode explores how our brain filters for gratitude and how those principles can be applied in life and business. Show Notes: [02:07] Check out episode 23 on reciprocity (fab favorite!). [03:25] Gratefulness and giving can help us feel happier. [04:17] Giving away things, even in business, needs to be genuinely about that thing and not what you will get back. [05:13] Dan Gilbert shares what really makes us happy in his TED Talk. He found our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy. [06:29] Studies found that a year after winning the lottery or becoming a paraplegic people had the same happiness levels. [07:11] People don't know what will make them happy. One of the most important things the human brain does is allow us to synthesize the future. [07:55] Natural happiness is a product of getting what you want. Synthetic happiness is what we get when we DON'T get what we wanted. [08:35] Synthetic happiness – not getting what you want but still being happy about where you are – is just as enduring and every bit as real to the brain as if you got exactly what you wanted (or thought you wanted). [08:57] We really and truly do create our own reality, and understanding how your brain looks at these situations can help you to be happier through a filter of gratitude. [10:30] Our brains reinforce our decisions. [11:27] You can be grateful and appreciate things and have them make you happier even if you don't remember going through the process before. [11:55] There is such a thing as too much choice. "Freedom to choose is the opposite of happiness." [14:31] Not getting what you want can make you just as happy – or happier – than if you had gotten what you set out for. Synthesized happiness is the same as natural happiness. [14:59] Lots of choice and opportunity to ruminate are a recipe for unhappiness. [15:16] Gratefulness comes before happiness. Gratitude is tied to happiness and helps people feel more positive emotions. [16:42] The benefits of gratitude filtering can impact all areas of life in a positive way. [17:34] When you are "filtering for gratitude" as I call it, you are resetting the way your subconscious is looking at the world around you – encouraging it to find good things happening so you will have something to write about at the end of the day or week. [18:08] Students who hand wrote a letter of gratitude had a huge boost in their happiness. [19:27] Our brains pay attention to what we write down, and it allows us to slow down and be thoughtful. [20:26] The BE Thoughtful Notebook will be released in early 2020. Get on the list! [21:01] Gratitude can also improve relationships. Sharing the good makes it easier to share the bad. [22:11] Do you want to be happier? Do you want to sleep better and be more creative? Do you want to make those around you happier, and increase performance on the job and off? Do you want better relationships and memory retention? [22:27] Then it's time to filter for gratitude and start writing down what you are grateful for. [22:49] The year end deal! Claim your spot and get discount pricing before it goes up at the end of the year! [26:09] If you get the pricing course and workshop bundle before the end of the year, which is only $699…you get the Brainy Mindset Course FREE! Use code BRAINY100OFF to get it for $599! Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what

Litter is found just about everywhere you find people. Discarded wrappers and dropped pieces of paper aren't meant to be cluttering up our parks, running trails, and sidewalks. Yet, litter is everywhere. It's a problem that hasn't been solved. Today's guest is someone who looked at this problem and used intuition and research to create a solution. I am so excited to have Michael Manniche, CEO and founder of The Littery as my guest. When I learned about The Littery in a post on LinkedIn, I knew instantly it was a perfect example of behavioral economics being used to create a business to help the planet and people from all countries living on it by turning litter…into lottery tickets. In today's interview, Michael shares how he first invented the name (it contains the problem and the solution). Michael has always felt that litter is totally unnecessary. He also understood that litter was a behavioral problem. The solution would need to be something strong enough to change that behavior. He then shares his research and how he has built a business model that pays people prize money to stop littering. This is a great example of how behavioral economics can be used in business and in making the world better. Show Notes: [03:27] The problem and the solution are in name The Littery. ("litter" + "lottery") [04:07] Michael has always felt that litter is totally unnecessary. [04:52] He wanted to find a motivation strong enough to change the bad behavior of littering. [05:48] Lotteries have been around for over four thousand years and all over the world. [07:44] Michael had a theory that a lottery incentive could stop littering. He did a test in his home country of Sweden and the results were better than he expected. [09:14] It's actually incredibly easy to change behavior with the right driver or motivation. [11:31] To test the concept, Michael went to a movie theater. They had students measure litter on the floor, in bins, and for correct sorting. [14:07] Patrons were offered an opportunity to win €5000 or free movie tickets if they put their trash in the correct place. [15:41] After one month, across four locations, the litter in the bin was now 100% and correctly sorted! [19:35] The success of the test encouraged Michael to leave his job, get investors, and start his company. [20:29] You put an app on your phone. When you open a smart bin and throw something in, you get a digital lottery ticket sent to your phone. [21:38] It's also a goal to sort recyclables correctly. There is a camera in the bin that checks the sorting process. You don't get a ticket if things aren't sorted correctly. [23:33] The AI and image recognition was more difficult than Michael thought it would be. The lighting and things have to be exactly the same as it would look inside of a bin. [30:02] He incorporated in Latvia (and moved to Sweden to support his dream), because he had Latvian investors. [31:02] The next phase will be piloted in the Paris area. In the future they will use the city litter contract money to purchase the bins and pay the lottery prize money. [32:47] The business model depends on procured contracts. Having a new solution is a challenge for procurement. This stage they are also raising funds to help finance the pilot programs. [34:52] Some partners include a large waste management company and Coca-Cola. [35:33] 10% of earnings will go to charity. Winners can also donate to their charity of choice. [41:01] Optimism bias and framing comes into play when you think about how picking up trash can give you a chance to win a lottery. [42:14] Now, when Michael looks at a cigarette butt on the ground, he sees a lottery ticket. Hopefully everyone will have that same opinion soon. [44:31] Humans want to behave as the norm. We are also prone to enjoy competition. Michael has incorporated many of these things into the app. [46:35] If anybody wants to invest reach out to Michael. [49:02] Michael is learning that behavioral science is super intriguing. [50:35] Using incentives to influence the larger group is the plan. [51:41] "When litter hits the bins everybody wins." Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: The Littery Behavioral Economics Group Episode 16. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Framing Episode 36. Behavioral Economics Foundations: The N in NUDGES – iNcentives Episode 39. Behavioral Economics Foundations: The E in NUDGES – Expect Error Episode 34. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Optimism Bias Episode 23. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Reciprocity Episode 21. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Habits Episode 19. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Herding Episode 8. What is Value? Episode 9. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Loss Aversion

It's that time of year when everything starts to speed up. We all have so much to do for our businesses and personal lives...how can we get it all done? This is the perfect time to talk about your brain on time pressure as we head into Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and limited time offers at every turn. You may be considering if you should do a year end sale or offer in your business, or maybe you love taking advantage of the deals—or want to know why you can't stop yourself from a deal sometime. Whatever the background, we all can learn about our brains on time pressure. And it isn't just buying decisions that are impacted by this, which I will get into during the episode. You also have other impacts within your work and personal life where your precious commodity of time is limited and impacting your performance. Think about it. If you had all the time in the world to make a decision…what would you do? How would you go about it? I discuss time pressure and how it impacts you as a consumer. Then I will discuss some ways to think about using time pressure in your promotions and offerings, and finally, some ways to think about how it impacts your actions in life and business. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [03:46] If you had all the time in the world to make a decision, what would you do? [03:59] You would ideally be able to evaluate every important feature and aspect against each other, and devise a system for ranking values. [04:39] Trying to consider every facet and every decision means you never actually make a decision. [05:01] We need to structure our decisions properly and only consider what matters. The subconscious brain has to make a lot of those decisions because the conscious is too slow. [05:47] The subconscious is heavily influenced by rules and concepts of personal biases and that doesn't always lead to the best results in life and business. [06:03] Limited quantities, opportunities and time are all closely tied to value in the brain. [06:44] When there is plenty of time available, we might be calmer and the conscious has some time to think and process. But time pressure? Move over conscious! You're too slow and I got this down. [07:06] Studies have found people are less creative when they are under time constraints. They also defer making choices at all and if forced to make a choice, it's not the best one. [07:25] Time pressure is a form of stress. [08:24] How time pressure affects you as a consumer. People buy more during the holidays. [09:34] When the brain is overwhelmed, the subconscious takes over and that can negatively impact your decisions. [09:48] Studies show that the things the brain focuses on when making decisions shift and can actually reverse when time pressure is applied. [10:03] When there is plenty of time available, people become risk-averse. When pressure is applied, we become loss averse and FOMO takes over. [10:17] Time pressure can encourage people to buy an extra item or get something "just in case" especially when paired with a discount or benefit of some kind. [10:42] Have a plan and a list if you have regrets about overspending after time discounted shopping. [11:19] Make a list of everyone you want to shop for. List of dollar amount you want to spend on each person. Run this against your total budget for the holiday to make sure you are in alignment and make any necessary edits. [12:12] Having a list makes it easier to hold yourself accountable to a plan. [13:44] It's good to set up rules when you are in a cold state so you are prepared when you get into the hot state. [15:28] Having any check in point and taking a moment to breathe can help you determine if this thing you are interested in is truly a great deal for YOU at this moment. [16:16] Making promos and offers. It's important for most businesses to have promotions and offers at some time or another. [16:28] Some ways you can incorporate time pressure in your offers is to have a discount or sale or gift that is only available until a certain date or time. [17:04] Countdowns are very effective in showcasing a deadline and the time pressure. [18:03] Another way you can look at time pressure is with a limited quantity. [19:03] Look around at what makes YOU want to act. When have you bought something you didn't realize you were ready for? [20:33] It's best to test and find out what works for your business. Time pressure can almost always be effective when used properly. [20:59] Don't feel like you have to do a Black Friday offer just because everyone else does. [21:53] If it doesn't work for your business…don't do it! [22:20] Actions you take in life and business and how they are impacted by time pressure. [22:51] The worst case and best case scenario become the new normal and that impacts your decision. [23:12] When you have lots of time to get something done, you have a status quo of all the important things to look at and do. You make a list and work through it and have risk accounted f

Six months ago, I did my behavioral economics analysis of Costco, which has zoomed into the 11th most downloaded episode of this podcast. My analysis of Apple Card is right above it, so we can say they share the 10th spot. Today, I'm doing another behavioral analysis of a business: Starbucks. It's not a coincidence that we are getting into Starbucks right around the holiday season. They have definitely done some things very right when it comes to the holidays…and I will touch on the controversy they've seen as well. In the episode we will talk about featured drinks, red cups, nostalgia, pricing strategy, scarcity…and a whole lot more. If you've been listening for a while, you know I love Starbucks. Not just for their chai tea lattes and marshmallow dream bars, or because I live in Seattle…but because of the amazing things they have done as a company to shape the world we live in today. Starbucks is a dynamic and large company with a plethora of examples I could have chosen to talk about today. There isn't time for everything. Instead, I have picked some of my favorite pieces for the episode – ones I think you will find valuable and interesting and be able to apply to your own business (whatever that may be). Whether you work for a global business like Starbucks, are a solopreneur or an academic or somewhere in between…you can learn from the smart things the company has done and how they have understood human behavior. In the episode, we will dig into their star rewards program, as well as featured drinks and products – from PSL to the Unicorn Frappuccino, as well as the coveted red cups (which just launched a couple days ago by the time this comes out), the personality and overall brand choices in their logo, locations and on social media and, of course, pricing. Show Notes: [04:31] Without the original brand and pricing, Starbucks would be just another coffee shop. [05:04] It really is an amazing feat when you think about the commoditized industry Starbucks was facing before it launched its first store. [06:04] One of the big aspects Starbucks had to overcome was the pricing anchor. The first number you hear (or a standard price) is the anchor, and the brain adjusts from that to determine what is reasonable. [07:02] The way we act is driven by our subconscious, and when you ask a logical question to the conscious, it doesn't answer in a way that reflects true behavior. [07:19] To justify a higher price, Starbucks needed to invent a new category. [07:59] This wasn't just about coffee – it was creating community…a "third place" – an experience that was something more. [08:21] Functional fixedness: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. [08:48] When you look at what everyone else is doing, herding will keep you stuck. [09:01] Howard Schultz and Starbucks took a step back, got out of their own way, and created a new category which changed the conversation about coffee. [09:12] Asking good questions can help you get there. [10:01] Ask questions that aren't about what everyone else is doing. Don't get stuck in the herding or the anchors. Instead, it is about looking to what could be, and asking "How might we?" or "Why?" [10:07] For your business, look at all the things you do because everyone else does. Is that serving you well? What would make your customers excited? Delighted? [10:29] Price is never about price. It's about all the things that come to for the price. Starbucks is a fantastic example of that. [10:56] Studies about wine show that people get more enjoyment from drinking wine that is more expensive. [11:37] When you can break free from the herd and make it about something more, your business can reap benefits beyond what you even imagine. [12:13] Starbucks changed the game with all of their drink options. The first drink they made famous was the Frappuccino. [13:38] The brain gets what it expects. If you expect Frappuccinos to be delicious and you get something similar by a different name, it won't be as good. [14:46] Starbucks started the original pumpkin spice latte or PSL. The limited nature triggers scarcity and loss aversion. [15:53] For scarcity to be a value in your business, you actually have to take something away. [18:43] Starbucks is constantly testing, and they're not afraid to have something popular only available for a limited time. [19:20] The new thing that started this week is the red cups. Keeping traditions alive is something that Starbucks does amazingly well. [20:03] For many, the red cup has become part of a tradition on holidays. When you become a lifestyle brand, you bear the responsibility of becoming a part of peoples' lives. [21:34] Starbucks had a set of filters that every brand aspect had to pass through. These included being handcrafted, artistic, sophisticated, human, and enduring. [23:46] Taking the time to stop and evaluate what is really going on is important. [25:11] When you think about the value of the brand, it's about the overall experienc

Roger Dooley is here to talk about his new book Friction. Roger is the founder of the Neuromarketing Science website, host of the Brainfluence podcast, a Forbes contributor, and the author of Friction, Brainfluence, and The Persuasion Slide. FRICTION―The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage is about making customer's lives easier by removing friction. Roger is the perfect guest for me to have on this show because neuromarketing and behavioral economics are similar in many ways, and throughout the book Roger gives examples and shares concepts of behavioral economics: including relativity, nudges, framing and more. It's a great book, and a perfect interview topic for this show. If you're a regular listener, you've heard me talk about Richard Thaler (the Nobel Prize winner and co-author of Nudge). Here is his review of Friction. "What do Amazon, Apple Google and Netflix have in common? They made life easier for their consumers by removing what Dooley calls friction. Reading this book will arm any manager with a mental can of WD-40." CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:08] The book Friction intentionally has a slightly gritty cover to convey a sense of friction. [05:35] Roger began his career as an engineer, but he was always interested in psychology and advertising. [06:03] When he was about 30, he was in charge of strategic planning for a Fortune 1000 company. This is also the time he chose the bailout and become an entrepreneur. [06:14] He co-founded a catalog marketing company at the very early days of home computers. Over the years, his businesses have evolved and become more digital oriented. [06:45] About 15 years ago, Roger noticed neuroscience and marketing beginning to come together. That's when he started his website about neuroscience marketing. He now has over 1100 blog posts on the topic. [07:48] Books, his podcast, and his website give Roger the opportunity to explore how neuroscience and marketing come together. [09:20] There has been a recent increase in business interest in behavioral science. Even Neilson has about 20 neuroscientists on board. [12:50] 95% of the time businesses have too much friction in their processes. [13:08] An example of when adding friction helps is a retirement plan that requires a form instead of a phone call for withdrawals. [13:50] Amazon reduced friction with one-click ordering. They actually patented it. Steve Jobs paid Amazon $1 million to use one-click in iTunes. [16:19] Friction is any unnecessary effort required to complete a task. [22:05] Total cost, time, and effort need to be looked at when creating ways to reduce risk. Many burdens are for stuff that isn't important. [23:20] Where there is high trust, there is low friction. [24:08] Expense reporting can create extra paperwork. Some processes can have unintended consequences and waste time and effort. [27:40] Think how things can be made easier and how many people will be affected. [29:20] A more difficult form can be a screen. This is a time when more friction may be better. [31:15] To increase phone leads, eliminating the web form didn't work, instead the form had to made longer and less friendly to increase phone leads. [32:25] BYAF (but you are free) technique. Letting someone know they are free not to do something relieves the pressure and helps them comply with the request. [34:56] Buffer took all of the friction out of scheduling social sharing. They even used to have curated content. [38:09] Never say "actually" when answering a support question, because it seems to correct the person. [40:36] Loyal customers are more valuable than new customers. What drives loyalty is low effort experiences. High effort experience doesn't inspire loyalty. [44:23] Eliminating processes can also be an option. To board a cruise ship people had to go through a check-in process and fill out a health form. This useless process was eliminated. [48:38] Open your eyes and look for things that take longer than they should. Is there something you can do to reduce the effort your customer has to take to do business with you? Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: FRICTION―The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage Episode 12. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Relativity Episode 35. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Nudges and Choice Architecture Episode 16. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Framing Episode 32. The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making Episode 28. Behavioral Economics Foundations: The Sense of Touch Episode 63. How To Set Up Your Own Experiments Episode 60. Surprise and Delight Roger Dooley Roger Dooley on LinkedIn Roger Dooley on Twitter Neuromarketing Nudge Conversion Sciences Buffer Hootsuite

You may remember episode 68 on counterfactual thinking (why we 'what if' and 'if only'). That episode and the Inc.com article I wrote on how to break the negative cycle of 'what if' thinking were incredibly well received. That episode talked about the different types of counterfactuals – upward or downward, omission or commission, and usual or extreme. Today, I'm going to build on that and talk about the difference between a prefactual and a counterfactual. I'll explain how they can work differently to help you achieve goals (building on last week's episode as well). Goals are so important at this time of year. As the year is ending, you're looking back at what you have done, what you could have done, and also looking forward at what you can do in the future. This is all counter and prefactual thinking in action, and as I've already said, they can be a huge aid in reaching goals…or a massive hinderance. Understanding how they work is a big step toward being able to use them to your advantage, and that's really the point of this episode. Before we jump in, I want to remind everyone that the cart for the Brainy Mindset Course is now open! Claim your spot by November 1st. The first of our six weekly live training sessions begins on November 5th. There are also lots of worksheets and a dedicated Facebook community where I will also be answering your questions. It's going to be amazing, and we already have some fantastic people signed up and interacting in the group and getting a jump on things. Another amazing thing is that it's only $199 for the entire six week course, which will give you all the steps to tackle mindset including live support with me walking through it with you every step of the way. To make things extra sweet for you podcast listeners, there is an extra bonus of 25% off. This brings the total down to only $149 if you use the code BRAINY50OFF at checkout. Sign up now! Show Notes: [06:05] Counterfactuals are looking back at something that has already happened, and essentially undoing it in some way in your mind. [06:19] Ruminating isn't the same as a counterfactual. Memory reflection itself isn't enough…you need to change what happened or could have happened in your brain for it to be a counterfactual thought. [06:39] Prefactuals are when you look to the future, and think about what could be. Like counterfactuals, this can either be negative positive. [06:49] If you look to the future in a negative way, it has been called "defensive pessimism" and may involve anticipation of regret and building strategies to avoid that. [07:27] When you think about what could happen or how you might succeed in the future, studies show you can actually have great benefits in all sorts of tasks. [08:25] The brain does get benefit from dwelling and dread. [08:51] Your brain loves dopamine and it drives it to do all sorts of things. Anticipation is at the core of prefactual thinking. [09:48] The treat for the brain is in the pre-buildup or the prefactual. [10:31] I decided to send a Gratitude Discount to people on my mailing list for my Brainy Course, unfortunately there was an email mistake and about a dozen people received %firstname% instead of their name. [13:06] I could dwell on this for hours in the counterfactual/prefactual world. [14:37] Counterfactuals tend to focus on things that we really have no control over. [14:57] Prefactuals are more likely to focus on things in your realm of control. [15:33] Instead of just predicting the possible future outcome, you want to identify a specific circumstance. [16:19] My 10/10/80 A/B test gave me a chance to think a little about what could happen (prefactual) and because I didn't dwell too much on what might have been (counterfactual) I could take steps to actually make it better. [18:46] I also used the power of prefactual thought to prevent this from happening again. [19:41] One key to using counterfactuals and prefactuals for your benefit, is to look for the learning opportunity. [21:30] When something goes wrong the inclination is to make a giant alert on the website, but you can't always do that because it will overwhelm the brain and make it so nothing else is noticed and draw attention to it. [22:15] If something goes wrong, and only affects 2% of the audience, there is no need for a massive alert to everyone. (It can actually make things worse.) [22:55] Knowing the true impact is really important before you send out that apology. Don't let prefactual and counterfactual thoughts blow things way out of proportion. [23:31] First – take a deep breath, pause for a moment to assess the situation. Then ask some questions. How many people were impacted? What really happened? Is it fixed already? If not, when will it be fixed? What can we do now to make it better? [23:47] Then take the actions that you know need to be taken. [24:09] Write out what you could do to make this situation and others like it better in the future. [24:23] Breathe, assess, questions, actions,

How do successful people get things done? A lot of it has to do with setting and achieving goals. A topic that isn't always as easy as it sounds. Today's episode is about setting, reaching and exceeding brainy goals. We all have goals, and are all optimistic that we'll achieve them "someday," but the truth is if you don't set your goals up correctly, there is a good chance life will move too fast, and you won't achieve what you're capable of. (I've linked to episodes on time discounting and optimism bias that help explain why our brains are fine with "someday".) Everywhere you look, you'll find advice on goal setting and tips and tools to help you achieve what you want. Success can be as simple as taking (and adhering to) the following three steps to set and achieve your brainy goals. All you have to do is 1) define your goals limiting them to no more than three. Then 2) break those large goals into small steps that will get you there, and 3) say NO to everything else, so you can focus on what really matters. Sounds easy right? Not so fast. Our brains are wired to rebel against this simple process. (Especially, step three.) Saying NO is the hardest part, and where most humans get hung up. We want to do a little of this and a little of that…multitask…not limit ourselves. You've likely heard some of these tips before, but I'm adding the extra (and very important) layer of explaining WHY your brain doesn't want to adhere to the plan to help you fight it when it rebels against you. This show will explain the way our brains react to these steps, and if you want someone to walk through the steps with you the Brainy Mindset Course (cart opens next week!) can do that. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:23] We all have goals, but if we don't set them up correctly, there's a good chance we won't achieve them. [04:48] The three tips for setting and achieving brainy goals are: 1) define your goals, 2) break it down into smaller steps, and 3) say no to everything else. [05:22] Saying no to everything else is the hardest one for humans to do. [05:37] In a few weeks, I'm going to have author Nir Eyal on the show to talk about his new book Indistractable. [05:51] One of my favorite insights from his book is that you can't call something a distraction unless you know what it is distracting you FROM. [06:07] The opposite of distraction is traction. [07:26] When it comes to goals, you need to limit them. You cannot have 85 goals or even 10 or 5, because you can't achieve them. It's too much for your brain to handle. [08:53] To limit your goals, you first need to list out every goal you would like to accomplish in the next 5, 10, or 50 years. (Use the free worksheet in from the Master Your Mindset mini-course...link below.) These are the things that you want done when they read them at your eulogy. [09:09] List out everything you want to do and then think about how they might combine together and into an overarching goal. [09:40] Now that everything's listed, pick three goals. [10:51] Setting these goals can take some time but don't get caught in perfectionism or analysis paralysis. These are mindset blocks. [11:13] Keeping you stuck is a tactic used by your brain to delay change. [11:42] Your inclination is to have the top three be the most important, but still let goals 4-15 take up mental energy and be out in the world as things you are interested in. But they can't. [12:16] Items 4-15 are a distraction that you should avoid at all costs. [13:02] It's important to declare and OWN those top goals so everyone in your life knows what is most important and is on board. [19:17] Setting three goals and then sticking to them is really hard. [19:50] Once you know what the top three are, the next step is to break each big goal into small steps to get there. [20:54] When it comes to the big overarching goal all of these other things are little steps to get there. [21:55] Break the big lifetime goal into sub goals for the year. [22:25] With tiny habits, you break your big goal into the smallest possible component, something that would be impossible to say no to. [24:06] You can also use habit stacking to accomplish the small steps. [24:46] Now that you have your goals, how tiny can you make the steps to reaching them? [25:06] Every goal is reached in lots of small steps. It's a sum of all the effort to get there, not the end result, and if you don't plan for them, they won't get done and you won't challenge the status quo your brain loves and you won't reach your goals. [26:04] The subconscious brain is the filter that determines what your conscious gets to focus on. You need to be incredibly particular about what it sees all day to help guide the filter. [29:21] Use reminders on your phone – set an alarm that repeats your mantra back to you or that you read. Put sticky notes on your bathroom mirror, or paint a picture that reminds you of the goal. (Master Your Mindset free mini-course has tips and a worksheet to help

After a year of doing this podcast, I've noticed trends in the topics I've been requested to do. My Human Behavior Lab interview with Dr. Palma was very popular. People also know that I read and do a lot of research, so I get a lot of requests for book recommendations. Today, I'm incorporating a new segment to the podcast where I interview authors who have written great books about or incorporating concepts from brain science. When I find a fit for the audience, I'll have the author on the show, so that we can really dig into the lessons and how they apply to business. Today's episode features a great discussion with Scott Miller, Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership at FranklinCovey, and author of the new book, Management Mess to Leadership Success. Scott is the host of the On Leadership podcast and Great Life, Great Career on iHeartRadio. He is also a fellow columnist on Inc.com. I'm super excited to share our conversation with you. Show Notes: [06:22] Scott's book sold 20,000 copies in the first 6 weeks. (Wow!) [07:25] Scott is Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership at FranklinCovey. They are the world's most prominent leadership development firm and have been in business for over 40 years. [07:42] Their influence is built upon a variety of thought leadership books including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. They do a lot of consulting around leadership development, productivity, and executing strategy. [08:07] Out of the hundreds and hundreds of business leadership books written every year, Scott never had one that spoke squarely to him, so he wrote his own. [08:30] He wrote a very vulnerable and relatable book that challenges conventional wisdom. He talks about the 30 challenges that every leader faces not only in business but in life. [09:01] His book is raw. He lays out his messes and his successes. It's also short and digestible, which is part of the reason it's done so well in the four months since the launch. [12:13] Scott's philosophy is that we all have messes, but let's not wallow in them or make excuses for them. It's hard to improve if you don't acknowledge your mess. [14:01] The 11th challenge is Check Your Paradigms. One of Dr. Covey's gifts to the world was understanding your paradigms or belief systems. Leaders don't always have the full picture. Their lens is tinted by what they believe to be true. [16:21] Stereotyping and brain bias is an issue for everyone. They serve us in some ways, but we also need to know how they impact us. [17:48] Challenge two is to Think Abundantly. Having an abundance mindset means you believe that there is enough to go around. [22:00] Being loyal to the absent. Defending those who are absent obtains the trust of those who are present. [22:49] Great leaders don't speak about people when they're absent any differently than they would if they are present. [26:18] Challenge 23 and 24 are about setting wildly important goals (WIGs). WIGs are like BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals). Leaders need to be very articulate about elevating some goals over others. [27:36] Properly defining goals is also super important. You can influence lead measures but not lag measures. [28:37] Align your actions with the goals. To accomplish a wildly important goal, you either have to learn something new or do something different. [32:40] Most people confuse opinion and emotions with facts. [34:39] Assume good intent and declare your intent. [36:10] Leadership in organizations has been positioned as it's easier if you just keep doing what you've been doing. Leadership is hard and it's not for everyone. Acknowledging and understanding your messes can make you a genius maker. [37:13] Leadership is a combination of confidence and vulnerability. [40:57] Scott is giving up some things on B level like his radio show to do more things at A level. [41:45] The tips in Scott's book align well with the concepts of this podcast even if the terminology is different - I've linked to some relevant episodes and other items we discussed below. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: [email protected] Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow Everyone Deserves a Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team On Leadership with Scott Miller Scott Miller on Twitter Scott Miller on LinkedIn The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Episode 42. Apple Card: A Behavioral Economics Analysis Episode 47. A Behavioral Economics Analysis of Costco Episode 33. Inside the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab Episode 23. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Reciprocity Episode 45. Overview of Personal Biases Episode 46. Biases Toward Others – Including Groups Episode 14. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Scarcity Episode 68. Counterfactual Thinking: Why We 'What

I love the concept of counterfactual thinking. In fact, it was one of my favorite things to read about in school – I find it to be fascinating in many ways, but perhaps it's because it relates to something we all do, all the time, and don't really stop to think about why. And more importantly – we don't stop to think about if it is doing us harm or good, and how we might control this natural state of the brain. Counterfactual thinking is a fancy way to say "what if.." or "if only..." Maybe you have memories of your childhood or choices you made, and then think that with a little more discipline (or focus or effort or training) you could have been an actor or doctor or run that marathon. We all have regrets on actions taken or not taken, and these are represented in our brains via counterfactual thinking. This may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but it is actually central to being a human being – our emotions and the way we think - and can be a VERY good thing (listen to learn the 1 important step to shift from vicious cycle to goal-achieving awesomeness). Studies have found counterfactual thinking happens across all cultures and as early as 2 years old. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [02:42] Counterfactual thinking is a fancy way to say "what if" or "if only." [04:05] Counterfactual thinking can be very useful for setting and accomplishing goals. [04:20] There are different types of counterfactuals, and they do different things. When you are thinking about a better alternative it is called an upward counterfactual, and those with worse alternatives are downward counterfactuals. [04:57] Upward counterfactual are tied very closely with regret. Anticipated regret (or prefactuals) will be the focus of a future episode. Regret and counterfactual thinking really go hand in hand. [05:17] The first theoretical explanation of counterfactual thinking came from Kahneman and Miller back in 1986, and was called norm theory. [05:39] When looking at counterfactuals consider if they are omissions or commissions, ruminations or undoings, usual or extreme, actions of ourselves or others, and if they cause negative impact or how they can be used for good. [06:29] An omission is when you wish you had acted. A commission is wishing you had not taken an action. [07:10] A rumination is where you think about what happened, but you don't have any thoughts about how things might have been different. Undoing is where the counterfactual "if only" or "what if" comes into play – what might have been if you had or hadn't done something. [08:40] Usual or extreme: the way you do your counterfactual thinking will be different if it was coming in through the same door as you always do versus coming in a way you never do. [11:24] Ourselves or others. Whose actions the counterfactuals are targeted at. We tend to focus our counterfactual thoughts on ourselves – what we coulda shoulda woulda done – more often than we look at others. [12:24] Distress and anxiety. While there is a healthy side to counterfactuals, when used in excess it can be really damaging to the psyche. [14:25] Thinking and counterfactualizing doesn't change what happened. [16:02] Putting too much into 'what if' and counterfactual thinking can often make a mountain out of a molehill. It can be unhealthy and cause you more harm than simply letting it go and moving on would do. [16:12] Your conscious brain can only focus on so much and the brain gets what it expects. [18:16] A study was published in 1995 in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin on counterfactual thinking and undoing traumatic life events. [20:58] A study found that 80% of those that lost loved ones in a car accident had ruminative thoughts of the event, and 59% said they had thought about the events leading up to the accident within the past month. [21:49] Over half of the respondents were actively undoing the event in their heads – having counterfactual thoughts – within the last month, for an event from 4-7 years earlier. [22:20] 69% focused on a usual activity. 28% focused on an exceptional activity. [23:34] 41% of those undoing reported wishing that they had done something. 31% reported wishing that they had not acted as they did. 17% reported both. [24:24] 55% focused on their own behavior, while the other 45% were focused on the behavior of the deceased. Not one person reported trying to undo the other driver's behavior (even though in most cases that person was legally responsible for the accident). [26:29] The person thinking about the process is more likely to undo the actions of the focal actor – themselves or the person they knew. [27:26] If you go through counterfactual "if only" and "what if" sort of thinking…remember that just because your brain is only focusing on you…it doesn't mean it is right or the only option. [28:39] Undoing may, at least partially, be a distress-driven cognitive process. [31:09] The more you continue to focus on undoing, the more you will have continued

Motivation is definitely a key piece of the mindset puzzle, so it's no wonder its been taking up brain space for me recently. My Instagram followers already know I've been working on getting back into running. In this episode, I get vulnerable and share with you my very personal relationship with running. It revolves around a limiting belief that was created in my mind, as well as mindset and motivation issues. I also talk about the two types of motivation. Motivation can either be intrinsic or extrinsic. Essentially, that means it either comes from your own self (intrinsic) or from an outside source (extrinsic). I also talk about apps and other things that can help you with motivation (or you can use to motivate employees or customers in your business). In fact, this is where today's topic came from. While on a run I was thinking about the apps I use and how their pricing could be better aligned with motivation and the way the brain actually works. Hopefully, you'll walk away with motivation inspiration and pricing insights for your business. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:03] Motivation is definitely a key piece of the mindset puzzle. [05:01] I'm going to get vulnerable and share a story about my relationship with running. [06:14] Unfortunately, words from a misguided ballet teacher helped cement a limiting belief in my mind that I couldn't run. [08:27] I wanted to run again and tried, but I still had mindset blocks. In 2013, an executive coach helped me to break through my mindset blocks. [10:36] I had overcome my running mental demons, but was then hit by two cars on the freeway. This led to new mindset and motivation struggles. [12:09] In August, I decided to apply all of my mindset learning and make a change. I started Couch to 5k all over again from the beginning. [13:30] Running gives me clarity. The spark for this episode came from my thoughts around the running apps that I used and how their pricing could be better aligned with motivation and the way the brain actually works. [13:59] Motivation can either be intrinsic or extrinsic. Essentially, that means it either comes from your own self (intrinsic) or from an outside source (extrinsic). [15:12] Thinking about something from a fresh, new angle will allow you to shake off the cobwebs and old rules to refresh your motivation. [16:16] A lot of people get hung up on is sales calls or some other version of drumming up new business. [16:28] the act of making the call is scary – that's fear talking. You are intrinsically dwelling and keeping the whole conversation inside your own head. [17:02] You could make a commitment to a friend that you will both make a certain number of sales calls by the end of the week. [18:10] Loss aversion and other brain motivators can help you get over the mindset block and into motivation territory. [18:29] When you are feeling a lack of motivation or want to motivate yourself, think about the mindset block that is keeping you stuck. [19:25] Understanding your priorities so you can say no to things that are outside the goals is key to getting (and staying) motivated. [20:37] Couch to 5k is a free app, but you have to pay to upgrade to get some bonus features. [22:19] One thing I think this app really lacks is it stops tracking when their prescribed course is done. [22:42] They are conditioning me to not want to put in any extra effort or push myself beyond their 30 minutes because there is no benefit to doing so. [25:04] Also, I am pushed outside the app to get my pace, which decreases the value of the sell and makes me less likely to pay. [26:56] If ZenLabs and Couch to 5k was my client, I would recommend that the monthly payment include access to all the apps and benefits. [27:34] If it does not include all the apps, I recommend the extrinsic motivation / loss aversion model. [29:30] If you don't plan (which conditions for the importance of mental preparation around fitness) you pay if you miss. Lazy Jar does exactly this. [30:10] This is like stickK which I believe was the first app to use brain science for motivation in this way. This app was created by behavioral economists and has helped people reach all sorts of goals. [31:18] Runkeeper allows you to store your running data. You get tons of free stats. You also get badges, and it does gps tracking. [33:31] I can pay up to track how similar runs get better or worse. [34:32] Little pulls from an account on a regular basis could be a motivational tactic as well. [34:53] Runkeeper is definitely catered to the one time annual payment (which I believe is opposite of Couch to 5k). [35:33] Isn't it funny how the big price disparity makes one thing look like a better value? How one small shift makes it look completely different? [36:10] If you have a business with subscription models that depend on regular usage and enjoyment…the goal is really to keep motivation up. [37:55] My 3 tips: 1) Limit your goals. Having too many goals is a recipe for motivation

The Brainy Business Pricing Course is now live. For a fun twist on today's episode, I am interviewed by my good friend and client: the amazing Nikki Rausch of Your Sales Maven. Nikki helps entrepreneurs learn to sell easily and authentically, and we all know that sales and pricing go hand in hand. I gave Nikki a walk through of the course, and she has been along for the ride while I've created it. We talk about the course, what it entails, why it was the perfect first topic to kick off the Brainy Courses, and the positive impact brain-friendly pricing can have on your business. Nikki is the perfect person to interview me about this, because she understands the questions a potential student would be interested in. Nikki is also the author of new book The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling and an all-around awesome friend and client. Pricing Course Workshop Bundle Save $100 with code BRAINY100OFF Pricing Course Only Save $50 with code BRAINY50OFF Master Your Mindset Free Mini Course CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:42] Nikki calls herself a super fan. She is excited about the course. [06:48] I put pricing first, because it's the thing I get asked about the most. Price is such a huge factor and having the right price makes such an impact. [08:49] This course is about all of the stuff you need to think about when creating a pricing strategy. We don't talk about specific prices until the very last module. [09:58] There seems to be a huge gap in all of the ways to think about the numbers. The course helps to understand numbers in a more robust way and factor in things that matter (like time). [11:10] There is also a step by step walk through on how to raise prices. That discusses what to talk about now before raising your price (and how to change the language/plan for current and new customers). [12:10] There also scripts for presenting the price depending on the platform. [13:50] I also review and explain specific framing examples using real-life ads and email subject lines from companies. [15:32] The Brainy Pricing Course has comprehensive worksheets to guide through all the steps and possible situations. [18:38] I structured the courses and workshops to be evergreen and updated when new relevant content comes out. Purchasers can revisit the course over and over. [21:35] The workshop component helps put a deadline in place to complete the work and it's an avenue to get questions answered and overcome hurdles that may come up. [25:07] The workshop emulates a mastermind hot seat format. There is so much extra value from hearing other people's experiences. [26:58] You can purchase the course and then add the workshop, but you will save $100 purchasing both at once. [28:55] Having the ability to set the right price and be confident about it is like the course paying for itself. [31:41] The course has 10 modules. You can also get the mindset module for free (Master Your Mindset mini-course) to see what a full course might be like. [35:26] You can find all the courses in the Brainy Business Member Vault. You can also save by buying the bundle, and use the above discount codes for an even better value. [37:24] This course is an investment you make in yourself and in your business. If you follow the steps, I guarantee it will more than pay for itself. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Your Sales Maven The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling Pricing Course Workshop Bundle Save $100 with code BRAINY100OFF Pricing Course Only Save $50 with code BRAINY50OFF Master Your Mindset Free Mini Course

I'm so excited to finally talk to you about my study on behavioral economics and increasing savings rates. In my master's program, I was required to do my own study and submit it to at least one location for publication. I already had a relationship with the Filene Research Institute, so I decided to reach out to them before choosing the focus of my project. Their top choices were helping people save money and increase loyalty. A group of researchers from Duke University did an experiment in Kenya to try and find ways to increase savings. After six months, the surprising results were that a using a gold coin to mark off weeks of savings outranked sentimental reminders and matching funds. I loved these findings and wanted to see if this could be replicated if modified for the US. My white paper is now published, and I finally get to talk about the study and share it with you. I was privileged to have a conversation with Dan Ariely which helped me narrow down my three main concepts for the study which are time discounting, reciprocity, and a physical manifestation of savings. I hope you enjoy the results. Before I begin, I also want to remind you that the Brainy Pricing Course is now live. This 10-module course will walk you through mindset, priming (and finding your scent of the cookies), framing, anchoring, and relativity for pricing as well as knowing your numbers, notes on discounts and how to raise prices. Brainy Courses are a little different because they include a workshop component. Here's all of the info along with money saving discount codes. Pricing Course Workshop Bundle Save $100 with code BRAINY100OFF Pricing Course Only Save $50 with code BRAINY50OFF CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [06:19] Publication wasn't a requirement for graduation, the study just needed to be submitted. [07:27] The study done in Kenya on savings behavior stuck with me. [08:17] The gold coin was the condition that did the best. It even did better on its own than when paired with matching funds. [08:32] Finding a way to encourage saving without matching funds is like the holy grail. [09:05] I was interested to see how this would translate in the United States. [09:20] Problem number one was replicating the gold coin in the US. [09:53] The coin was a constant reminder to save. This needed to be replicated at least in premise. [11:17] The three main concepts I wanted to focus on were time discounting, reciprocity, and a physical manifestation of saving. [12:02] We started with 240 members, who were narrowed down based on a few factors, including age, income, and time with the credit union. [12:36] Filene requested we look at loyalty scores as well. [12:48] One item we used to narrow down the list was if they had completed a Net Promoter Score survey in the six months or so before the study began. [13:41] The 240 members were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The control group received no communication at all. [15:05] We tracked savings until the Monday before Black Friday so we wouldn't end up with totally skewed numbers when people went shopping after Thanksgiving. [15:29] I also had the previous year's data for comparison. [16:31] It was decided to not have the members precommit to wanting to save or sign up for a program. [17:50] Two of the groups groups received communication from the credit union talking about the importance of saving and this new information they found on helping people to save. (The other group was control.) [18:29] About a week before the planned study, the two non control groups received a letter with very similar text. One group also received a refrigerator magnet. [21:23] The magnet group's letter also had an image of the magnet in the corner. All envelopes were the same. [21:44] After 12 weeks, the 160 individuals all received an email reminding them of the importance of saving, and letting them know it was never too late to start or pick up where they left off. [21:52] And after the 24 weeks were over, they received an email thanking them for participating, encouraging continued saving, and everyone – all 240 members – received an email with an NPS survey to see if the loyalty numbers were different after 24 weeks. [22:55] Making the future self more tangible today is important in combating time discounting. [24:15] Even though I was only using three main concepts, these others still had to be considered and incorporated for the best chances of adoption. [24:53] The hypotheses of the study were that the magnet group would save more than either of the other two groups and that the magnet group would have a higher increase in loyalty score than the other two groups. [26:14] Physical representation is the magnet itself, which was specifically designed to be a reminder of money and savings. The letter only group was encouraged to make their own note and place it somewhere to be a reminder of savings and goals. [26:37] Time discounting is represented in the verbiage on the magne

The physical representation of concepts is an important tool to use in your business. Things like colors and shapes can be recalled by our brains and associated with other non related things. This topic is really an amalgamation of other concepts, but it's still a valuable tool to understand and use when communicating about your business. This episode gives examples of making concepts tangible, and their practical applications in business. This topic is the last main concept from my research paper that I announced last week. I also gave tips on running experiments like: keep it small, be thoughtful, and test often. I am super excited about next week, because I'll finally be sharing my study on on increasing savings behavior and its results. And...speaking of exciting, the Brainy Pricing Course goes live Monday, September 9! Learn all about it and save with special discount codes below: Pricing Course Workshop Bundle Save $100 with code BRAINY100OFF Pricing Course Only Save $50 with code BRAINY50OFF CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:59] This isn't really a topic you can easily look up. It's more of an accepted premise. The physical representation of concepts is an amalgamation of various other concepts. [05:35] The brain works on associations. [07:47] Colors and shapes bring a physical presence that can be recalled easier than words. Your brain has been trained to recognize this physical representation of the concept of street signs (as explained here). [08:56] Logos are physical representations of the concept of a business. [09:27] The physical manifestation of the brand makes the business more real in your mind because there is a logo to relate to. [10:21] This is not exactly the same as anthropomorphism, which is when animals or objects are given human-like tendencies; it can be a similar concept because it helps you relate to the item in question. [10:52] Abstract concepts are everywhere in business, and they can easily cause miscommunication in conversations or messaging. Providing a physical reference point makes everything feel more real. [15:16] I did not want to get rid of my DVDs during a decluttering session. The reason why was because the physical, tangible, representation – the box and the item itself – was tied to my emotional center and triggered loss aversion. [16:06] Where could you inject physical form we're only concepts exist in your business today? [16:48] How Progressive took the concept of insurance and made it tangible. [18:41] When you take something from conceptual to tangible, it makes it easier for the brain to categorize, relate, and remember. [19:19] Pictures, logos, and icons make your business and its features feel real. [19:29] Physical representation can help remind you of associations that you have made previously or that are important to you. [19:56] Physical items are a constant reminder to your brain. [21:57] You can make physical items that remind people of your business without having your name plastered all over them, that will be subtle reminders of you and your business. [22:04] A strong brand is able to live through the lack of words and evoke feelings – they leave an impression even without their name. [23:31] What could your business do to be a constant association and reminder in the brains of your customers? [25:01] I share a credit union concept where the idea of using logos on items could have gone very wrong. Keep in mind that small associations matter. [25:53] For your business, consider the emotions you want to convey – the things you want people to think when they consider your brand. Or, when they might be most likely to need your brand. What can you provide that will help them and remind them of you? [27:10] You can also create visuals around what you want to do to help achieve your goals. What you surround yourself with has a HUGE impact on your approach to life, business and your success. This is priming in action. [27:32] I want to help you surround yourself with the right physical representation of the concepts you care about to help you be successful. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Episode 62. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Game Theory Episode 23. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Reciprocity Episode 51. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Time Discounting Pricing Course Workshop Bundle Save $100 with code BRAINY100OFF Pricing Course Only Save $50 with code BRAINY50OFF Master Your Mindset Free Course Getting to the Top of Mind: How Reminders Increase Saving 9. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Loss Aversion Progressive TV Commercial For Name Your Price Tool Progressive TV Commercial 'The Box' Jogger Commercial | Allstate Mayhem Episode 12. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Relativity The Brainy Business on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business

Testing and experimenting is one of the best ways to find what works best for your business. This week we are talking about the benefit of experiments and some of my tips for how to do this on your own in your business, as not every experiment requires hiring a consultant to come in and run a big study. If you have been listening to the podcast for a while you probably remember me mentioning a few times that I have a research paper coming "soon" based on a project I did on behalf of the Filene Research Institute and a credit union in Portland, Oregon. I am so excited that I have approved the (potentially) final draft and that should be published any day now! There will be a dedicated episode talking about the research in two weeks, but I wanted to give some tips about experimenting first, because it truly is so important for every organization to test things. Next week is an episode on the physical representation of concepts, which is the only main concept in the study I have not yet covered on the podcast. Then on September 13th, I'll share all the details and findings of my research study. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [05:08] Experimenting is important for any organization. You have probably done experiments and not even realized it. [05:30] Good experiments need to be narrow and focused, because if you test too many things at once you won't know what contributed to the result. [07:09] I share a story about how I needed to continue to narrow down a research paper topic. [08:16] The study found that advertisements for low cognition products were twice as likely to be standardized as high cognition products. Ads using pictures were more than twice as likely to be standardized as those using text. [09:08] There were so many variables and items cross referenced just for a study that looked at one month of magazine ads. [09:59] The study I ended up with, which felt incredibly small to me at the time, was actually a huge undertaking - it was a true experiment. [10:16] When there is a lot weighing on the outcome of the experiment, it's a good idea to bring in experts. There are also tests you can do on your own fairly easily, which can still have a great impact on your business. [10:41] You can be more agile and adapt quickly with small tests. [10:56] The three things to keep in mind when setting up experiments are to be thoughtful, keep it small, and test as often as you can. [11:14] Keeping it small allows you to do the test on your own and understand what contributed to the results you are seeing. [11:55] To determine what is best, separate everything into multiple mini-tests. [12:53] Make one small change and track what the results are, so you'll be learning every step of the way. [14:44] One of the studies I share the most often is the one with the end cap displays for Snickers bars. This used anchoring and adjustment and found when they said "buy 18 for your freezer" there was a 38% increase in sales. [15:36] Behavioral economics shows us that hunches about what customers will do are often wrong, because they are based on logic, not the rules of the subconscious brain. This is why everything needs to be tracked. [16:01] Some other things you could test would be how your ads (or emails or direct mailers or website pages) do when you change a number frame. You can also do tests on blog post headers, or copy on social media posts, and images you use on ads. [17:04] The second important way to focus your attention is to be thoughtful. Being thoughtful means looking outside of what you always do or what you "know" to be true. [17:45] Behavioral economics teaches that humans do not always act "rationally" or with much forethought. Take the time to plan before you jump into a test, or start testing absolutely everything. [18:45] Instead of testing everything, just test the right things. Know the problem you are trying to solve and narrow your focus. [19:15] Anything can be worth testing, but everything can be a waste of time if you don't have a clear focus and goal. [19:36] If your company is about driving value, then all your tests should be about creating more value for your customers. [20:16] Focus on items that are driving revenue and value to your company. [21:01] The results of one test will not necessarily hold true in every situation or for every business. This is called generalizability or being generalizable - while it matters in most academic studies, it isn't as important if you are testing for your own business (because if the results don't apply to your competitor...who cares?) [22:05] It's also important to know whether the data you are collecting is qualitative or quantitative. Conversations with people are qualitative, number of clicks are quantitative. [24:00] If you know you will want to dig into demographics and other details, you probably need to build that into your data pull up front. Think and talk through what you actually want to know. [24:35] My final tip is to test ea

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you already know that humans aren't rational (and, honestly, you probably know that just from being a human person too). And the base of economic theory would often incorrectly predict behavior because it assumes logical people making rational choices. Because humans do not behave this way in practice, new theories needed to be developed which accounted for these irrational choices. And in game theory, it is exactly the same. We humans don't always make choices that are fully rational. We try to game the system or play the odds. This episode is all about game theory and how it can help your business. We will dig into three basic games: the dictator game, the ultimatum game and the prisoner's dilemma. And if you haven't checked out last week's episode, it was all about color theory and what really matters when using colors in your business and your brand. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [03:21] If you're wondering, Game Theory actually has a lot to do with business. [03:41] Humans aren't rational. Basic economic theory would predict behavior incorrectly, because it would assume logical people are making rational decisions. [03:45] Since humans aren't rational, new theories needed to be developed. [05:06] Downton Abbey and Survivor are great examples of game theory in action. [05:22] In behavioral game theory, we need to consider how revenge, fairness and personal gain all play into the outcomes. Three main games that are often used in game theory are the ultimatum game, the prisoner's dilemma, and the dictator game. [05:38] We start with the dictator game. What it is and how different scenarios can impact your behavior or decision. [08:38] The ultimatum game is similar, but the second person has an option to respond to the offer. If they reject, both get nothing. [10:18] History has a lot to play in the actions people take, and existing relationships help determine actions. [11:04] The human component – knowing you are playing against a person who is profiting from your situation – has a big impact on the way people respond. [11:57] Think about how the anchor shifts when you have power versus when you don't. [12:33] It's important to understand who has what power in each situation when you determine what to offer and think about how they might react. [13:11] Even when money is not changing hands, the process of buying and selling is exactly the same. Other items of value can be bartered. The way people react changes based on the power or belief they have. [13:22] This is worth considering as you put offers out to people and are wondering how they may respond or act. Are you putting power in their hands that makes a generous offer seem stingy? [14:02] In your business, you aren't limited to the lab style test – your clients know who you are and what you are offering them. [15:29] If you give something, people want to give back (reciprocity). [16:10] The last game is the prisoner's dilemma. [17:41] The shifting anchor impacts the position someone takes. Saying something may feel like a win win (even though it often isn't). [19:57] The best overall strategy for the extended prisoner's dilemma is a tit-for-tat strategy in which you cooperate until someone defects then you respond in kind. [21:41] Most of us would likely plan to play fair. Do you expect the same kindness and fairness in others? How does the story you tell yourself about what they think influence your actions? How would your strategy be influenced by the look of the person? [22:48] Game theory applies in all sorts of business situations. Obviously, this applies in negotiations with potential partners. [23:37] Humans are emotional, and it is not just in the after-the-fact stuff...the thoughts and "what ifs" before a negotiation starts can always influence actions much more than we may think. [23:57] Always have written contracts and agreements. [24:19] Negotiating terms in a cold state is so much better than not doing your due diligence. [24:38] Another example of how this impacts business is in advertising. [26:21] There are countless examples of game theory – it is truly all around us all the time. Pretty much any time you interact with another person or business or entity, game theory comes into play. [27:21] Buying in at the bottom of a recession is game theory in action. It's all based on what you expect other people will do and how you choose to react to it – before and after the fact. [29:47] The YouTube example of United Breaks Guitars which is the ultimate customer revenge. [32:15] When emotions take hold, it can cause people to make bad decisions that they may regret in the long run, so try and get some distance and perspective before acting…especially if you feel really betrayed and angry. [32:49] Perspective lets you look at the game in a whole different way and play by the real rules. [33:15] The last point I want to make is this: when it comes to games, many people ar

Last week we talked about how to surprise and delight customers, as well as the difference between satisfaction and delight and its impact on loyalty and profits. I also wrote an article that went live on Inc.com this week titled "Want to build brand loyalty? Surprise your customers—literally." ALSO: The presale for the Brainy Course on pricing is now live. Lock in your discount. You've probably heard the basics of color theory before – that certain colors link to certain feelings or emotions in people, and so some colors are better than others for brands. There are tons of color charts out there. I've even linked to a few. I'll give you the general associations in this episode, but I'm also going to explain what really matters when it comes to using colors in your branding – the common mistakes and the most important things to keep in mind. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [05:01] GENERAL COLOR MEANINGS [05:03] Red: is full of excitement and said to be youthful and bold. It is also said to make people hungry or angry, and is associated with stopping. [05:45] Orange: is said to be cheerful and have confidence. It is also fun, whimsical, childlike, friendly, spontaneous, glowing, hot, and persuasive. [06:16] Yellow: has optimism, clarity and warmth. It is also joyful, illuminating, nourishing, sunny, sweet, stimulating, innovative, energetic, hot, surprising, or can bring awareness. [06:50] Green: is said to be peaceful and associated with growth and health. It can also be calm, quiet, fresh, lush, soothing, renewal, balance, life, and fertility. [07:43] Blue: is associated with trust, dependability and strength. Some other words (again, depending on the shade) can be calm, quiet, water, clean, peaceful, reassuring, serene, transcendent, open, sophisticated, confident, tasteful, cool, credible, authoritative, classic, traditional, nautical, or professional. [08:42] Purple: is associated with creativity, imagination and wisdom. It can also be romantic, thoughtful, nostalgic, thrilling, dramatic, regal, intuitive, mysterious or visionary. [09:19] Pink: ranges from vibrant, flirtatious, attention-getting and high energy to soft, subtle, romantic, compassionate, delicate, innocent, fragile or youthful. [10:08] Grey and other neutrals: are bringing balance and calm. It is also classic, corporate, timeless, quiet, logical, reserved, basic, modest, efficient, accountable, staunch, professional, sleek, classy, mature, sophisticated, and methodical. [10:50] Brown: is earthy, rugged, outdoor, rustic and woodsy, but as you change the shade to chocolate it could be delicious, rich, robust or appetizing. [11:28] Black: is powerful, empowering, elegant, sophisticated, mysterious, bold, classic, strong, expensive, nighttime, stylish, or prestigious. [12:12] White: is positive, pure, clean, innocent, simple, airy, bright, pristine, or bridal, but it can also be seen as sterile, cold and clinical. [13:09] COMMON MISTAKES [13:11] Colors have tons of associations and meanings, and often opposite associations depending on the shade or context. [14:02] GENDER PREFERENCES [14:13] Gender does have different impacts on preference for colors, which can be important for brands. [16:06] Blue and green are universally predominant favorite colors. Orange and brown are least favorite for both genders. Purple is gender polarizing. [16:27] BEYOND GENDER In some cultures, white is bridal, pure and innocent, but it is a funeral color for others. Black can be sophisticated or menacing. Red can be aggressive or mean luck. [19:33] THINK ABOUT BRAIN ASSOCIATIONS The associations absolutely do matter, and studies have found that appropriateness of the color to the brand persona matter quite a bit. [20:18] Think about how all the context triggers come together to support or contradict the color used in your brand, logo or other aspects of your marketing. [20:41] When people are not already familiar with a brand, the common emotions tied with the color of the logo make a big difference in the way they interpret the brand. [21:13] When starting your brand be aware of the associations with color and the emotions those colors bring up. Knowing the color associations can also help you go against the traditional theory if that is your strategy. [23:00] When it comes to the way a designer or someone working with colors would explain the type of color, there are three important items: hue, value, and chroma. [23:51] The hue is the color itself. Purple, red, and green are all hues. [24:14] Value shows us how light or dark a color is – the level of brightness. [24:18] Chroma is the saturation of color or its vividness. [26:00] Google tested to find the perfect blue for its links. [27:13] There are ways to use color in your business, beyond brand associations and color choice. [28:28] The thing that is most important when it comes to calls to action is to have a lot of contrast. This is known as the isolation effect or the Von Restorff effect.

First off – welcome to episode 60! How exciting – I love hitting milestones and I am excited to celebrate this one with a fun episode on surprising and delighting customers and how that differs from satisfaction. Last week we talked about the pain of paying and how it can impact the way people spend with you. It is quite possibly one of my favorite episodes to date – I really enjoyed digging through the research on that one, and I think the most telling study for you was the AOL example. Special Announcement: The first online course from The Brainy Business is going live on September 9, and there is a one week presale starting this coming Monday, August 12! A lot of businesses are competing for your ideal customer. Plus, those same customers are becoming more selective and are more aware than ever of the many options they have. These days, it's not enough to just get the job done or to do an ok job. If you really want to build true customer loyalty and customer engagement, you'll need to surprise and delight your customers. This is how your business can build a loyal following and increase profits. In this episode I talk about how to do exactly that. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [06:26] Many people assume there is a linear relationship between dissatisfaction, satisfaction and delight, but it doesn't really work that way. Satisfaction is not the opposite of dissatisfaction, and vice a versa. [07:08] The scale of customer experience actually goes from outrage, to dissatisfaction to satisfaction to delight. [07:29] When you have a surprising positive experience, it results in delight. An unexpected, surprising negative experience? That is when outrage comes into play. [08:25] In a business, you have to be aware of these all the time, including your overall experience for everyone as well as for each individual customer. Ideally, you are living in "satisfied" territory most of the time, with a few "delights" popping up here and there. [08:57] Delight is much more likely to drive loyalty than mere satisfaction, and there is a lot of research that shows loyalty is positively linked to profits and stock market price. [09:45] Once a customer becomes satisfied, they have achieved pretty much whatever level of loyalty they are going to have, but the loyalty score shoots up when delight is introduced. [12:27] Delightful experiences are much more likely to hit the emotional center of the brain and be much more likely to be remembered. This also holds true for the mirror of delight which is outrage. [13:23] One heavily cited study estimates that a 5% increase in loyalty from customers can increase profit anywhere from 25% to 85%! [14:13] Delighted and loyal customers can have a lifetime value equal to 11 "regular" customers. [14:31] Loyalty can also result in lower costs in advertising, branding and acquisition, as well as higher revenues per transaction or per customer, lower defection rates, plus an increase in brand equity. [15:22] There's no standard scale for measuring delight. [17:08] Satisfaction is more of a cognitive process. Delight and outrage are more emotional. [20:25] The reason the Ed Sheeran Edchup promotion works is because fans know that it's authentic. Consumers can't be expected to let you know what will delight them, because at its core they can't be expecting them. [22:33] It's important to know your numbers, so you'll know in advance if the cost of delighting is worth it. [23:06] The next pitfall is the peril of ever-changing expectations. If the delights become standard, customers will expect them. The key to delight is surprise. [24:23] The last pitfall to be aware of is assuming that everyone has the same expectations. [26:41] Often, simply being courteous, showing empathy, and making an effort to understand the needs of the customer are enough to create a delightful experience. [29:41] Employee empowerment is still crucial in any business if you want to surprise and delight. [33:08] You can also provide unanticipated value. You can also provide novelty and entertainment – think of Disneyland or Disney World. [35:52] Reposition the business to focus on delivering solutions instead of products and services. [39:18] Seven organizational changes from the Berman paper to consider so you can better deliver delight: be aware of the need for organizational change to establish delight objectives; link customer delight to bottom-line benefits; look at world-class customer satisfaction criteria; listen to customers to ascertain what's important; empower employees so that they can go "the extra mile"; make measurement of customer delight and loyalty a priority; and link raises and bonuses to customer satisfaction scores. [41:30] Delight is not something you do one-off and hope for the best. It requires time and strategy. [43:13] If you are sending gifts to your clients and customers, don't do it in November or December, because people are expecting gifts at that time. Thanks for listeni

Buying things isn't all fun and games – and the process of paying for things can actually cause pain for many people. In fact, neuroeconomics has found that when scanning subjects' brains in an fMRI machine while they are going through the process of buying things, there is activity in the insula, which is a pain center in the brain. In many ways, it is just like physical pain, and the emotional pain can be very real. It doesn't impact everyone on every single purchase, and there are some times when it is more impactful, and some people it is more impactful for. In many cases in business, you want to do what you can to reduce the pain of a payment so people are more likely to go through with a purchase, but there are times when it is important to keep those pains in place…I will give examples of these and what to do when the pain can't be reduced. In this episode, I will let you know how this concept works including twelve different conditions where it is most likely to occur, some unexpected mechanisms that can cause pain when you wouldn't even realize it, and (of course) tips for how to use this concept to your benefit in any type of business.​ CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [04:08] The process of paying for things can actually cause pain for many people. [06:16] Context is incredibly important when it comes to the pain felt by making a payment. [10:06] Paying and consuming have sort of a reciprocal relationship…because making a payment reduces the joy of consumption, but consumption reduces the pain of paying. [11:48] The way you talk about the price impacts the pain felt in paying more than the amount. Everything that comes before the price matters much more than the price itself. [12:42] The more a transaction is perceived as: fair, an investment, immediate, for the sake of another person, under one's own control and has payment before consumption…the WEAKER the pain of paying. [13:45] When the pain of paying is too much – so that people do not buy things that they need or want because it is too difficult to give up money…they are called tightwads. Those who spend too much, too easily and do not feel an appropriate amount of pain before or during the spending process…we call them spendthrifts. [16:43] Tightwads and spendthrifts don't change their ways even when their income fluctuates. [19:45] Tightwads are most sensitive to framing adjustments, so that is where you can make a difference. Adding the word "small" before a fee, or framing the purchase as an investment made it so tightwads were more likely to buy and feel less pain in paying. [22:25] When people feel good about themselves (as when purchasing a virtuous product) there is less pain felt and associated with the payment across the board. [23:35] One of the big issues for spendthrifts is they do not account for or intuitively understand the opportunity cost in the moment when they are getting ready to buy or wanting to buy things. [25:38] Everyone will feel some sort of pain when paying. It is your job to figure out what the buyer needs, what would benefit them the most, and then present it to them in a way that will have the least pain felt. [27:27] Think about how people interpret what they are getting. Did they choose the circumstance or was it thrust upon them? If it was not their choice, are there some other areas where you can help them feel like they did make a choice? [31:14] When the pain of paying isn't felt as much, it doesn't impact the experience. [33:29] Loss aversion is a big contributing factor to having the meter running and the pain of paying. [36:30] Sometimes, people are willing to pay money to reduce the pain of lost time and they enjoy the experience more because it was their choice. [37:15] Consumption can reduce the pain felt by paying, but paying can reduce the joy felt during consumption. This is a concept called coupling. [39:56] Think about yourself as a consumer and how you would feel if you got the bill for your product or service after the fact. [40:43] Are there any points in your business where you could use coupons or tokens or chips or beads instead of cash? [41:28] The biggest thing is to make sure that people feel they are really gaining something when they spend money, and that it is not just being thrown away. [43:11] Classifying your product or service as a gift really helps overcome the pain. [44:34] Reminder: the more a transaction is perceived as: fair, an investment, immediate, for the sake of another person, under one's own control and has payment before consumption…the WEAKER the pain of paying. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Episode 56. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Mental Accounting Episode 58. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Partitioning Abaneeta Chakraborty on Twitter Tightwads and Spendthrifts: An Interdis

Last week was the tribute to NASA in honor of the 50 year anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. In that episode I told you about the space race, the Cold War, and how that all boiled down into five tips your business can learn and implement from the success NASA saw during the 1960s. If you haven't listened to it yet, give it a shot! Today, we are going to talk about partitioning, which I mentioned briefly in episode 56 on mental accounting. This is essentially about how the way things are offered or packaged can either encourage or discourage additional purchases and actions. I will let you know how this works both for physical products and service businesses, and how you can use this concept within your business. Show Notes: [04:09] Partitioning has shown us that when you put tiny barriers into place, it causes a consumer to consider their options and be presented with a new decision point. [04:46] If you are sitting in front of the TV with a giant, party-sized bag of Cheetos in front of you…how much will you eat? It's likely you will eat more than you intend even if you don't realize it. [05:30] When food items are partitioned into smaller containers, and you're required to take an action like grab another one out of the box, it creates a new decision point. The small transaction cost will drastically reduce the number of people who will go get a second serving. [06:26] An experiment was done with bottomless soup bowls. A group whose bowl kept refilling, without them knowing it, ate 73% more. [07:55] Have you ever found that putting less on your plate and having to go back for seconds caused you to eat less? [09:10] Decision making opportunities increase awareness and the amount of cognitive processing used. [10:31] One study found that once something became common – like a white partition between cookies – it no longer acted as a partitioning mechanism. [11:52] It isn't just effort that matters, but drawing the attention of the conscious brain really matters too. [13:03] Partitioning and aversion impacts can also be seen in gambling. [13:49] A gambling study featuring partitioned envelopes showed that once an envelope was opened…all the coupons inside were likely going to be bet, but the number of envelopes significantly impacted the total amount gambled. [15:50] Gamblers will think of house money differently and keep cash or chips in different pockets while playing. They have instilled their own method of partitioning, even if they don't realize it. [16:43] In another study, people with a higher aversion to gambling were significantly impacted by the partitions. [17:57] Partitioning money has also been found to help people save more or spend less. [18:45] The Shopping Momentum effect is where once you start the process of spending, you are more likely to spend again until you hit a partition. [20:32] What does this mean for your business? It's not only impactful on eating and spending, but other behaviors are impacted. It doesn't need to be a physical item that needs to be opened or unwrapped. Any cognitive interventions can trigger partitioning. [22:11] Having an AC that shuts off automatically and you have to walk over and turn back on is a nudge to use less energy. [25:03] Anticipated regret can force you to rethink a decision and possibly change your mind. [26:56] Questioning the price of a customer's purchase is a lose-lose situation where adding a partition is worse for everyone involved. [27:08] It's easy to talk people out of a sale, or make them feel bad about a purchase (or start to regret it) even when you are trying to be helpful. [27:24] If you keep asking someone, "are you sure?" you are creating unnecessary partitions and of course they are going to say, "I guess not" at some point. [28:00] Setting up targets or progress markers, on the other hand, can be great partitions for a business to set up to keep on the radar of their current, past or potential customers. [29:06] Removing partitions and obstacles can be great for businesses and customers alike. [30:08] Schedule a follow up call and get on their calendar RIGHT THEN at the event. I do this all the time thanks to the advice of Sales Maven Nikki Rausch, and it has made such a difference. [32:10] Every piece, whether it is an email or a Facebook ad or a direct mailer should be clear and concise. Can someone look and very quickly know what they are supposed to do? What the next step is? Simplify to eliminate steps. [33:49] The moral: make it easy for people to do business with you. Remove unnecessary partitions in the process and everyone will be happier. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Episode 57. 5 Things Your Business Must Learn from NASA These 5 Leadership Strategies Enabled NASA's Impossible Moon Landing. They Matter Now More Than Ever Episode 56.

In honor of the 50 year anniversary of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, we are going to talk about behavioral economics lessons you can learn from NASA! On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong descended onto the lunar surface and uttered those immortal words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." It's hard to believe that was 50 years ago, and that – knowing what we know today about technology – that it was able to be done with the equipment they had available. Most anyone today would think it was impossible to have completed that feat in the 1960s. So the questions may arise – why then? Why the moon? Why did it matter so much? There are lots of lessons your business can learn from NASA during the space race. While your failures are likely not life or death situations and you may not be breaking world records at every turn, and this story unfolded half a century ago, I want to break down five areas where your business – no matter what industry you are in – can learn from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions at NASA. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [05:40] On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong descended onto the lunar surface and uttered those immortal words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." [05:43] Most people today would think that would be an impossible feat with 1960s technology. [06:40] The cold war intensified as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into orbit in October 1957 – much to the shock of the United States. [07:19] This led to fear and essentially kicked off the space race. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (also known as NASA) was created in 1958. [07:47] Kennedy really ratcheted up excitement and budget for NASA. [07:59] In Kennedy's famous speech at Rice University, he mentioned that the budget and taxes would be increased to accommodate the new space program. [08:24] Overall, the Apollo program cost nearly 20 billion dollars – a third of NASA's budget for those 13 years, so public interest was important to keep funding around for the program. [08:42] Kennedy also does a great job of priming and framing throughout the speech, and playing on the past victories and pride of the US, Texas and the city of Houston. [09:17] In the moon speech, he did great work to motivate the audience and the general public about the importance of the program and to encourage them to get behind the initiative. [10:53] Kennedy drew a line in the sand that helped launch the program. He also helped to overcome some hurdles by saying we CHOOSE to go to the moon. [12:02] Acknowledging our mistakes and hinting that the Soviets had mistakes helped to instill confidence and combat the availability bias. [13:24] Kennedy also made the task ahead relatable to the audience. [14:35] Kennedy's speech was truly amazing and inspiring. Everybody should read /watch it. [14:57] There are a lot of lessons that your business can learn from NASA during the space race. [15:47] 1) Look for problems (and solutions) [16:31] It would be impossible to think of every possible issue that could come up, but it was critical to think through as many of these pieces as possible. [17:01] Using challenges as inspiration is in direct competition with a bias humans are susceptible to called functional fixedness. [17:23] There are times in your business when this natural bias in your brain is doing more damage than you realize. [19:00] When the astronauts needed to fix their CO2 scrubber, they were literally faced with fitting a square peg in a round hole. Flight director Gene Kranz famously said, "I don't care what anything was designed to do--I care about what it can do." Those on the ground were inspired to overcome their natural tendency toward functional fixedness to create an ingenious hack to save the lives of the astronauts over 100,000 miles away. [19:12] It's important to think through problems before they come up. [20:05] 2) Test and Retest (But Know When to Move) [20:34] Simulations and trial runs were critical. [21:38] They still moved forward instead of suffering analysis paralysis. [21:51] Narrow down your focus to one or two important goals. Break your goal into small tasks and set up tests to ensure they can be done. [22:35] 3) Autonomy and Support [22:53] The teams were united working toward a common goal, but they were also given the autonomy they needed to solve problems. [23:44] The leadership mindset came from the top down. [25:26] I always told my teams that I would support them in any decision they made and let them know how delegation was a sign of my trust in and respect for them. [26:19] In your business, do you delegate enough and trust your team to take on and really own your big vision? Do they feel supported to look for new options and innovative paths for you? [27:01] 4) Visibility Makes a Difference [27:21] The moon landing made the impact it did because of videos and photos cataloging it every step of the way. Mirror neuro

Hopefully, you tuned in last week for the special anniversary episode, where I went over the top episodes by downloads, your votes and some of my favorites. I also gave some of my book recommendations and a sneak peek behind the scenes with the top questions I get asked, the weird thing I hear all the time now…and so much more. Today, we are back into the swing of things with a behavioral economics foundations episode on mental accounting. This concept was mentioned briefly in the biases series, but today we are going to dig into what this really is and just how much it impacts our approach to money, risk, time and more. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [05:02] The concept of mental accounting was introduced by nobel prize winner Richard Thaler, and is based on humans' illogical approach to value in relative terms instead of looking at it as an absolute. [05:31] Three examples by Richard Thaler of mental accounting. [07:41] These are all examples of the way that mental accounting can impact the decisions we make. [08:17] Money and accounts should be perfectly fungible (that is an economics term for interchangeable). It shouldn't matter if money was in a savings account, or a checking account or your pocket or a 401k…it would all exchange exactly the same. [09:32] Our brain segregates when thinking about money. This is one of the reasons the field of behavioral economics was needed…traditional economics does not account for the importance of this phenomenon. [10:10] The three ways money is commonly labeled: expenses are grouped into budgets like food, rent, and entertainment. Wealth is separated into accounts (checking, emergency or "rainy day" funds, and retirement). And lastly income is looked at in categories: namely regular or windfall. [12:35] Much like regular accounting, in mental accounting, individuals will book and post any occurring or planned transactions to the mental account. [15:59] When businesses are reporting their year-end earnings and losses, they always want to have a positive year end, which could make it tempting to hold on to losses until the next year. [16:42] If you are looking like you are going to have a bad year and have no option but to take a loss, general wisdom is to throw in as much negative and expense as you can. If it is going to be negative, might as well have it all come in at once. (Known as "taking the big bath") [17:13] Adding a small amount to an already large payment doesn't feel the same as having that payment on its own. This is because of decoupling – where you remove the pain of the payment away from the joy of the purchase. [18:28] There are some times where people significantly prefer to prepay over delaying their payments. Vacations are enjoyed more when they are prepaid because they feel free. [24:10] The way the consumer uses their mental accounting transforms something that can be very expensive hobby (like wine collecting) into one that is seen as free. [25:24] People can and often do plan for expenses in one way and experience it completely differently in the moment. [26:57] Internalize how the brain is wired to make its decisions around mental accounting. Think about how this has impacted you and how it can impact your customers. [27:52] Expenses are thought about in budgets, and wealth is considered in accounts. [28:03] The most tempting and easiest accounts to spend from are the current assets, this is your checking account and physical cash. [28:13] It's less tempting to spend from the current wealth category, which is made up of other liquid assets – savings accounts, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. [28:33] The next, even less tempting category is equity (like that in a home or car you own). Future income is the least tempting category. These are your retirement accounts. [29:27] Those who have issues with self control should set up accounts that are off limits and put together automatic transfers so they are not tempted. [31:03] An example of losing a movie ticket and losing $10 that shows when the loss is associated with the outing to the movies, it is aversive, but when it is not associated with the outing, it is still annoying, but doesn't impact the mental account for the movie. [31:22] Money that you earn in your paycheck is considered different than money you win in the lottery or find on the ground. [32:58] How will the mental account allocation impact the way the gift is used? And how does that line up with the intention behind the gift? [35:54] While losses should be lumped together, gains should be separated out to really feel their value - don't wrap all the Christmas presents in one box. [36:26] Brands can use mental accounting to their advantage in the way they advertise products. How can you use this frame on mental accounting in your business? [37:03] Mental accounting impacts more than money. [39:43] Context is important in the way that people react. [42:53] Being aware of how the sausage is made can impact your enjo

Welcome to season two of The Brainy Business. This episode is a special anniversary episode celebrating the first year of the podcast. I can't believe it has been a full year already. Year one brought us 54 episodes with over 60,000 downloads in 133 countries around the world. So much has happened this year. I've made amazing connections to listeners in person and on social media. I've had conversations with academics, students, business owners, and marketers. I also launched my column on Inc.com Today, I'm going to share the top ten episodes by downloads, some of your favorites – with clips from the audiograms you submitted, and a few of my favorite episodes – including which ones I share the most. I will also give some looks behind the scenes, with the top questions I get asked, the funniest thing people say to me now (that I had never heard before becoming a podcaster), my favorite books, and more. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [05:43] An audio clip featuring Nikki Rausch of Sales Maven. [06:06] The Business Bros are early adopters and find this podcast instrumental in their marketing. [08:59] I share the top 10 podcasts based on your downloads. [09:40] A message from Maureen about episode 43 and how she benefited from a discovery call and then working together. [13:15] Number 9 on the countdown was episode 42: A Behavioral Economics Analysi of Apple Card. [14:54] Episode 32 was one of my favorite episodes, and it includes the chocolate cake study. This one is about The Overwhelmed Brain, and I play a quick clip from Debby. This was also the first episode where I referenced the Texas A & M Human Behavior Lab. [19:27] Episode 3 about lead magnets was number 7. This was based on a popular video I did before the podcast launched. [21:03] Episode 47: The Behavioral Analysis of Costco was number 6. I have some more fun business analysis shows coming up. [23:16] Episode 35, which was The Introduction to Choice Architecture and Nudging. This episode is where I first started using my air conditioner example. This is a really intricate and complex topic. It's critical for any business to understand the complexity of choice. [27:03] Episode 45: An Overview of Personal Biases was the fourth most downloaded episode. I was a bit nervous launching into this rapid fire series. [29:10] Number 3 was episode 5: The Truth About Pricing. I also play a quick clip by Kadra who I was fortunate enough to work with. [32:47] The second most downloaded episode of all time is episode 2. This episode was the Top 5 Wording Mistakes That Businesses Make. Because of this episode I am now associated with cotton candy grapes. [34:40] Number 1 is also Episode 1: Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain. I write out full scripts for my podcast. I discovered this was the best way to work after episode 1 and 2 had to be recorded multiple times each. [37:38] Episode 11: Anchoring and Adjustment was also really popular. This is the episode with the story about the 38% increase of sales in Snickers. [38:48] Episode 23: Reciprocity and Episode 31 on Mirror Neurons were also popular with listeners. I got to talk about Sheldon Cooper and the Big Bang Theory in episode 23 (which I love). Mirror neurons are so fascinating and one of my favorite topics. [41:39] Kelly Ferguson, of Ferguson Avenue Photography said via Facebook that episode 8, What is Value? is her favorite. It was so much fun to come up with examples of what creates real value. [42:48] An episode I recommend often is episode 16 on Framing. I also recommend episode 19 on Herding and episode 17 The Power of Numbers. [44:00] I also loved talking about Time Discounting and my interview with Texas A & M. My online strategy session was also a favorite. [44:53] I also loved the episode on Booms, Bubbles and Busts because it was really fun to talk about tulips and Beanie Babies. [45:13] The last episode I want to talk about is episode 9 which was my very first foundations episode on Loss Aversion. I was concerned the foundations episodes would come across as too academic, but people loved them. [47:40] Where we hang out: A lot of people listen to the podcast on their commute or while walking their dogs. Some listen at the gym. One listener even listened while running a marathon. I'd love to hear where we hang out. [52:06] My rapid fire book recommendations with links below. [55:05] A quick shout out to the team at Pro Podcast Solutions. [55:20] I record my episodes with a USB microphone in my home office. [56:06] Brain is a custom creation made from a model. I added a little purple paint and we have Brain. [57:02] Thanks again for making this year beyond what I could have imagined. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Melina Palmer Behavioral Economics and Business on Inc. Your Sales Maven Business Bros Podcast Episode 43.

Today is our last episode in the series on biases – and the last episode of the first year of the podcast! Can you believe it? A whole year of behavioral economics and business. A lot has happened over this year and I look forward to sharing that in next week's anniversary episode. Today's episode closes out the series on biases by talking about our brains' penchant for novelty and story. You probably know that people remember better when they hear stories, and that they pay more attention, but this will explain the concepts of our brain that make it the case for everyone - and how you can use it in your business to be more effective. Show Notes: [04:00] Our brains like things that stick out or are different. This is called the bizarreness effect because things that are bizarre are remembered better than more common stuff. [05:13] We are also more likely to remember funny things compared to those that are not humorous due to the humor effect. [06:32] Incorporating humor into messaging is not always easy. If it is not done right and feels staged it can be detrimental to any brand. [07:32] Due to pareidolia our brains are primed to see faces in pretty much everything. No matter how vague or random the stimuli, it can be seen as significant when our brain gets a hold of it. [08:14] Illusory correlation is an inaccurate memory about the relationship between two different things. [09:17] Seeing faces on houses, trees, cracks in the sidewalk or whatever else (pareidolia) are deeply rooted in our love of story and of novelty. [10:51] Our brains' appreciation for stories impacts so much of everything we do. We often tell ourselves stories about other people because it helps us to understand them. [11:07] Due to the empathy gap, we are likely to underestimate how much feelings will influence decisions and how strong they can be – this occurs both for ourselves and for other people. [12:48] Due to the identifiable victim effect, people tend to have a lesser response to a large group of people than they do to a single person. [13:58] Giving a specific story can help form a picture in their brain, which means they are more likely to remember you in the future. [14:39] Survivorship bias is a way we can remember and focus on those who survived and ignoring everything else because it is less visible. [16:14] If you are not thinking about where survivorship bias could be impacting your analysis, you could be doing a huge disservice to your business. [16:33] The just world hypothesis is where we want to believe the world around us is fundamentally just, and we will rationalize some injustice that is otherwise inexplicable as being deserved by the victim. [17:20] Moral luck is the tendency for someone to use the outcome of an event to assign moral standing even when it is likely unrelated. [18:07] Authority bias is where we are more likely to believe and be influenced by the opinion of someone in authority. [20:35] The Ben Franklin effect shows that if we have done a favor for someone, we are more likely to do a second favor for them. [22:03] Social desirability bias is where we want others to see us in the best possible light, so we will likely overreport our own socially desirable behaviors and characteristics, while we will under report them for everyone else. [22:30] The courtesy bias is where we share opinions that are more socially acceptable than our true thoughts and feelings so we do not offend anyone. [22:47] Because of omission bias we will judge actions (also known as commissions) more harshly than inactions (or omissions) even if they are more harmful than taking an action. [24:18] The backfiring effect is when we have done something good, and are therefore more likely to allow ourselves to do something bad. [25:33] The stories we tell ourselves are impacting the decisions we make all the time, and it doesn't have to be as dramatic as these studies have made it out. [25:56] Once you understand how these biases impact you and your life, think about how it impacts the opinions others have of you (and you have of others). Then think about how understanding them can help you to make better decisions. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Melina Palmer Behavioral Economics and Business 1 Simple Brain Trick That Can Help You Overcome Self-Doubt Forever The Brainy Biz Facebook Page @thebrainybiz on Twitter The Brainy Biz on Instagram Behavioral Economics Foundations: Anchoring and Adjustment 12 Examples Of Pareidolia Simulating Pareidolia of Faces for Architectural Image Analysis Episode 24. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Sense of Sight The J. Paul Getty Museum Episode 19. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Herding Episode 34. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Optimism Bias Episode 18. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Priming Missing what's missing: How sur

We are getting near the end of our eight week series on all the biases. There is just one more to go after this one, which is about how our brains are biased toward novelty and stories. The first six episodes in the series, which are linked in the show notes, were on personal biases, how we are biased toward others (both individuals and groups), memory, present versus future, selective attention, and last week was all about how math is hard. Turns out we aren't so good with money, value, numbers, games and probabilities. So, why do we take shortcuts or accept something as a fact without actually doing the investigative work behind it? It all has to do with our lazy brain. The truth is we have the power to use our brains however we want. Learning some of the lazy brain biases will help us use our brain more efficiently in our life and our businesses - or at least help us understand the science behind some of our choices. Show Notes [04:58] The default effect, which was covered in episode 20 and again in episode 38 as part of the series on nudges. We humans are most likely to choose a default option when we are provided one, whether it is in our best interest or not. [05:39] Due to the decoy effect someone's preference for a choice or product will change based on the options that are presented. [08:05] We have an automation bias, which leads us to have an excessive dependence on automated systems, this can create a situation where those automated decisions override the choices of individuals that would be more correct and accurate. [08:43] There are lots of things automation can't do properly, so it is important to be thoughtful and take a look under the hood every now and then. [09:08] The law of the instrument, where we are overly reliant on a familiar tool. The old adage to explain this is, "If all you have is a hammer...everything looks like a nail." [09:26] Functional fixedness is where someone is limited to using an object only in the way it is traditionally designed or expected to be used. [09:49] Our businesses would be best served if we could look at a problem in a new way, from a new angle, and find a new approach. [10:49] A great example featuring the Apollo XIII story. [11:54] Our brains are looking for the easiest answer and solution most of the time, the way the information is presented – or the frame – can determine what actions we take. [12:44] When I talk about anchoring and pricing I always recommend to start with the highest price first. [13:00] The contrast effect makes it so different stimuli are viewed differently based on what was seen just before it. [14:12] Interoceptive bias is when we believe that input from our senses are used to influence our external decisions. [15:22] The ambiguity effect is when we avoid options and choices where we don't know the odds or likelihood of the outcome in advance, and we would rather choose an option with bad odds that we happen to know, than go down the unknown path. [15:55] Action bias is where we take an action to feel like we are in control of something. [17:38] There are two versions of illicit transference. The fallacy of composition is when you assume things about a group because of one person you have interacted with. The fallacy of division is where you determine each individual must be like the whole group. [20:59] When we are presented with tasks that are particularly daunting, we may become a victim of Parkinson's law of triviality, which is also known as bikeshedding. This is when trivial issues are given way too much weight and we can get stuck on the small stuff to avoid fixing the big stuff. [23:03] Lag effect is how we learn better if our studying is spread out over time instead of trying to cram it all in during one session. The levels of processing effect is where not all methods of putting information into our memory have the same level of effectiveness [24:07] The list length effect is where we can remember more items when given a longer list. Our brains are only as lazy as we allow them to be. [24:56] Take a limiting belief that you have and push the limits. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Episode 45. Overview of Personal Biases Episode 46. Biases Toward Others – Including Groups Episode 48. An Overview of Memory Biases Episode 49. Present Versus Future Biases Episode 50. Selective Attention Biases Episode 52. Biases – Math is Hard Leave an Audio Review or Talk With Me Episode 20. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Defaults Episode 38. Behavioral Economics Foundations: The D in NUDGES – Defaults Episode 12. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Relativity Predictably Irrational Episode 11. Behavioral Economics Foundations: Anchoring and Adjustment The Greatest Space Hack Ever This Is the Actual Hack That Saved the Astronauts of the Apollo XIII Apollo Expeditions to th

Last week we got to finally have the episode on time discounting, which was very exciting for me because as many of you know, it is my all time favorite concept. As you learned in episode 51, I call it the "I'll Start Monday Effect" because it is the bias behind all the times we commit ourselves to do something in the future (like starting a new exercise program on Monday) and when we wake up…we feel like a completely different person and hit snooze. As you have heard me mention on the show many times before, our brains are lazy, and they like to take the path of least resistance to get to what they believe to be a "good enough" answer as quickly as possible. We will get into that in more detail next week, but today I want to talk about how that impacts our interactions with numbers and math. Most people think math is hard and our brains are particularly lazy when it comes to hard stuff, so we often risk being wrong rather than take the time to do the numbers. I dive deep in the fascinating whys and why nots of this phenomena. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes [04:34] Our brains are lazy, and they like to take the path of least resistance to get to what they believe to be a "good enough" answer as quickly as possible. [05:54] Our brains make lots of assumptions based on the little bit of information they are looking at. This combines with our brain's natural tendency to believe everything it learns to be TRUE first and ask questions later. [06:27] Because we are particularly lazy when it comes to math, we rely on the source of whatever is thrown our way, and the brain would rather risk being wrong than to take the time to do the numbers in everyday interactions. [07:27] Because of unit bias, you may have assumed the amount you serve yourself matches the intended serving size. [09:00] Calories are the main comparison people make when thinking about cereal. Most people don't take the time to do the actual math involved in the serving size. [09:54] Due to the less is better effect, our preferences change when we evaluate things alone versus comparing them against others (this is relativity in action). [11:16] Great quote from Thinking Fast and Slow, (which was actually a quote from Paul Rozen, an expert in disgust) "a single cockroach will completely wreck the appeal of a bowl of cherries, but a cherry will do nothing at all for a bowl of cockroaches." [11:48] MONEY AND VALUE Due to the money illusion, we tend to concentrate on the nominal or face value of our money, instead of thinking of it in terms of how much it can get for us. [12:09] Due to the denomination effect we are more likely to spend money in smaller denominations than when it is in bigger ones. [12:53] We still do a lot of mental accounting. This is where we think money in different places or accounts is not all accessible in the same way. [13:33] Why is $1000 not the same everywhere? Consider all the ways this is good and bad. [14:37] Due to the IKEA effect (yes, that is its actual name) people will value things more that they made themselves or partially assembled. [15:13] The endowment effect is where we value things we own more than things we do not. [15:43] For your business, remember that making people feel like they came up with the idea makes them more likely to support it. [16:11] Due to the Zeigarnik effect we will remember the tasks we did not complete – or where we were interrupted – better than the tasks we did complete. [16:43] Due to the disposition effect we humans will tend to sell assets that have accumulated in value and hold onto those that have declined in value. [17:29] Because of our time saving bias, when going at a relatively low speed, we underestimate the amount of time we could save by speeding up or lose by slowing down. [18:14] Perspective can make a huge difference for good and bad. [18:40] Duration neglect. This likely combines with the IKEA effect where we forget the 8 hours it took to put together that simple bookshelf and just see the glorious thing we have created. [20:05] Well-traveled road effect. We underestimate how long it will take us to go on roads or routes we have taken a lot, and overestimate how long it will take to go on less familiar ones. [21:37] GAMES AND PROBABILITIES The hot hand fallacy. ​It's a myth that "hot hands" are going to continue to defy the odds. [22:18] The clustering illusion is where we see phantom patterns and overestimate the importance of small streaks. [22:40] This is a lot like the gambler's fallacy. This is where we think the past has any impact on the future probability. [23:50] We are biased toward having zero risk if we can. This is much like ambiguity aversion, or uncertainty aversion, people are more likely to prefer the things we know. [25:46] Neglected probability territory is when we are uncertain about the options or outcomes and need to make a decision we completely disregard everything we do know about probabilities. [26:12] Berkson's paradox is where

Today, we are getting back to our behavioral economics foundations episodes to discuss time discounting. I hope you enjoyed the last three episodes in our series on all the biases, where I told you about memory biases, our biases toward the future and how that impacts our decisions today, and how our selective attention and focus can color our decisions. Time discounting is one of my favorite concepts. I recently did a research project centered around the concept of time discounting and saving money, and there is a white paper about it coming out this summer. Time discounting is the basis behind a lot of the future versus present biases which I talk about in Episode 49. In this episode, we will learn all about time discounting and why I love it so much. I tell people to think of time discounting as the "I'll start Monday effect." In this episode, you'll learn why. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes [07:30] Have you ever said you would start your diet, or exercise plan, or quit smoking, or be more organized or whatever it is… "on Monday"? [08:58] So, what happened? Why do you feel like a completely different person when the alarm goes off than the person who set the alarm the night before? [09:26] When we think about ourselves, a certain part of the brain lights up, and it does this differently when we are thinking about ourselves versus thinking about someone else. [10:05] For most of us (and especially for particularly impatient people) when we talk about our future self, the brain lights up as if it is talking about a completely different person! [10:34] It's easy to talk about our future selves doing something early in the morning, but when the alarm goes off it's actually us who is waking up. [11:08] We have a hard time judging what is best for us today from what is best for us tomorrow. [12:30] We aren't inherently good are bad at this...more like we are great at this in some situations but terrible at it in others. [12:54] When looking at this from your business perspective (and in understanding more about yourself…which we will talk about both later on in the episode) try to think about the concept in general and how it could apply to you, your peers and current or potential customers. [13:16] The term hyperbolic time discounting shows us that the way we discount is not consistent over time, and studies have found it does not occur at a rate that is constant or linear. [15:40] Our lazy brains (which is the topic of an upcoming bias episode) don't take the time to do all this logical thinking, and the subconscious wins out with its present-focused mentality. [16:10] Think of some of the ways that time discounting has affected you, because I'm sure it has come up in many ways. [17:14] Just because it is hardwired doesn't mean you can't change it. On the contrary, understanding how this concept works and how it is genetically conditioned in your brain allows you to set up a sort of brain hack so you can work WITH your brain to change and accomplish your goals. [19:46] If a client came to me with this problem (of helping employees save more for retirement), the first thing I would do is recommend we dig into the current plans. What are the offering, how do they present it to employees, when do they get it, what are the options, how difficult is it, etc. And then I would remind them that just because a plan has always been set up a certain way…doesn't mean it is the right way or that it has to stay that way. [21:35] One other question to consider when thinking about the power of time discounting is opting in versus opting out. Forcing people to choose more often and consciously think of what they are doing does not always encourage them to make better decisions. [23:11] It's easy for the brain to commit when it is in a cold state. [25:17] BRINGING TOMORROW TO TODAY One other way to make the future self of you and your customers to be more visible in the present, is to look at renderings. Consider how you could help someone make tomorrow more real today with the help of technology. [30:02] OTHER BUSINESS EXAMPLES I once worked for a company that changed the review process for managers so that every manager's ability to get their full raise potential was dependent upon having their reviews done in a timely manner. [32:43] ​I also used to encourage my employees to keep lists of all their accomplishments throughout the year and would reach out to them a month before their review to let me know what they were especially proud of. [33:30] ​I would also recommend for companies to not stack reviews so they are all needing to be completed at once. [37:37] ​Vagueness can produce inaction even when people are informed about risks and potential improvements. What can you provide to your staff to help them find the blood drive or voting booth or get their flu shot? [39:03] Making the experience real and actionable (you can picture that today even if your day/time is not for a week or so) makes it more real.

This has been an amazing month as I spoke at eight different events across the country on 6 different topics, from pricing to change management, why consumers are weird and how behavioral economics is the future of branding. I love speaking at events like this and want to welcome all of you who are joining the podcast after hearing me speak at one of those events. I had so much fun getting to know and interact with many of you, and want to thank you for listening. Welcome to The Brainy Business Family! What do I mean when I talk about "selective attention" biases? If you have been listening to the series so far, you know we have talked about how our brains are biased toward ourselves, the way we think about others, our memories, and past versus future. Today, we are going to dig into all those biases that have to do with how we focus our attention and how that can color our impression of the world around us. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [00:04:25] We are going to dig into all those biases that have to do with how we focus our attention and how that can color our impression of the world around us. [00:05:34] I have broken selective attention into three categories: where we focus our attention, how that impacts the decisions we make, and how it colors our perception when looking back. [00:05:54] The most common concept and one I am guessing you are very familiar with even if you don't know the name of it, is called the frequency illusion, selection bias or the Baader-Meinhof effect. This is where after something comes to our attention it seems to be everywhere. [00:07:30] The recency illusion which would be if I thought the phenomenon of the word "panacea" being everywhere is because it is a brand new word everyone has just started using (instead of a word that was recently introduced to me). [00:08:30] This is similar to availability, which was the focus of episode 15. We humans put more weight and importance on things we can recall easiest. [00:09:43] This can lead to the availability cascade, which is a self-reinforcing process where hearing and seeing something more and more makes it feel more and more true or real. [00:10:14] Once we become familiar with things or concepts, we are much more likely to like or believe them because of the mere exposure effect. [00:10:53] Selective perception is when our expectations impact the way we perceive things. For example, if you expect a sales call to go badly, it probably will. [00:11:53] This is very similar to attentional bias, which is when our perceptions are impacted by recurring thoughts and the focusing effect, which is when we place too much importance on one aspect of an event. [00:14:12] The Von Restorff effect, is where something that sticks out is more likely to be remembered than everything else. [00:16:09] Due to the rhyme as reason effect, we believe statements that rhyme to be more truthful than those that don't. [00:16:45] Due to the belief bias, we also base the logical strength of an entire argument on the believability of the conclusion. [00:17:26] We also tend to focus on specifics and think they are more likely to happen than general conditions because of conjunction fallacy. [00:18:39] Base rate fallacy or base rate neglect, where we tend to ignore generic or general information (also known as base rate information) to focus on more specific information that only pertains to a certain case. [00:20:13] Exaggerated expectation is where people tend to predict and expect more extreme outcomes than what actually happen. [00:20:46] DECISIONS MADE: Our brains get what they expect. Because of the Semmelweis reflex, people tend to reject new evidence that contradicts their perspective, paradigm, or expectation. [00:21:27] Experimenters or expectation bias is the tendency for someone to believe, certify, and publish data that aligns with what they expected to see. [00:22:46] Illusory correlation is when someone will inaccurately perceive a relationship between two unrelated events. [00:23:40] Subjective validation ​is where someone sees something as being true if their previous beliefs demand it to be true. [00:24:09] Biases can lead to the backfire effect or the continued influence effect, which is when someone will disconfirm evidence that is presented by strengthening their previous beliefs. We also suffer from confirmation bias, which is when we search for, interpret, remember or focus on information that confirms our preconceptions. [00:25:16] The size of the space being searched can cause the researcher to observe something statistically significant that actually wouldn't be if the parameters had been set correctly because of the look elsewhere effect. This is similar to congruencies bias, where someone will directly test their hypotheses instead of testing possible alternatives. [00:27:25] Information bias is when we keep seeking more and more information even when it can't affect our actions. Distinction bias is when you are c

This episode is about present versus future biases. This is part 4 of our 8 part series about biases. We've already talked about personal biases, how we think about ourselves versus other people, and memories. When it comes to present versus future, people want their payoffs now, so humans tend to place a greater weight on the outcome that is closer to now. Other things that impact our decisions include losses and risks. We are impacted more by losses than gains. We are also biased towards maintaining the status quo. I talk about optimism bias and even pessimism bias. When you know the rules of the game, it can be easier than you think to trick your brain into doing more in your favor – whether it is making choices today that you will appreciate tomorrow, or helping to get yourself out of a negative spiral. This episode will help you understand why we tend to make decisions a certain way and enable you to make better decisions for your business and your life. Show Notes: [04:10] People want their payoffs as quickly as possible. We place greater weight on things that happen closer to now. [04:31] This is closely tied to time discounting (what I call the "I'll start Monday effect"). [04:39] We tend to make decisions today that our future self may not be as happy about. [05:39] Due to diversification or projection bias, we may think our future self will want more variety than we really want or will use. [06:07] You think you'll want options that are more virtuous - could be related to optimism bias. [07:14] Due to impact bias, we overestimate the duration of intensity of the impact of how we will feel in the future. [07:50] We are also victim to projection bias, which means we overestimate how much our future self will share the preferences we have today. [08:34] Reactance is the urge to rebel and do the opposite of what someone wants you to do to hold on to some form of control and power. [10:44] Irrational escalation – also known as the sunk cost fallacy – where people will keep spending and justify pouring money into a bad prior investment even though evidence shows it is bad. [12:43] As your brain gets overwhelmed your subconscious is more likely to take the reigns, meaning you will make more battery and present-focused decisions. [13:47] The hot-cold empathy gap finds that in a cold state it's much easier to make better decisions then in a hot state or in the moment. [16:01] The reverse is the cold-hot empathy gap where smokers underestimated their cravings to smoke when they were in a cold state. [17:26] People are impacted more by losses than gains – and it takes double the joy felt by a gain to equal the pain felt by a loss. [17:52] Dread aversion – dread results in double the emotional impact of savoring. [20:11] We tend to beef up the status quo and defend it more than may be warranted because of system justification. [20:33] Due to normalcy bias and not wanting to think about change, we may refuse to plan for or have the proper reaction to a disaster which has never happened before. [21:35] Due to a zero risk bias, we will prefer to reduce a small risk down to nothing than taking a bigger reduction in a larger risk. [22:47] Because of risk compensation or the Peltzman effect, we are more likely to take a greater risk when our perceived safety increases. [24:26] Because of the pseudocertainty effect we are more likely to make choices that avoid risk if the expected outcome is a good one, but seek out risk in an attempt to avoid a negative outcome. Which could lead to the ostrich effect or ignoring a negative situation. [26:06] A predisposition toward viewing the past in a positive way and the future in a negative way is called declinism. [26:21] The pessimism bias is to overestimate the likelihood of negative things happening to us in the future. [26:42] A zero sum bias is where you think that the only way one person gains is at the expense of another. [27:05] Look for the win win. For one person to succeed, it doesn't mean that another person has to fail. [27:25] Negativity bias is when it's easier for us to remember negative memories over positive memories. The worse than average effect is where we believe that we are worse at tasks than average people are. [29:06] Acting like a confident, optimistic person can create the benefits as if you are confident and optimistic. [29:44] When you know the rules of the game, it can be easier than you think to trick your brain into doing more in your favor and using these biases as your advantage. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. Links and Resources: Episode 45. Overview of Personal Biases Episode 46. Biases Toward Others – Including Groups Episode 48. An Overview of Memory Biases @wagsRJ Robert Parlange on Twitter Magic of Self Direction by David S. Schwartz @BusinessBrosPod on Twitter Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert K

This behavioral economics podcast episode is about memories. Specifically, it will be an overview of memory biases Last week, we took a little break from our series on "all the biases" for a behavioral economics analysis of Costco. Today, we dig into memory. This topic will be divided into three sections. The first section is general memory stuff, then we will talk about false memories and wrap it up with some tips on how you can use these biases to help you remember things better! When we think about our brains and all the amazing things they do, much of what we are accessing are memories. This episode breaks it all down with some fun facts and cool tips about our memories that a lot of you may not know. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD! Show Notes: [03:59] When we think about our brains and all the amazing things they do, much of what we are accessing are memories. [04:21] Most people think of our brains like a filing cabinet, but that's not how it works. [04:36] Our memories are basically inaccurate renditions our brains tell us...and every time we access them, we change them a little. [04:49] The more we think about something the less likely it is to be accurate. This is partially because of two biases called leveling and sharpening. [05:00] Memories can be distorted over time when details are lost. In this process, there may be selective recollection (where you only remember, sharpen and exaggerate certain portions of the memory). Or, it can be leveled out to fit some other biases that exist and just get a little dulled over time. Both of these are constantly reinforcing each other over time. [06:41] Our biases impact our memories and our present and future. [06:58] Because of the self relevance effect we find it much easier to recall memories about our self or things related to ourselves. [07:13] You are the hero of your own story, but even you don't remember your own story correctly. [07:20] Due to the fading effect bias, our brains like to feel positive emotions more than negative ones, so the emotions tied to bad memories will fade quicker than the emotions tied to positive events. This is likely tied to optimism bias and our ability to persevere through hardship. [07:54] Because of reminiscence bump, people do not remember things from all times of their life equally. Instead, people will have memories and be able to recall more personal events from happenings in early adulthood and adolescence than from any other time in their life. [08:35] We remember some time periods better than others, some items from years and years ago are able to be recalled "like it was yesterday." [08:55] Due to the telescoping effect, we tend to think of recent events as being further back in time, and those which happened longer ago are placed more recent in our minds. [09:14] The peak end rule – where experiences are not about the sum of that entire experience over time. Instead, it is about how it was at its peak and how it ended. [10:12] If something bad happened, it might be worth putting in some effort to make sure that is not the last experience and instead have it be a midpoint negative item if you can, that becomes outweighed by some very positive peaks over time. [11:05] The tip of the tongue phenomenon. I am sure you have had this frustrating experience at least once – when you can almost remember something…and the word or phrase or moment or name of that movie is "on the tip of your tongue" – right? This is thought to happen due to blocking, when multiple memories that are similar to each other are being called upon at the same time. [12:23] A false memory is when we accidentally think something we imagined really happened, and misattribute it as a memory. [12:55] Think about selling – confidence is key to selling. Try and imagine what it would be like if you had done this successfully already, think through the whole memory to help make it as real as possible. When you believe it, that could make future selling easier. [14:02] Our brains are powerful, but they are easily manipulated too. [14:40] The illusion of truth effect. Essentially, people are more likely to believe something they have heard before – or are familiar with – than something they have never heard before (or are unfamiliar with). [15:25] The opposite of a false memory is called cryptomnesia – when a real memory is mistaken as imagination because there is not the proper subjective experience of it being a memory. [16:54] We kind of smooth and average things out. This is why we tend to remember high values, likelihoods and probabilities as lower than they were, and low ones as higher. This is known as the conservatism or regressive bias. [17:39] You remember something that took a long time as not being as much as it really was, and because you are optimistic you will do even better the next time, you severely underestimate how long it will take. [18:12] HOW TO REMEMBER THINGS BETTER [20:04] Don't bog down your consciousness with stuff that ca

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you have likely heard me mention Costco before. They do so many things differently than traditional business might suggest is best or profitable, but they have found a way to make it work and their business thrives because of it. In this episode, I'm going to discuss how Costco rivals almost any store or brand, and how they don't do traditional marketing and advertising. I'll talk about how they invest back into the community, have a simple code of ethics, reward shareholders, and how having a membership model and plan can work if it's done right. Costco is the perfect brand for a behavioral economics analysis, because they do things differently, but in a smart, strategic way that makes their unconventional plan a huge success. Today, we learn why Costco is the powerhouse that it is (and what you can implement in your own business - even if your model is completely different). Show Notes: [04:19] Many consider Costco's biggest rivals to be Walmart / Sam's Club or Target – but depending on the section of the store…they pretty much compete with everyone: from Amazon, Home Depot and Best Buy to Expedia, Pizza Hut, Les Schwab and your local optometrist. [04:54] They participate in the community and reinvest in the company in a way that creates advocates, which reduces the need for traditional marketing. [05:32] That gets me to the core of Costco – their mission. It seems basic and generic enough, "to continually provide members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices." [06:06] But they differentiate with their Simple Code Of Ethics: Obey the law. Take care of our members. Take care of our employees. Respect our suppliers. And then, reward shareholders. [06:57] The Costco membership model. [08:01] A membership is good for the store because it encourages people to shop there to "get their money's worth" – this is loss aversion in action. And, this is not just triggered by perceived ownership…you actually have some real ownership because you have paid to be part of the in-crowd. [09:29] Costco has put a lot of work into making it a lifestyle choice. [10:22] Having time to slow down and experience with all the senses puts perceived ownership into overdrive. [10:54] This aversion to losses combines with the scarcity factor to encourage people to buy more. I'm sure items are scarce at Costco to encourage sales, but there is more to it than that. The high turnover of product and high efficiency model of Costco increases their profit margin and allows the whole model to really work. [11:31] They also have a very generous return policy. [13:22] The Costco food court is one of predictable beauty, which as you know is a perfect recipe for building habits. [15:28] And, of course, this increase in sales is made possible by one form of marketing Costco does believe in – free samples. Again, this is loss aversion and reciprocity at work. [17:12] If the item is an exclusive Kirkland Signature item, you know the exact thing isn't available in other stores. All Kirkland Signature products are carefully researched, tested, hand selected, or custom-created by Costco. They truly live their mission through the whole Kirkland Signature experience – of doing best by their members, employees and suppliers. [20:02] One reason samples increase sales at Costco is because there are not too many choices. [21:28] Happy employees means lower turnover, which reduces expenses. Happy employees also means a better experience for shoppers, which keeps them happy and coming back. And, knowing that you shop at a place that values their employees also makes shoppers feel good. [22:34] Costco also does a lot of work to support their local communities, with a focus on children, education, as well as health and human services for grants and donations. [24:00] Costco works with partners and uses the value of bulk buying with their suppliers. [25:09] It is about knowing profits matter, but they aren't everything. Squeezing out an extra 50 cents on hot dogs or rotisserie chickens – or allowing for a 16% margin on some products would make a huge impact on shareholder pockets, but it isn't worth the negative it would cost to the members, who come first. [27:04] No company's set up is something any other business can copy and paste. [27:29] Costco knows who they are and what their brand is there to do, and every decision they make is so easy because they can tie it back to the mission and code. [29:16] Is being a member of benefit that would work well in your business? Think about the value. [30:43] What do you stand for? Make it clear to yourself, employees, customers, and more. [32:04] Do you make it easy for people to buy from you? Are you encouraging them to get items or is it difficult? Can they get a test or sample? [33:42] Money back guarantees are worth it. [34:00] Should you incorporate a loss leader that benefits people and draws them in? [35:09] Think about the full experien