I2I - Incentive Intelligence

Updates and Changes – New Date for Blogtalkradio Episode and New HR Examiner Article

Believe it or not I have a personal life and sometimes it actually takes precedence over my work here on the interwebs and with clients.  Today is one of those days.

I’ll be on the road traveling and won’t be able to be in front of a microphone for the scheduled blogtalkradio show “Influence Insider” with guest Sean Geehan, CEO/President/Founder of Geehan Group and soon to be published author.  The show has been rescheduled for September 15, 2010 at Noon EDT – I hope you can adjust your calendars and tune in.  Sean will be addressing what I think – as does he – the much overlooked ways we influence B2B channels.  I was really looking forward to the conversation but we’ll have to just give it a couple of weeks.

In the meantime…

But don’t fret – there is something for you to do today at noon.  You can jump over to the HR Examiner website and read my recent contribution – “Maintaining Human Machines.”

A taste of the article…

The industrial revolution elevated the machine over the “man.” The process, and the machines that chugged away within it, created the value for the company. People were extensions to the machine – the tail to the dog.

Value = People

But that changed about 20 years ago. Humans are now the nexus of value at almost every company. But most companies still manage their business and their people like Henry Ford did over 100 years ago.

That is the disconnect.

In the past HR was required to manage “human” resources in order to make the machines and the processes more cost effective.

The key today, and in the future, is to understand how to maintain and get the most out of humans in order to drive business results.

So – until I get back in front of the golden I2I microphone (or I find another bad incentive theory/practice to keep you from implementing) think about how you would approach human machines and ask - how you would write a maintenance manual for your people? 

Influence in the B2B World – Blogtalkradio – Interview with Geehan Group President

We’re back with another episode of the Influence Insider.  Mark your calendars now.  Next Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at noon EDT we will be interviewing Sean Geehan, President and founder of The Geehan Group.  

Sean has a book coming out in Oct/Nov time frame and he has graciously agreed to spend his lunch hour next Wednesday to talk about the best way to drive sales and results in a B2B environment.  

B2B is Different – They Have Different Problems – and so do you…

We all hear that B2B is “similar” to B2C and we should consider similar tactics when selling and marketing to the B2B market.  But Sean has a bit of a different spin on that “common knowledge.”  Your B2B customers are different and if you sell to businesses you have different issues as well.

You should listen to the show if…

• Your top customers account for a large amount of your revenue
• Your company’s margins are being threatened or eroding
• You have lost or are at risk of losing top customers
• You have had new products fall short of revenue, margin and/or market share goals
• Relationships with real decision makers of your most important customers are questionable
• You struggle to measure the ROI on marketing or R&D programs

Sean Is Listening

I’m guessing some of those issues rang a bell with you.  If so, check out Sean’s company site and read about the book – then make a list of questions you’d like to ask and call in to the show.  The number is (646) 381-4430.  If you’d like to listen in via the internet just click this link - and “turn it up!”

Here's a brief intro via youtube of some of the areas that Sean will touch on:

Now - grab a big marker and put an “X” through lunch next Wednesday at noon EDT and write down – Listen to Influence Insider to solve my B2B issues!”

Talk to you then!

BTW - you can listen to past episodes here:

Listen to internet radio with Influence Insider on Blog Talk Radio

The Left and Right Hands of Employee Engagement

Yesterday, Wednesday July 7, 2010 Influence Insider on blogtalkradio made its long-awaited comeback after a two-month hiatus.  And I for one – even though the host – thought the conversation was worth the wait.

The long intro on the show is here – but for those that didn’t see that post we had as guests a smattering of representatives from the great multi-contributor blog “Compensation Café.”  The goal of the call was to ferret out the similarities and differences between consultants in the compensation arena and those of us in the “non-cash” incentive and reward/recognition space.  

Listen to internet radio with Influence Insider on Blog Talk Radio

On the right is the player for listening to the show.  It runs for just over an hour.  The voices you hear are those of:

• Ann Bares - @annbares
• Derek Irvine - @globoforce
• Laura Schroeder - @workgal
• Jim Brennan - @Jim_Brennan
• Dan Walter - @performensation

If you haven’t read the blog or follow any of these folks on twitter now would be a good time to do that.

What I learned on the Call - Two Hemispheres of Employee Engagement

I have a daughter who is left handed.  I have a son who is right handed.  My daughter is an artist – painting, drawing, photography – you name it, she’s into it.  My son is the athlete in the family (I tell him he gets it from me but he’s old enough to know that is a load) – he’s spatially aware, good at math, loves science, can track a curve ball into the plate and hit it.  In other words my two kids represent both hemispheres of the brain almost to the point of cliché (remember – right-handed = left brain, left-handed = right brain.)

And that is what my net learning was after the show yesterday.

Compensation consultants focus on the transactional side (left brain) of the employee relationship.  The dollars.  As Ann mentioned in the one part of the show – compensation consultants are known as spreadsheet jockeys.  Their role, in many cases, is to find data, compare the data, run what-ifs on the data and ultimately find a place where the company is “competitive” in the market without going out of business.

Incentive and reward companies are more concerned with the “social” side of the employee relationship.  Those of us who counsel and recommend reward programs that don’t use cash (or other forms of “compensation”) are really worried about building the relationship with the employee “above” the compensation line. 

In other words – compensation consultants are right-handed.  Incentive consultants are left-handed.

The Problem Is…

In this era of “total rewards” and “employee engagement” we’re juggling with only one hand. 

Too often clients want an answer to their engagement programs but only want to apply right-handed thinking.  And many incentive companies look at all employee issues from their left-hand point of view.

I asked on the call if compensation consultants every said – “wait a minute – your problem isn’t compensation-based – it’s reward and recognition-based, let me get another expert in here.”  Most said yes.  I commented that in 25 years I’ve never once had a compensation consultant call and say they needed help in the “left-handed” world of rewards.  And I also know for a fact – I’ve never called a compensation consultant to talk to my clients when the problem was clearly a lack of alignment between compensation and other reward activities.  

We’re doing our clients a disservice by either not recognizing the difference – or by ignoring it because it isn’t in our wheel-house or we can’t make money on it.

Time for Whole-Brain Approach

What I netted from the discussion is that we need to serve our clients better by taking a more “whole-brain” approach to engagement.  Compensation isn’t the answer.  Non-compensation rewards aren’t the answer.

Deftly applied combination of those two things is what really impacts the employee.  

If you are a client – don’t juggle with one hand.  If your compensation consultant doesn’t bring in the non-cash experts ask them to.  If you’re talking with an incentive company – make sure you find a compensation consultant to balance the equation.

Other Things to Listen For On the Show…

• Herzberg was brought up – compensation is a hygiene factor (a post from Compensation Force the other day addresses this as well.)  Bad compensation practices need to be fixed before non-cash awards have the appropriate impact.
• Dogma VS Philosophy - Dan Walter brought up the fact that companies many times look to implement their “dogma” versus design to a “philosophy.”  This is a big point – and one, as consultants, we need to dig into and make sure clients aren’t implementing rules versus designing toward an overall philosophy.
• Communication and Measurement - too often we default to existing measurement systems (ie: payroll) and lack focus on communicating the real value of the total rewards investment.
• Technology may have driven the separation in the past - but now it is allowing for convergence.  

Take a listen… hit me in the comments with your impression of the show and the interaction between compensation and rewards.

Compensation, Rewards, Incentives – What’s the Difference? Next Blogtalkradio Show from Influence Insider

Yeah – it’s been a while since the last episode of Influence Insider on blogtalkradio.  But we had such a great guest in @brianahearn I wanted to be sure we could meet that standard before we went on air again.  And I think we’ve done it.  (If you haven’t listened to the show that featured Brian – do it here – it’s a great discussion on influence.)

Compensation Café Is In the House!

You know them, you love them, and I know you follow them.  It’s Compensation Café and we’ve got them on the show next Wednesday July 7, 2010 at Noon EDT to talk about compensation plan design and how it might overlap with other influence programs such as reward and recognition and other non-cash incentive activities.  

Started by @AnnBares from Compensation Force fame – Compensation Café is a multi-author site featuring (each name will link to their bios on the Compensation Café site): 

Ann Bares, Doug Sayed, Margaret O'Hanlon, Chuck Csizmar, Laura Schroeder, E. James (Jim) Brennan, Stephanie Thomas, Derek Irvine, and Dan Walter

I know we’ll have a Jim, Derek, Dan and Ann on for sure – and fingers crossed, maybe a few more.

Compensation and Rewards

Traditionally, compensation and other “award” programs pretty much lived in their own silos but today – with a bigger focus on the “total rewards package” my spidey-sense says that there is a need for more coordination between these disciplines.  For over 20 years I’ve designed internal incentive and reward programs with nary a thought about compensation structures.  But the last few years have shown me that it is a critical element in the way that we influence behavior with our employees – especially sales folks.

Without proper alignment of these tools we send mixed messages to our audience and that’s a bad thing.  

Tune in and listen to these top-notch minds grabble with the best way to manage the overlap between the hard dollars and cents side of the reward coin and the non-cash reward side.   And follow on twitter at the hashtag:  #insideinfluence

See you Wednesday at Noon, July 7, 2010 as we re-start the Influence Insider engine and give you the best hour of influence discussion on the planet.

Influence Insider – Blogtalkradio – Brian Ahearn – Cialdini Influence Principles

That’s a lot to put in a headline.  But that’s what happens when you try to cram 5 lbs. of information into a 1 hour show (link to show here.)

On Wednesday April 7 we had the pleasure of talking with Brian Ahearn.   Brian is a Senior Sales Consultant who specializes in sales and customer service training, with an emphasis on applying influence and persuasion in everyday situations. He is one of only two dozen individuals in the world who currently hold the CMCT designation. This specialization in the psychology of persuasion was earned directly from Dr. Robert B. Cialdini – the recognized authority on the science of ethical persuasion. 

Dr. Cialdini says of Brian: 

"When Brian Ahearn speaks, people listen. That is so because he knows his material thoroughly, and he knows how to present it superbly. The upshot is that the genuine insights he provides are not just immediately understandable, they are also immediately actionable and profitable."

To his credit, Brian carried the hour almost by himself with examples and ideas on how to use proven principles of influence in an ethical way to drive behaviors.

We touched on employee wellness programs, 401K enrollments, sales calls, positioning attendance at webinars – you name it we found a way to get a discussion on influence going.

Brian blogs at Influence People and you can follow him on twitter at @BrianAhearn

The Principles of Influence

Click play above to listen to this show.

You really need to listen to the full show to get the most out of our discussion but in a nutshell we talked about the difference between ethical influence and manipulation.  Brian walked through the 6 principles of influence as outlined by Dr. Cialdini, that when applied in the appropriate setting and at the appropriate time, can have impressive impact on the likelihood someone will comply with your requests.  The principles include:

Reciprocity - People feel obligated to give back the same form of behavior they first received.

Liking - People prefer to say “Yes” to those they know and like.

Consensus - We look to others to see how we should respond in certain situations.

Authority - We typically look to those with superior knowledge or expertise when making decisions.

Consistency - People feel internal psychological pressure to be consistent in word and deed.

Scarcity - We value things more when we perceive they’re rare or diminishing.

My favorite - especially with all the hype surrounding social media is the Consensus principle.  We truly like to be part of the crowd and want to follow their lead.  In fact one of the most intriguing things I heard from Brian was that our brain actually processes exclusion from a social group as "pain."  Here's a link to Dr. Cialdini talking about this phenomenon.  

 

For more information on Influence I suggest you get and read, re-read, and then re-re-read the book Influence-Science and Practice. 

Stay tuned for our next show - May 5th at Noon EDT - I'll be updating you on our guest soon.

Influence Insiders – Wednesday, April 7, 2009 – Cialdini Influence Discussion

We have a real treat in store this Wednesday, April 7 at noon EDT.  

Brian Ahearn will be on Influence Insiders as a guest talking about how to ethically influence behavior. 

Brian, CMCT, is a Senior Sales Consultant at State Auto Insurance Companies, specializing in sales and customer service training, with an emphasis on applying influence and persuasion in everyday situations. He is one of only two dozen individuals in the world who currently hold the CMCT designation. This specialization in the psychology of persuasion was earned directly from Dr. Robert B. Cialdini – the recognized authority on the science of ethical persuasion.  He is also a cum laude graduate of Miami University, and writes the blog Influence PEOPLE where he shows us how the Cialdini principles of influence can be applied in our personal and business lives.

Influence – Science and Practice – The Influence Bible

For those unfamiliar with Dr. Cialdini’s work his book Influence is the result of years of study into the reasons that people comply with requests in business and other settings and has sold over 2 million copies.  The book has been translated into twenty-six languages, consistently ranks among the top selling books on Amazon.com, been listed on the New York Times Business Best Seller List, is on Fortune Magazine list of "75 Smartest Business Books", and to quote Guy Kawasaki of Apple fame and author of many books, including the bestsellers "The Art of The Start" and "Rules for Revolutionaries"...

"There are some books that are “must reads” for entrepreneurs; some for marketers; some for salespeople; and some for programmers. And then there are a handful that everyone should read. IMHO, one such book is Influence--Science and Practice by Dr. Robert Cialdini , a psychology professor at Arizona State University."

I know from doing quick show prep with Brian he will have plenty of real-life examples of how the main principles of influence can be applied to subtly and effectively influence people. 

How You Can Be a Part of The Show…

You can listen in online from your computer or call in via the phone at: +1 (646) 381-4430

If you call in you can participate in the discussion by simply pressing “1” on your phone and you will go into queue and will be put on live as soon as an opening becomes available.

I’ll also have a twitter back-channel open on twitter looking for the hashtag #influenceinsiders if you want to post a question or comment.

This should prove to be a lively and interesting conversation so block the time, grab a sandwich and log in (or call at +1-646-381-4430)

All of us at Influence Insiders look forward to the discussion and your contribution.  

 

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Get To the Point Already – Influence Insiders and Jon Wortmann

Have you ever sat in a meeting wishing someone would get to the point? They’ve been rambling for an hour, telling a story about something (you lost the train of thought 1 minute into their rant) and you are getting more frustrated by the minute.

Or – have you found yourself listening to someone make point after point but wondering where the other information is that supports that point of view?

If so you have experienced one of the main differences in how people communicate – the deductive or inductive style.  

Jon Wortmann and Influence Insiders

Jon Wortmann joined us last Wednesday for our March episode and helped us understand and apply some of the techniques for communicating in ways that empower teams, serve clients, and develop stronger relationships.

It’s Not About You

Figuring out how to communicate effectively starts with building trust and one of the first steps to building trust is to communicate in the way your audience is most comfortable.  

That was the start of our most recent Influence Insiders episode.  And it only got better.

Key points in my mind from the conversation:

• Listen for your audience style – this is easy to do but not done enough.  I found myself all weekend listening to see if the person was inductive or deductive.  Just knowing about the styles helps you manage your reaction to opposing styles making you more effective.
   
• Good communicators know their style and change it when needed.  Don’t try to change your audience – you can’t – but you can change your style.  Focus on that and you immediate begin to build trust and ultimately influence.
   
• Leadership isn’t about being direct (deductive) in your communication – it’s about matching your style to the audience.  This is a big one – most leaders think being to-the-point is a symptom of being a leader – being a leader is getting folks to follow – and that’s influence and that’s driven by your communication skills.
   
• Get a handle on your ethos – while the root of this work means “ethics” what it is really about is your style, reputation, presence, everything that is “you.”  The key to this – and what was a bit enlightening after reading Jon’s book - is that your “ethos” is a relative thing – not absolute.  Too often we forget that at work we may have a high-paying Sr. VP role – dripping with an ethos of authority and competency – but in the in the computer aisle at Best Buy the kid in the multi-colored socks has more ethos than you at that point in time.  Check your ethos and begin building trust and communicating for influence.

Read It Twice

I read this quickly to get up to speed for the call – and that was unfortunate.  There is so much good advice in this book that I have to go back and re-read it to make sure I get as much out of this as I should.  

I recommend it, and I recommend you invest an hour of your time listening to our show (link here.)  I know Jon would appreciate it and all of us at Influence Insiders would too.

Below is an embedded player for listening to the show.  (Email Readers may have to click through to see the player for the episode.)  Let us know what you think!

March Influence Insiders On Blogtalkradio - Jon Wortmann - Mastering Communications at Work

Wow - another month has flown by and another Influence Insiders is on the horizon.  

On tap for Wednesday March 3, at noon EST is Jon Wortmann - co-author of Mastering Communications at Work.  Jon is an advisor, speaker, and author and was trained at Harvard University and has consulted with educational, non-profit, startup, and Fortune 100 organizations. He is the principal at Muse Arts, LLC, a think tank and consultancy for leaders.

Insider Heather Margolis lined up Jon to spend an hour with us discussing his book on how to influence through communication and it should be a great discussion.  If you have the time in the next 48 hours go get the book and read it.  If that is too tight a time frame go here and get his Change This Manifesto - "The Best Communicator in the World" with some of Jon's thinking.  Only 14 pages - c'mon - you can do that much eh?

Here's how you can play along.

Listen in live via the internet: Point your browser here - and listen in online.

Call in and listen:  (646) 381-4430.  If you want to jump in and talk just press "1" on your phone and it will let us know you have a question and we'll open up your line.

If you want to listen to past episodes just click here.  You won't be alone - over 500 people have found Influence Insiders to be a good listen!  We hope you do too!

What Do Mother Teresa and Joseph Stalin Have In Common? Influence Insiders Radio

If you ever needed a reason to listen to Influence Insiders consider this... we used quotes from Joseph Stalin and Mother Teresa to reinforce the same point.  

Now that's different!

Yesterday the group highlighted their choices on books that helped us influence people's behavior.  We covered everything from Dale Carengie to the Heath brothers - an eclectic mix of ideas and points of view.

To recap the books we discussed - and recommend:

Ann Bares:  

Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World

Julien Dionne: 

Talk Less, Say More: Three Habits to Influence Others and Make Things Happen

Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game

Todd Hanson:

Economics of Engagement - White Paper from The Enterprise Engagement Alliance

Show Me the Money: How to Determine ROI in People, Projects, and Programs

Lance Haun:

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Frank Roche:

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Paul Hebert:

How We Decide

The Logic Of Failure: Recognizing And Avoiding Error In Complex Situations

I won't transcribe the entire call so click out to the site or listen to the player embedded here (email subscribers will have to click through to access the player) and hear what our group thought about these great reads.

 

  

Next Month - Back On Track

 Next month we feature author Jon Wortmann and his book "Mastering Communication At Work." 

Until next month - stay influential listeners!

Best Laid Plans Of Mice and Influence Insiders

Influence Insiders - our monthly group radio show is poised to jump onto your computer this Wednesday, February 3 at noon EST (not that I needed to remind you!)  Our listenership is growing quickly - each espisode doing better than the last.  Soon we hope to rival Seinfield as water cooler fodder.  

But, Houston - we have a problem this month  

I posted after the last show in January that one of our insiders - Heather Margolis had lined up author Jon Wortmann to discuss his book "Mastering Communication At Work."  Unfortunately, schedules got disrupted and Jon and Heather won't be able to make the show this month.  

Hold on - don't freak yet - we've rescheduled Jon for March (put it in your calendar NOW!)

But in the meantime - staying with the book theme the eclectic group that is Influence Insiders will be chatting this Wednesday about books that influenced the way we influence.  Some are new - some are old - all will be enlightening.  Tune in this Wednesday at noon EST and we'll be doing the book club thing (scones and tea anyone?)

Call in number:  (646) 381-4430 - Or listen via computer at the link above.

Looking forward to your participation  

If you have a book that really influenced how you work with your audiences to drive behavior let us know - call in and be a part of the team.  Hope we hear you all on Wednesday!

 Ettiquette question - do I have to cut the crusts off of the little tiny triangle sandwiches and which pinky should stick out?  Oh - wait - this is a radio show - you wouldn't know if I was eating a messy hoagie or a finger sandwich.

 

 

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