challenges

As I study and teach the art and science of influence, I have learned to identify some key behaviors that limit (in some cases even stop) people from becoming better leaders and influencers in their lives. Here are the 20 most common challenges that I have helped leaders and professionals to overcome:

1. Poor beliefs about possibilities (e.g., it is just not possible…)

2. Poor beliefs about capabilities (e.g., I am just not capable…)

3. Poor beliefs about worthiness (e.g., I am not worthy of achieving/becoming…)

4. Fears of all sorts (failure, rejection, unknown, success, not being good enough)

5. Lack of self-control & self-mastery

6. Unclear outcomes

7. Lack of application of the major influence laws in business

8. Lack of emotional impact during their communication

9. Poor tactical use of influence strategies

10. Lack of resilience

11. Lack of strategy to identify what type of decision maker they are dealing with

12. Limited ways to handle objections (Most people have just one or two ways of overcoming an objection; a Master Influencer has more than 20.)

13. Lack of flexibility during their presentation

14. Lack of compelling stories (Most professionals, managers and executive do not know how to tell influence stories that are purposefully crafted.)

15. Misleading beliefs about persuasion (Most people believe that natural charisma is the same thing as being a Master Influencer and that belief ends up costing them a lot.)

16. Most people do not know how to craft messages that are emotional, impactful and have logical evidence to support them (it is either one or the other).

17. Lack of sensory acuity (Most people talk way too much.)

18. Lack of emotional control (as a speaker and as a state inducer)

19. Talking too much instead of crafting persuasive questions

20. Not knowing how to balance the use of pain and pleasure during a sales presentation

There are more…but I think you get the picture…