Episodes
In this Brainfluence episode, we explore pricing psychology with Leigh Caldwell, a seasoned behavioral economist and pricing strategist. Leigh joins us to shed light on the true essence of pricing – it's more than just numbers; it's about crafting positive customer experiences in a profitable way. In our discussion, we delve into the relationship between cost and value, and how businesses often undervalue their offerings. Leigh reveals effective ways to appeal to diverse customer segments...
Published 01/26/24
Published 01/26/24
In today's Brainfluence episode, we have the brilliant and hilarious entrepreneur, Mike Michalowicz, as our guest. Mike has built and sold multi-million dollar businesses, experienced the trials and tribulations of losing everything, and has since become a successful author, speaker, and entrepreneur. His latest book, Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself - Revised and Expanded, is all about achieving true entrepreneurial success by creating a business that can operate seamlessly...
Published 11/17/23
In this podcast episode, host Roger Dooley interviews Melina Palmer, author of What Your Employees Need and Can't Tell You, about change initiatives in companies. They discuss the misconception that 70% of change initiatives fail and the importance of approaching change thoughtfully. Melina emphasizes the significance of small, everyday changes and micro-decisions that influence employees' reactions to change. They also explore the impact of employee engagement on successful change, the...
Published 08/18/23
In this fascinating episode of Brainfluence, pioneering neuromarketer Dr. Carl Marci discusses how modern technology is impacting our brains. He shares insights from his new book Rewired, explaining how excessive smartphone use and constant multitasking are reducing productivity, increasing anxiety/depression, and rewiring our neural pathways in concerning ways. Marci provides concrete examples of how tech “superstimuli” exploit the brain’s reward system, making constant distraction hard to...
Published 08/02/23
In this podcast episode, Roger Dooley chats with Matt Dixon, author of The JOLT Effect and founding partner of DCM Insights, about the concept of effortful experiences and the impact of customer indecision on sales. They discuss how companies often create friction and wasted effort for customers, despite knowing it is detrimental. Matt shares examples and insights on understanding the impact of customer effort on loyalty and how to fix it. They also delve into the problem of customer...
Published 07/17/23
"The last, great marketing strategy" is community... In this episode, host Roger Dooley interviews author Mark Schaefer about his new book, Belonging to the Brand. They discuss the importance of community in marketing strategies and the challenges of managing online communities. Mark explains that community involves genuine connection and communion among people, with a unifying purpose. They also touch on the impact of community on mental health, highlighting the responsibility of community...
Published 07/05/23
On this episode of Brainfluence, host Roger Dooley is joined by Paul Zak, founder of Immersion, a company that uses smartwatches and fitness devices to turn activity data into business insights. They discuss neuromarketing, the limitations of traditional metrics, and the importance of immersion for user experience testing. They also talk about the correlation between immersion and psychological safety, and how their technology can be used to predict mood and energy levels in vulnerable...
Published 06/09/23
On this episode of Brainfluence, we explore how behavioral science can be utilized in both B2C and B2B marketing. Guest Nancy Harhut shares how campaigns that focus on emotional impact over product features can increase purchase intent. Video, text, and resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/nancy-harhut-behavioral/ We also discuss information gap theory and how marketers can use it to pique interest, availability bias, and autonomy bias. We dive into how giving people choices can increase...
Published 05/29/23
In this episode of Brainfluence, host Roger Dooley interviews Sam Tatam, Global Principal and Head of Behavioral Science at Ogilvy Growth and Innovation. Show notes, transcript & resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/sam-tatam-evolutionary/ Tatam discusses his background in organizational and industrial psychology and advertising strategy, as well as his work at Ogilvy, where he and his team develop interventions and shape communications for some of the world's biggest brands and...
Published 05/19/23
In this episode of Brainfluence, host Roger Dooley interviews AJ Harper, an editor and publishing strategist, about her career as a developmental editor and ghostwriter, her new book, and the importance of understanding the reader as a character in non-fiction writing. AJ shares her insights and experiences in the world of writing and publishing, providing valuable tips for aspiring authors. Show notes & resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/aj-harper-must-read/ During the interview,...
Published 03/29/23
Tom Peters is an author and legendary business thinker who has written 19 books. His new title is Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence. It's a small book packed with short bites of wisdom curated by Tom to encourage a humanistic approach to business. In this episode, he explains why the most important decisions in business are promotions, and that often managers don't spend enough time on them or know how to do them correctly. He shares a technique for choosing the best candidate he...
Published 02/16/23
In business, we have a bias for busyness. Doing something is always better than doing nothing, to most of us. Indeed, Brainfluence guest and management expert Tom Peters famously proclaimed "a bias for action" to be a key component of excellence. But, is it possible that doing nothing could sometimes be the best strategy? In today's episode, we welcome Jinny Uppal, who has studied the science of action-taking and discovered that constantly being busy can be counter-productive. Jinny has...
Published 01/04/23
Can you be authentically charismatic? Renowned behavioral investigator Vanessa Van Edwards has always been fascinated by the 'science of people'. A (famously) socially awkward person, Vanessa's first book Captivate, covered the problems we face in communicating with other people and provided science-backed ways to overcome them. Now with her new book, Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication , Vanessa helps us level up our communication skills by revealing the secrets...
Published 11/29/22
The last time Eric Barker, we spoke about his book, 'Barking Up The Wrong Tree', the Wall Street Journal best-seller that taught us a science-based approach to success. Next, his brand new book called Plays Well With Others, is an invaluable guide that will help you achieve everything you want with your relationships – either by making them work, or helping you fail spectacularly! https://www.rogerdooley.com/eric-barker-plays-well/ Eric Barker uses science and research to explain how our...
Published 08/26/22
For decades, market research consisted mostly of surveys and focus groups. Now we have a host of new tools to track our audiences – what they see, what they read, what they think and how they feel. Today's episode of Brainfluence features neuroscience-based marketing expert Benny Briesemeister. Show notes, links, resources, video & text versions: https://www.rogerdooley.com/benny-briesemeister-neuromarketing/ Benny discusses the science, evolution, growth, scope, and future of...
Published 07/08/22
Choice architecture, the way choices are presented to people, is often overlooked as an important influence on both big and small decisions. One of the world's most recognized researchers on decision-making, Eric Johnson, has studied choice architecture and its effects on behavior. Understanding how we make choices and improving their presentation helps us design better processes for many important situations. We are all choice architects, Eric says. Show Notes, Transcript, Resources:...
Published 06/06/22
What is “conation?” According to seasoned marketing and strategy leader Sandeep Dayal, conation is incredibly important in the marketing world. It refers to the desire or will of people to perform an action – it helps marketers assess what causes a customer to opt-in or out of a buying decision. Notes & Resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/sandeep-dayal-branding/ Sandeep Dayal joins Brainfluence to explain purchase decisions, brand identity, brand positioning, customer-centricity, and...
Published 05/13/22
Businesses today face the challenge of balancing their core values with the realities of the digital age — an age that has customers expect 24/7 access to brands. Surprisingly, the brands that put their customers first have survived even the worst phases of the pandemic, according to best-selling author and returning guest on Brainfluence, John Jantsch. Notes & Resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/john-jantsch-engine/ John advocates customer-centric marketing and brings us lessons from...
Published 05/03/22
Dorie Clark joins us today on Brainfluence discuss her new book, The Long Game and  to explain why a long-term strategy is essential to help us achieve our goals in life. In this era of instant gratification, it’s hard to wait until a business strategy works or the results of practice start showing results. But, Dorie notes, success is a product of long-term consistency for example, a one-percentage daily improvement (as James Clear explained in Atomic Habits). This approach requires you...
Published 03/09/22
Dan Pink explores a new and surprising topic: Regret. We all have regrets, and usually we think of regret as something to avoid. Not so, says Dan. He explains how regret can be a positive force, the four categories of regret, and more. Show notes: https://www.rogerdooley.com/dan-pink-regret/ Video: https://youtu.be/Gx32A_c5Pyk
Published 02/22/22
One of the most interesting people I've had on Brainfluence is Wired co-founder Kevin Kelly. He's a renowned futurist, a perpetual gadget guru, a serious photographer, and an even more serious traveler. His latest project doesn't fit our usual conversation topics, but, as expected, his insights are fascinating. Book link: https://amzn.to/33rqNzv Show notes link:  Kevin Kelly, co-founder of WIRED and renowned futurist, has toured Asia for over half a century. Not only has he witnessed its...
Published 01/12/22
In today’s episode, we are joined by Nathalie Nahai, an international speaker, author, and consultant whose work explores the intersection between persuasive technology, ethics, and the psychology behind evolving consumer behaviors. Nathalie talks about the concept in the book Business Unusual, the importance of trust for consumers today, the meaning of eudaimonic culture, and examples of companies with eudaimonic culture. She also shares some insights on similarity and social identity,...
Published 01/07/22
Cass R. Sunstein is currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From...
Published 12/24/21