Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Zoe Chance. She got her Ph.D. in marketing at Harvard and has taught at Yale's School of Management for over 10 years. She has done a TEDx on how to make behavior addictive, and has been featured on NBC News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Washington Post, Fast Company and so many more amazing places.

She is here today to discuss her fantastically awesome new book, Influence Is Your Superpower, which officially comes out on February 1, 2022. I had the honor of reading this book early and let me tell you, you want this book. Hit pause, go place your order and come on back to listen to the conversation.

Listen in as we talk about how you can actually have fun in your work and break the rules a little. We also talk about Zoe’s “No” challenge and her magic question. So much goodness… you don’t want to miss it!

Show Notes:

[00:43] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Dr. Zoe Chance. She got her Ph.D. in marketing at Harvard and has taught at Yale's School of Management for over 10 years.
[03:02] Zoe shares about herself and how she got into the world of behavioral science. She teaches at Yale’s School of Management and the book that she wrote is based on the course she teaches (the most popular in the business school!).
[05:57] Rejection doesn’t kill you. If you are not getting rejected it means you are playing small.
[07:27] “No” is so hard for people to say and it is so hard for people to hear.
[08:24] When we are comfortable saying no we are helping other people be more comfortable saying no.
[09:36] “‘No.’ is a complete sentence. ‘No, thank you.’ is a polite complete sentence.”
[11:32] Why it is empowering to just say, “No, thank you.”
[12:10] She has her students do a 24-hour “No” challenge where for 24 hours they say no to everything and everyone. The results are always surprising.
[14:18] Nobody is going to dislike you for asking for something or rejecting a request if you do it in a warm way.
[16:49] If you have shorter chapters between your longer ones rather than a smaller number of long chapters, the book feels easier to read so you get more momentum going through.
[17:37] We're setting people’s expectations and influencing their experiences by the names and frames that we give.
[19:55] In her book, Zoe wanted her readers to know that they don’t have to do things the way everyone else is doing them and you can question all the norms and rules and do the thing that feels good and is fun to you.
[20:26] Zoe shares about her visit to the Harry Potter Studios outside of London and the impact it had on her. Melina chimes in with her experience as well!
[23:06] If you ever have a chance to do the London Harry Potter Studio tour Zoe and Melina both highly recommend it.
[24:17] Zoe shares about the psychological illusionist Derren Brown.
[26:28] In The Invisible Gorilla, you are focusing on one thing which is asking your brain to ignore everything else.
[27:27] Magicians are masters at directing attention and framing what we pay attention to.
[29:54] The Apocalypse, is Derren (and Zoe’s) favorite show of his. He persuades the friends and family of a selfish loser to have him believe the end of the world is happening and there is a zombie apocalypse. He steps up as a hero.
[31:31] People want to say yes to you.
[33:45] The magic question is “What would it take?”
[34:36] When the other person tells you what it would take, they’re implicitly committing to supporting that outcome if you follow the road map.
[36:32] Zoe’s book, Influence Is Your Superpower is a personal journey of transformation to becoming someone that people want to say yes to.
[38:22] Melina shares her closing thoughts.
[39:03] When you are having fun people can sense it and it makes them more likely to be attracted to what you’re doing.
[40:04] I challenge you to take Zoe’s “No” Challenge – say no to everything for the next 24 hours (after you buy her book of course-ha!).
[42:06] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!)

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.

I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation.

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Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

Influence Is Your Superpower, by Zoe Chance
Influence (New & Expanded), by Robert Cialdini
How to Change, by Katy Milkman
The Invisible Gorilla, by Christopher Chabris & Daniel Simons
The Experience Maker, by Dan Gingiss

Connect with Zoe:

Zoe’s Website
Zoe on LinkedIn
Zoe on Twitter

Top Recommended Next Episode: Dr. Robert Cialdini and the (Now!) 7 Principles of Persuasion (episode 157)

Already Heard That One? Try These:

Priming (episode 18)
The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem (episode 126)
How To Change, an interview Dr. Katy Milkman (episode 151)
IKEA Effect (episode 112)
How to Create Remarkable Experiences with Dan Gingiss
Framing (episode 16)
Vision Does Not Happen In The Eyes, But In The Brain - On The Sense of Sight (episode 24)
Peak-End Rule (episode 97)
Surprise and Delight (episode 60)

Other Important Links:

Brainy Bites - Melina’s new LinkedIn Newsletter
Zoe’s Yale Faculty Page
How to Make a Behavior Addictive: Zoë Chance at TEDxMillRiver
Derren Brown, The Apocalypse
Derren Brown, Perfect Present

Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia

189. Influence Is Your Superpower with Yale’s Dr. Zoe Chance

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