Influence Anyone

Most people believe B2B buyers make rational, spreadsheet-driven decisions while consumers buy on impulse. Talia Wolf, founder of GetUplift and bestselling author of Emotional Targeting, says that's backwards.
In this episode, Howie Chan sits down with Talia to break down why B2B purchases often carry more emotional weight than B2C ones, and why self-image and social image quietly drive nearly every decision a person makes.
Talia shares the exact interview questions she uses to uncover emotions that customers can't articulate themselves and lays out her three-part emotional targeting framework — research, audit, and testing.
You'll learn how to identify the hidden emotional triggers behind your customers' decisions, why B2B may be more emotionally driven than B2C, and why data alone rarely wins deals.
Chapters:
00:01:40 Self-Image vs Social-Image
00:07:51 The B2B Emotion Myth
00:11:39 What Emotional Marketing Actually Means
00:14:40 The Value of Social Listening
00:22:46 Questions That Reveal Your Customer’s Hidden Emotions
00:30:21 Copying Competitors Won't Save You
00:34:45 The 3-Part Emotional Targeting Framework
00:46:33 Emotional Targeting in Everyday Life
00:51:12 Using Emotional Pull to Build Communities
00:54:52 Where Conversion Optimization Is Headed
00:58:03 The Problem With Outsourcing Your Brain to AI
From Talia Wolf:
Website (https://taliawolf.com/)
GetUpLift (https://getuplift.co/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/taliagw)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/TaliaWolf)
Book (https://taliawolf.com/book)
Mentioned in this episode:
Conversation with Matt Sucha (episode 74): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udgvfulyjb4
What’s Your Influence Style Profile? What do you do when you need someone to do something?
This quiz will help you discover your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)
→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/
Join 800+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.
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Produced by Ideablossoms (https://ideablossoms.com/)

Why can the exact same message change one person's mind instantly, while it does nothing for someone else? In this solo episode, Howie Chan explores the real reason persuasion fails so often, because most people communicate the way they want to be heard, not the way the other person actually processes information.

He introduces the five influence styles that shape human behavior, drawn from years of studying behavioral science and working with leaders, founders, and salespeople. He reveals what each style is built on, where it breaks down under pressure, and why stress doesn't create your style; it reveals it.

You'll learn how Commanders, Scientists, Storytellers, Connectors, and Sages move people to act, where their biggest blind spots hide, and the one shift that makes influencing anyone dramatically easier.

Chapters:

00:00:00 People Are Influenced Differently

00:02:48 The Commander Influence Style

00:03:59 The Scientist Influence Style

00:05:36 The Storyteller Influence Style

00:07:14 The Connector Influence Style

00:09:31 The Sage Influence Style

00:12:43 Pressure Reveals Your True Style

Check out Howie’s episode with Dr. Robert Cialdini: Godfather of Influence: The Persuasion Principle that Resulted in a $700K Gift & The “Bible of Online Marketing” (Episode 50)

What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Your audience forgets 90% of what you say within 48 hours. Neuroscientist Dr. Carmen Simon says that's not the problem. The problem is that most people have no control over which 10% survives.

Howie Chan sits down with Carmen to break down the neuroscience of memory. Carmen reveals how memory actually forms in the brain, why the brain is not getting lazier, and how the most persuasive communicators build messages that survive long after the conversation ends.

You'll learn how to clarify and repeat your 10% message, how to prime your audience before your key idea lands, how to trigger memory retrieval through environmental cues, and why complexity, not simplicity, keeps audiences engaged longer.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Why 90% of Your Message Disappears After 48 Hours

00:07:36 How Memory Forms, Consolidates, and Gets Retrieved

00:09:49 The Priming Effect: Getting Brains Ready to Remember

00:20:36 Cognitive Ease: Understanding Supporting Points

00:23:08 Encoding, Consolidation, and Retrieval of Memories

00:29:11 How to Capture Attention

00:37:09 Faces in Ads Don't Always Help You

00:46:08 Carmen's Journey to a Double PhD

00:48:59 Having Chemistry with Your Message

00:56:59 How Memory Influences Decisions

01:00:46 Pivoting Your Brand Without Losing Your Audience

01:05:50 Complexity Keeps Audiences Engaged

From Dr. Carmen Simon:

Website

LinkedIn

Books

Mentioned in this episode:

Apple Intelligence Advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6RX9kJ01Kw

Story Selling versus Data Selling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udgvfulyjb4

Nail Your Niche Masterclass

→ https://www.howiechan.com/niche

Nail Your Niche Without Overthinking and Become the ONLY Choice

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Most people think being poor is just a money problem. It’s not. Being poor can mean less impact, less freedom, less fulfillment, and ideas that never reach the world. In this solo episode, Howie Chan breaks down the seven science-backed reasons people stay stuck, and adds a critical bonus eighth that most people never see coming.
Drawing from neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology, Howie explains why logic loses to emotion, why stories outperform facts, and why being talented but invisible is one of the most economically dangerous positions you can be in.
You'll learn how emotion drives every decision, why the availability heuristic determines who gets opportunities, how present bias quietly compounds into mediocrity, and what it actually takes to break through the invisible ceiling your own identity creates.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Logic Versus Emotion
00:02:36 Facts Versus Stories
00:03:50 Choosing Short-Term Comfort Over Long-Term Gains
00:05:26 The Fear of Judgement
00:07:21 People Can’t Choose What They Can’t Remember
00:08:38 Your Current Reality Is Not a Fixed Truth
00:10:00 More Information Does Not Mean More Value
00:11:18 Bonus: The Value of Understanding Human Behavior
Check out Howie’s episode about LinkedIn: 99% of people are using LinkedIn WRONG (5 things I’d do if I had to start today) (Episode 76)
What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?
This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)
→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/
Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

Behavioral scientist, fundraising strategist, and author of Neurogiving, Cherian Koshy, joins Howie Chan in this episode where they dive deep into how to influence people to give—and what behavioral science teaches us about generosity, identity, and contribution.
Drawing from behavioral science, neuroscience, and decades of fundraising experience, Cherian reveals that generosity is hardwired into human behavior and may be the fastest path to trust, loyalty, and lasting behavior change.
Together, they explore why people give, how identity shapes decision-making, and why organizations often fail when they try to convince people to give. You'll learn how nonprofits, businesses, leaders, and entrepreneurs can stop pushing and start creating environments where people naturally want to contribute.
Whether you're building a brand, leading a team, raising funds, or simply trying to influence more effectively, this conversation offers a powerful reframe: influence begins when people feel seen in their highest and best form.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00:00 From State Debate Champion to Influence Expert
00:08:24 Humans Are Hardwired for Generosity
00:14:50 The Biggest Fundraising Mistake Organizations Make
00:23:11 How Generosity Builds Better Businesses and Teams
00:29:38 Decision Architecture and the Emotions Surrounding Decision Making
00:34:18 Consumer Giving vs. Corporate Giving
00:42:18 The Neuroscience Behind the Joy of Giving
00:44:45 Donor Retention and Why Most Organizations Get It Wrong
00:55:00 Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Language and Ethical Influence
01:00:46 Be Generous First
Experts Shouldn’t Have to Be Invisible
If you’re an accomplished professional, executive, or expert who knows you have more to say, more to contribute, and wants to become known for your ideas in the AI era…
I’m putting together a small executive intensive around influence, positioning, visibility, and authority.
You can join the waitlist at: howiechan.com/waitlist
What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?
This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots).
→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/
Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.
Episode Resources:
Check out the conversations mentioned in this episode at https://www.howiechan.com/podcast:
TEDx Former Executive Producer Reveals: Most Ideas Fall Flat, Make Yours Irresistible with The Red Thread Framework with Tamsen Webster (episode 67) (https://www.howiechan.com/podcast/tamsenwebster)
400+ Behavioral Science Theories Decoded: an ABC Guide to Supercharge Your Marketing with Tom Bowden-Green and Luan Wise (episode 66) (https://www.howiechan.com/podcast/tomandluan)
Godfather of Influence: The Persuasion Principle that Resulted in a $700,000 Gift & The "Bible of Online Marketing" with Robert Cialdini (episode 50) (https://www.howiechan.com/podcast/robertcialdini)
From Our Guest:
Website (https://www.cheriankoshy.com/)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheriankoshy/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cheriangkoshy/)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cheriankoshy)
Neurogiving by Cherian Koshy (https://neurogivingbook.com/)
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Produced by Ideablossoms (https://ideablossoms.com/)