Anyone who’s been involved in a startup knows that there’s little room for error. One wrong move could be the difference between success and failure. So how can you increase the likelihood that your new business will not just survive, but thrive? This is where the science of behavioral economics – the merging of economic theory and social science – can help. It provides those operating startups, or any business …
For years, many in the sales community have operated with the belief that success in selling is dependent on innate communication skills and a gregarious personality. The assumption has been, if you didn’t have “it”, you couldn’t be taught it. However, a tidal wave of scientific research studying what makes people successful has disproven that theory in recent decades. Though some people do have heightened levels of natural ability, to …
Education, marketing and economics are just a few of the growing number of disciplines that have realized that the insights derived from behavioral science are just too significant to ignore. Even the United States Government has recently stated that it will begin using behavioral science to design policies to better serve its citizens. Behavioral science research analyzes human behavior and then creates evidence-based strategies that can explain and even predict …
People have been writing about leadership—what makes a good leader, what makes a bad one, and how come—since just about as long as there have been leaders (Marcus Aurelius, Sun Tzu, et al.). It’s only relatively recently that the study of leadership has taken a scientific turn. Now, behavioral scientists are discovering some dimensions of leadership that turn conventional wisdom sideways. Here are four of the more surprising habits that, …
In the past, success was thought to result from some combination of inborn talent, timing, and luck. But advances in behavioral science are rapidly reshaping that picture. We now know there are several behaviors that can predictably lead to improved performance. Anyone who practices them is more likely to succeed at what they set out to do. Here’s a look at three of them.
In the past, many believed that when people made buying decisions they did so in a rational, logical manner. Today, behavioral science has proven this notion incorrect. There have been thousands of scientific studies which have revealed that when people make decisions they do not engage in a rational, cost-benefit analysis, but instead rely upon a set of fixed psychological principles. This is extremely important for sales people to grasp …
Traditional sales wisdom claims that the best sales people are extroverts. They are outgoing, social individuals who are believed to be so naturally gifted that they can “sell ice to Eskimos.” What’s more, often when hiring sales people, managers will use personality tests to identify those who are extroverts. Potential candidates are posed questions like, “When at a party are you more likely to be the center of attention or …