How Ideas Spread with Howard Bloom – Episode 6

Howard Bloom is a polymath, which is a fancy way of saying he’s into all kinds of things and does extraordinarily well at all of them. He’s a scientist, mathematician, a promoter, and much more. His insights and expertise span over so many areas it’s hard to have a conversation with him and stay on track in your own head. But Howard knows exactly where he’s going. This conversation digs into things like influence, perception, how we make inroads into convincing others to champion our cause, and why personal belief in yourself and your cause are instrumental to success.

Lessons in influence from an expert in mass behavior, with Howard BloomClick To Tweet

What are memes and how do they work?

That’s the question Anthony asked Howard Bloom and the answer was not what you would expect. Howard pointed out that memes are ideas, passed along from person to person but also went into the biological and psychological reasons that memes and cliches are powerful in human interactions and how they can be used to influence and persuade. This is a fascinating conversation with a man of many talents who has deep insight into the psychology of persuasion, something every salesperson could use more of.

Where does personal belief come from?

Howard Bloom tells the story of how he began making phone calls to specific influencers about a project he was working on. There were 102 people on his list. Every call from the first until the 98th was a firm “No.” Then came the 99th and he got the response he was looking for. What is it that keeps a person going like that, in spite of rejection? What kind of belief has to exist in order to keep knocking until the answer comes? Howard explores that idea on this episode so be sure you listen.

Where does personal belief come from?Click To Tweet

From the mass behavior of quarks to the mass behavior of human beings.

When speaking with Howard Bloom about topics like influence you have to be ready for a circuitous ride. Howard is not going to stay on the surface of how conversations work or verbal tricks to lead you to success. He’s going to go deep. Howard has studied mass behavior extensively and believes he’s found common principles that govern the mass behavior of everything from microbes to human beings. He’s got a lot to say about the role salespeople play in the world of persuasion, so be sure you take the time to hear it.

Salespeople must believe in what they’re selling.

“In order to be successful at anything, you’ve got to believe in it. Why would you be selling a product if you don’t believe in it?” That’s what Howard Bloom says about the importance of belief in the sales arena. His believe that conviction comes before a conversion leads him to talk about the most effective things to do before, during and after a sales call and how your personal level of confidence will impact your success – both negatively and positively.

Salespeople must believe in what they’re sellingClick To Tweet