Using behavioural science to persuade your colleagues to do anything (including giving you a pay rise) - with Phill Agnew of Nudge

#193: Phill Agnew is a marketing expert and host of the highest-ranking marketing podcast in the UK.  He explains what behavioural science involves, how to use marketing principles to get a pay rise, and how to persuade your boss you have a good idea.

What you’ll learn

• [01:30] How Phill became a marketing expert.
• [02:49] How curiosity gaps work.
• [03:48] What behavioural science involves.
• [05:30] What a “nudge means in a behavioural science context.
• [07:16] The difference between a nudge and manipulating someone.
• [09:16] The variable reward techniques gambling apps use to get you addicted to them.
• [13:18] How social media uses variable rewards to keep you browsing.
• [14:08] Positive ways variable rewards can be used.
• [15:15] How to use anchoring to negotiate a salary rise.
• [18:26] The problems with anchoring.
• [19:28] Using loss aversion to get a pay rise.
• [21:15] How to use the commitment principle and consistency principle to get a pay rise. 
• [24:11] The power of “no” and the door-in-the-face technique.
• [26:52] How to have a difficult conversation with a colleague.
• [28:48] What supercommunicators do and how they communicate.
• [33:20] Techniques you can use when business networking.
• [36:10] How to persuade your boss that you have a good idea.
• [42:08] How giving people autonomy changes how they respond.
• [45:12] How to use behavioural science in the workplace.

Resources mentioned in this episode
Please note that some of these are affiliate links and we may get a commission in the event that you make a purchase.  This helps us to cover our expenses and is at no additional cost to you.

• Nudge, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
• Decoded, Phil Barden
• Hooked, Nir Eyal
• Indistractable, Nir Eyal
• Octopus Energy
• Dishoom
• Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss
• You Have More Influence Than You Think, Vanessa Bohms
• The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
• Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg
• How To Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
• Nudge: Can Charles Duhigg Make Me Popular?
• Episode 183: The secrets to effective business development and getting more clients - with Deb Feder of Feder Development
• Influence, Robert Cialdini
• The Art of Thinking Clearly, Rolf Dobelli

For show notes for this episode, including a full transcript and links to resources mentioned, visit:

Transcript

18:03

reactance. We don't like our autonomy being threatened. And I think bosses feel this when you start anchoring. If you go into a pay rise negotiation and do a ridiculous anchor, every boss is going to know what you're doing, and they're going to feel, 'I don't I don't like this. You're trying to influence me, and I really don't like that.' So, the way to get around reactance is to ensure that the party you're talking to, so your boss in that case, feels like the potential solution, which is a pay rise, is both their decision and your decision. And that requires a lot more than just simply anchoring. So, in addition to that, you're going to be wanting to be nudging your boss throughout the year to say, you know, is this something we're working towards? Can we work towards this together in lots of different meetings? It's something you want your boss to be advocating for as well. You want to say to your boss, 'You know, I'd really like for you to advocate for a bigger pay rise for me. Here's the reason why.' Maybe get them on board. Maybe get them trying to speak to their superiors about this. You want it to be their decision as well. And the other reason I don't like anchoring is because I've actually hardly, I've been