Eben Pagan reveals how to use incentives to persuade people by understanding their deepest motivators. Learn to align your influence efforts with what truly drives people's decisions and actions.
Persuade People Using Incentives
How to Persuade Using Incentive Alignment -- A systematic approach to discovering and aligning with people's true motivators for effective persuasion
Putting Your Face on the Goal — Visual Incentive Alignment
Visual alignment with goals creates powerful motivation - putting your face on your desired outcome image and displaying it everywhere keeps you aligned with your incentive
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Having a Bigger Vision for Others Than They Have for Themselves
Have a bigger vision for the other person than they have for themselves - this is one of the most persuasive and inspiring things you can do
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Motivation as a Tractor Beam Pulling People Into Their Future
A person's motivator acts like a tractor beam pulling them into the future - connect everything to what they want and want to avoid
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Reducing to the Ridiculous — Make Large Prices Manageable
Use 'reducing to the ridiculous' to make large investments feel manageable - break down big numbers into small daily amounts
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Getting Kills Wanting — Why Anticipation Drives Motivation
The anticipation of getting something is more motivating than actually receiving it - getting kills wanting
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How to Persuade Using Incentive Alignment -- A systematic approach to discovering and aligning with people's true motivators for effective persuasion
Putting Your Face on the Goal — Visual Incentive Alignment
Visual alignment with goals creates powerful motivation - putting your face on your desired outcome image and displaying it everywhere keeps you aligned with your incentive
Mirror the Client's Exact Words to Reconnect Motivation
Use the client's exact words when reconnecting them to their motivation - if they say 'so my family can grow up comfortably,' use those precise words repeatedly
Incentives as Hidden Drivers Behind Every Decision
Incentives are the hidden drivers behind all thoughts, decisions, and actions - understanding them gives insight into persuading ourselves and others
Aligning Incentives — The Most Powerful Persuasion Principle
The best persuasion trick is aligning incentives - making sure everything about your influence efforts connects with what motivates the other person
They Must See It in Their Mind Before Doing It in Reality
People will only do something in the real world that they've first seen themselves doing in their minds - get them to imagine the future outcome
Having a Bigger Vision for Others Than They Have for Themselves
Have a bigger vision for the other person than they have for themselves - this is one of the most persuasive and inspiring things you can do
Helping Customers Understand Value in Their Private Currency
Most people can't figure out what things are worth - help them translate value into terms they understand using their private currency
Motivation as a Tractor Beam Pulling People Into Their Future
A person's motivator acts like a tractor beam pulling them into the future - connect everything to what they want and want to avoid
Align Your Incentives Where Your Future and Theirs Overlap
Align your incentives with the other person's by finding where your future success and their future success intersect and overlap
Reducing to the Ridiculous — Make Large Prices Manageable
Use 'reducing to the ridiculous' to make large investments feel manageable - break down big numbers into small daily amounts
Framing High-Priced Programs as Cost Per Hour
Frame high-priced programs in hourly terms to demonstrate value - $1,997 for 100 hours of training equals $19.97 per hour
Drilling Past Surface Answers to Find Real Motivation
Drill down to discover the exact specific motivation behind general goals - don't be satisfied with surface-level answers
Keep Persuading After the Sale to Prevent Buyer's Remorse
To prevent buyer's remorse, keep persuading after the sale by adding value, surprises, and bonuses to customers' lives
Getting Kills Wanting — Why Anticipation Drives Motivation
The anticipation of getting something is more motivating than actually receiving it - getting kills wanting
Aligning Words and Actions With What Motivates the Other Person
Discover what truly motivates the person, then align everything you say and do with those incentives. Use their exact words when reconnecting them to their motivation, and keep connecting the motivator with the desired outcome.
Dopamine, Anticipation, and Why Getting Kills Wanting
Brain science shows we get dopamine hits when anticipating rewards, creating powerful motivation. Once we get something, the wanting feeling disappears because we now have it, which is why 'getting kills wanting.'
How to Keep Persuading After the Sale
Keep persuading after the sale by continuously adding value, surprises, bonuses, and new benefits to customers' lives. This prevents them from feeling they made an impulsive decision they don't really want.
Drilling Down to Find Someone's Exact Specific Motivation
Don't be satisfied with surface-level answers. Keep asking 'why' to drill down to their exact specific motivation. Get their precise words describing what they want and use those same words repeatedly.
Finding Where Your Future and Theirs Overlap
Look for where your future success and their future success intersect and overlap. Find the shared future where you both win and talk about it so everyone understands what's in it for both parties.
Reducing Price to the Ridiculous — Making High Costs Feel Small
Break down the total cost into hourly rates or daily amounts to make it feel manageable. Also use 'reducing to the ridiculous' by comparing to small daily expenses like coffee.
Aligning Incentives as the Best Persuasion Trick
The best trick I've ever learned for persuading, for selling, for marketing, for getting customers, and it's aligning. Aligning the incentives and making sure that they're all lined up and they stay aligned.
People Only Do in Reality What They First See in Their Minds
A person will only do something in the real world that they've first seen themselves doing in their minds.
Have a Bigger Vision for Others Than They Have for Themselves
Have a bigger vision for the other person than they have for themselves.
We Are Horrible at Figuring Out What Things Are Worth
We're really horrible at figuring out the value of things.
Getting Kills Wanting — The Dopamine Principle
Getting kills wanting.
Why Anticipation Is More Motivating Than Actually Getting Something
Why is anticipation more motivating than actually getting something?
Justifying High Coaching Prices Without Apology
How do you justify high prices for coaching or consulting services?
Preventing Buyer's Remorse Before It Takes Root
How do you prevent buyer's remorse after someone makes a purchase?
Aligning Your Incentives With Your Client's Incentives
How do you align your incentives with your client's incentives?
Discovering Someone's True Motivation Beneath the Surface
What's the best way to discover someone's true motivation?
Using Incentives to Persuade People Effectively
How do you use incentives to persuade people effectively?
Concepts
Questions
Canonical Teachings
Eben reveals that incentives are the invisible drivers behind all human thoughts, decisions, and actions. Drawing on insights from Charlie Munger and neuroscience research, he explains how dopamine hits during anticipation create more motivation than actually receiving rewards, establishing the foundation for effective persuasion.
The core methodology focuses on discovering people's deepest motivations through strategic questioning, capturing their exact words, and repeatedly connecting every request back to their true desires. Eben demonstrates this with specific coaching examples showing how to drill beyond surface goals to uncover what really drives behavior.
Advanced persuasion techniques include breaking down large investments into manageable terms and helping people understand value in their own currency. Eben shares real examples from his high-end training programs, showing how to justify premium pricing through hourly breakdowns and 'reducing to the ridiculous' strategies.
The final piece involves maintaining alignment after initial commitment through continued value addition and shared future visioning. Eben emphasizes having bigger visions for others than they have for themselves, creating lasting inspiration that goes beyond temporary motivation.
Claim: “Focus on the product or service features when selling”
Reframe: Focus on aligning with the customer's deepest incentives and motivators
Claim: “Getting what you want is the most motivating part”
Reframe: Anticipating getting something is more motivating than actually receiving it
Claim: “Stop selling once the customer buys”
Reframe: Keep persuading after the sale by continuously adding value to prevent buyer's remorse
Claim: “People understand the value of what they're buying”
Reframe: Most people can't figure out what things are worth and need help translating value into their terms
How To REALLY Motivate & Inspire Yourself (and Others)
The secret to charging premium coaching fees isn't better techniques - it's helping clients see a transformation vision so compelling they'd trade almost anything to achieve it.
How to Talk About Money with Confidence
Discover the exact words Eben Pagan uses to talk about money confidently in any business situation without losing respect or trust.
Using “Risk Reversal” to Get More Clients & Become A Better Coach
The counterintuitive guarantee strategy that gets coaches more clients while forcing them to deliver better results.
Coaching Strategies
