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I’m sure you know all about scarcity – the principle that people are more likely to act when time or stock is limited.

That's the first behavioural technique editing software VEED have used in this screen:

They’ve included a countdown to create a sense of urgency to sign up.

Because…and here’s the important second bit…if I don’t, my video will be deleted!

And that’s the second psychological principle they’ve used here: Loss...

I still remember the story my year 10 legal studies teacher told of two young thieves running away from the police in pursuit.

One was armed with a gun, and when cornered, his colleague gave the following instruction:

“Give it to him, Joe”.

The case hinged on the intonation of that sentence.

“Give it to him Joe” could mean “surrender the gun to the officer, Joe”.

Or it could mean, “shoot him, Joe”.

It sticks in my memory because life is...

After Stonehenge, the Roman Baths in Bath is the UK’s second most popular tourist attraction. Making a wish was big business for the Baths, with visitors throwing more than $170,000 worth of coins into the pool annually.

When coins were banned, that all changed.

From March 2022, visitors have instead been asked to make a contactless payment or put money in a cash box.

But most chose not to. Only $4,500 was donated last year.

Now, there are clear reasons why banning coins was...

Attempting to fill my van’s water tanks while driving through outback South Australia, I discovered my hose attachment was too small for the tap. 

I made my way to the local shop and started rifling through their hose fittings selection. A fellow traveller passed me in the aisle, paused, and asked me what I was looking for. I explained the situation, showing him the attachment I had brought with me.

“May I?”, he asked, taking the hose attachment from me.

He then...

At the height of the pandemic, when virtual conferences were a new thing, world leading ad agency Ogilvy invited me to speak at Nudgestock.

Nudgestock is their annual festival which brings people with an interest in behavioural science together.

So, of course, I took the opportunity to eat a sticky date pudding in front of a global audience.

Um, what?

Was it the first time a speaker had eaten live on stage?

Probably.

But I was making a point.

And it was about the fragmentation of...

There’s a zebra crossing that runs between my two local supermarkets.

To use it, people have to go out of their way about 10 metres.

Instead, a majority run the gauntlet, crossing the busy and chaotic road at a more convenient point.

People on walking frames. People with shopping bags. People with pets and children. Me.

We’re willing to sacrifice safety for convenience. 

What’s the trade you are asking people to make?

  When it comes to your processes...

We employ people to make our lives easier.

So why doesn’t it always feel that way?

Because they either don’t do what we want or they don’t do it in the way we want.

Then, to change what they do, we assume what motivates us will motivate them.

Can you see the problem?

When we’re ‘me’ centric - seeing the world from only our point of view - we’re likely to find fault in how others behave if it doesn’t match our expectations.

It’s...

I’ll never forget visiting Brisbane in winter. 

As a Melburnian I packed light, shedding layers as the northern sun warmed my bones.

Around me, locals swarmed, clutching coffees and swathed in puffer jackets.

When you’re used to 12 degrees, 19 degrees feels warm.

When you’re used to 25 degrees, it doesn’t.

Our experience of temperature is relative. 

So is pricing.

Things are only expensive or cheap depending on context.

Repairing my heater for $250 is...

Time is a limited resource. 

Attention is a diminishing one.

As the world gets noisier, you will be defined by your ability to cut through.

If you can't get someone's attention, customers can't find you and colleagues ignore you.

That’s why I've spent the last two months deep diving on the science of attention: how to attract it, hold it, and use it to generate outcomes. 

I'm not mucking around – I've read over 2,000 pages of academic studies and waded through...

Should you promote that something is new? Like under new management or a new product release?

In this video I share:

• new research on 'revision framing';
• whether people prefer something new over a functionally superior option; and
• how customer expertise changes things.

This is a sample of content from the Just Do This small business program. Find out how you can join.