Here’s your latest issue of Influence Anyone—where you get a strategy each week to influence human behavior for good from Howie and the Behavioring Company team.
Today, I’m sharing a simple framework to craft a highly memorable introduction. Use it whenever someone asks “So what do you do?”
Turn your expertise into income (without becoming a full-time creator)
“You don’t have to go viral” it’s just something the social media “gurus” are telling you.
I’m hosting a 60 min insider event on how to build an Influence System that turns your expertise into clients and opportunities, on repeat.
Used with 6 and 7-figure founders.
Pick a time below (will be recorded and shared):
NEW EPISODE
How does AI impact humanity? How should we think about influence in the age of AI? How can everyone of us take advantage of it?
I sat down with Kate O'Neill, one of the leading voices at the intersection of technology and human behavior.
In this episode, we break down what actually matters now:
• Why you can’t outsource meaning to machines
• The real reason most AI strategies fail (and what to do instead)
• How to use AI to become more human, not less
If you want to stay relevant—and influential—in the age of AI, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
MAIN ISSUE
I love it when people celebrate their wins, no matter how small.
This past week, a cohort member shared their amazing experience during a networking event. “With my new introduction, so many people had so many questions about what I do!”
She’d been to networking events before, many times, and it was usually uneventful 😅but this time it was different. She was armed with a head-turning, scroll-stopping intro and it worked.
You know that feeling… as you’re introducing yourself and the other person looks like they’re just thinking about what they are going to say or that they are losing interest mid-sentence. It’s never fun and that’s one of the reasons most people (including myself) dread networking events.
Let’s not have that happen again.
The SMS introduction framework:
The goal of your introduction is just that, an introduction. It’s job is to get people curious, an unfinished story, not a finished product.
The trick is to give them some information, but not too much (Image credit: https://modelthinkers.com/mental-model/curiosity-zone)
1) SURPRISE (Win attention in seconds)
Break their default brain pattern so they actually listen. If this fails, nothing else matters. People don’t remember what’s expected, so let’s throw them a wrench!
Problem/ pain: state a problem that anyone can relate to
Shocking statistic or story: share something surprising from your past or from research
2) MOVE (Create emotional relevance)
Make them care enough to keep listening. To do that, you need to create an emotional bridge.
Mission/ purpose: your calling and your passionate desire
POV: a unique point of view that’s contrary to what people think
3) SOLVE (Anchor to you)
This is where you make it clear what you do and why it matters. This is a hook for people to ask you more about your solution, so don’t give it all away.
Role: what you do, but don’t drop titles
Solution: this is your offer or your business
Example 1
SURPRISE: “I built a $2M business… and lost it all.”
MOVE: “My mission now is to make sure no business owner has to learn that lesson the hard way. Making sure that cash is always flowing”
SOLVE: “People call me the cash flow whisperer, building simple systems to keep businesses afloat”
Example 2
SURPRISE
“You know how nerve-wracking it is to give a big speech?”
MOVE
“I’ve studied hundreds of Hall of Fame speakers and they all do one thing most speaking coaches actually disagree with.”
SOLVE
“And now I run a 90-day confident speaker program based on that idea.”
Example 3
SURPRISE
“I got laid-off from my dream job in 2022 and it was devastating.”
MOVE
“I’ve been successful so far, but I realized that not everyone was as lucky. So my mission is to use my skills in brand and influence psychology to help experts never have to rely on companies again.”
SOLVE
“I run a cohort called Influence System Mastery that helps people turn their expertise into income.”
Example 4
SURPRISE
“You know the James Webb telescope? It had 344 single points of failure any one of them could’ve cost $10 billion.”
MOVE
“That’s stuck with me. Because most projects don’t fail from one big mistake… they fail from dozens of small ones no one sees.”
SOLVE
“I make sure those invisible failures don’t happen so projects actually get finished.”
Try it out!
Do you like this new format of Influence Anyone?
Change behavior, change lives 🤘🏽
Howie Chan
Creator of Influence Anyone
P.S. 24% of respondents say they will shift perspectives to calm emotions in a tense situation. What would you do? Join 714 other leaders who’ve uncovered their natural influence style profile: Take the free assessment.