Archive | Marketing your Business

Pride v. Humility

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 12, 2021

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Certain words or phrases catch my attention depending on their usage. I’m thinking today about how often one hears “I’m humbled to win this award…” It could be an athlete, musician, actor, or anyone whose work is recognized. What strikes me is what I perceive as a false sense of humility. Winning recognition should make […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 12, 2021

When I think of the word, “proud,” I smile and think of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, known professionally as the character she played onstage, Minnie Pearl. Minnie Pearl usually opened her stage appearances with a signature phrase: “How-dee! I’m so proud to be here!”. Never did I hear her say, “Hello! I’m so humbled to […]

Now I get it…

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 29, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I’ve noticed a phenomenon when working with clients who have never utilized a trial consultant. The only thing I can think of as a way to describe this is “Now I get it…” Attorneys/clients do not always hire us because they want to. There are times they are “encouraged to,” told to, or forced to […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 29, 2021

Some people find it difficult to understand things unless they have directly experienced them. One might say these people lack imagination or perhaps, foresight, however, when it comes to understanding the services provided by trial consultants, it is often hard for the average attorney to comprehend how we do what we do. Some of Magnus’ […]

Effort Justification

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 27, 2021

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Social psychology is amazing (at least, in my opinion!) in its ability to explain things that would otherwise be hard to understand. Take the topic of effort justification as one example. Cognitive dissonance theory postulates that people do not like to have two attitudes or beliefs that conflict with one another. Cognitive dissonance leads to […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 27, 2021

I suppose the question is, does working harder than necessary, overcoming obstacles, or paying more, make something better? Does a meal taste better if you have to wait for a table? Does scarcity make something more desirable? Does engaging in a bidding war for something on eBay make one want the item more? Does going […]

Exude Competence

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 15, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Many years ago, when I was working for another trial consultant, one of the clients spoke to my boss and told her that I “exuded competence.” The boss was happy to hear this and to tell me. I took it as a high compliment because it reinforced my goal of doing what I say I’m […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 15, 2021

David is right. We have to exude competence if we are to convince others that we possess the expertise necessary to perform a job. When I first became a trial consultant, way back in 1989, the person who trained me was a particularly tough task master. He greatly disliked my psychologist’s way of pensively contemplating […]

Price based decisions

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 1, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Melissa and I recently made a big purchase. A roof. It was not something I’ve shopped for willingly. The failure of the old roof after storms made it a necessity. It is a big purchase, bigger than anything we’ve ever bought, other than a house. Shopping for a roofing company was a reminder of how […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 1, 2021

When it became necessary to shop for a roofing contractor, I went about it in the same way I search for just about anything. I researched local roofing companies, asked people for referrals, and checked ratings from various sources. I eventually obtained 4 bids and 1 refusal to bid (due to the complexity and danger […]

The Destruction of Goodwill

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 22, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Negativity bias has a long history of research within social psychology. Negativity bias refers to the tendency of many people to assign greater importance to negative information than positive information. Considerable research has revealed that negative adjectives and descriptions contribute more to people’s overall impressions of others than positive adjectives and descriptions. It is important […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 22, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Goodwill can be fleeting. I am thinking about some other recent interactions and encounters where it has disappeared quickly. A fast food restaurant which forgets to include the dipping sauces, or hands out sub standard (for them) food comes to mind. Another restaurant which has great Vietnamese food but frequently gets the take out order […]

Happy Roofers

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 8, 2021

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success

On the day I am writing this post, David’s and my roof is in the third day of being removed, in preparation for a new roof to be installed. Although we have been through this process in the past, in 2005, when we lost the roof on our previous house during Hurricane Wilma, our current […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 8, 2021

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success

This whole re-roofing process has been an experience. The happy roofers part makes some of it into a positive one. I’ve never seen anything like it. The energy of these guys after 12 hours in the hot sun, on a roof, is inspiring. The work is incredibly hard. The materials are heavy, and what we […]

Hiding behind Email

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 1, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

Prompted by my posts about “different direction” and “ghosting,” a related phenomenon is hiding behind email, especially as a way to deliver bad news. Maybe it is just me, but it seems a matter of professionalism and fairness that, if one asks someone else to do something like prepare a proposal for consulting services, the […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 1, 2021

I love to discuss, and write about, etiquette. As a social psychologist, I am keenly aware of the social norms involved in etiquette, which involves far more than knowing which fork to use. There is a certain etiquette involved in communicating with others, in both professional and personal settings. This includes “responding in kind” to […]

I’m a Professional Judge of Character – Trust my 1st Impression

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 30, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

There have been several notable examples of my, and others’, questioning my first impressions of someone. On all of these occasions, my first impression was correct and unfortunately, questioning it caused negative turns of events. In that, as a psychologist, I am what most people would consider “a professional judge of character,” I have tried […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 30, 2021

One aspect of owning a business never gets easier – hiring. I feel like it is always a gamble. And, I’m apparently not a good gambler because I’ve taken chances on hiring people who turned out to be ill equipped to do our work, or worse, a really bad fit, a bad choice, maybe a […]

Better Than “Different Direction”

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 2, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

As a follow up to David’s last post regarding the soul killing phrase “We have decided to move in a different direction,” I will provide alternative phrases that are more appropriate forms of rejection. Keeping in mind that David, and other consultants, spend considerable time and money speaking with prospective clients, preparing proposals outlining the […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 2, 2021

I like that-“vapid euphemisms.” In my most recent vapid encounter, vapid also seemed to apply to the paralegal who called me. Whether it was her fault or not, she not only had insufficient information to give me as to what the attorney purportedly wanted (which was an inappropriate research design, given what she did know), […]

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Archive | Marketing your Business

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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