Nancy Harhut is one of my favorite people to talk to. She wrote Using Behavioral Science in Marketing, a book my wife reads on vacation and my daughter was reading on maternity leave. When I tell you this woman's work validates everything I've been teaching about how people make decisions online, I mean it.

In this conversation, we got into some territory I don't usually cover on the show. Nancy explained why behavioral science isn't manipulation — it's motivation. That distinction matters, especially when you're a salesperson trying to figure out why your connection requests get ignored 98% of the time.

She shared a technique I love. Instead of asking someone, "Can we connect?" try "Would you be willing to connect?" That tiny shift changes the question from preference to character. People don't just accept — they respond with "Of course, absolutely" because now they're making a statement about who they are.

We also talked about what happens when buyers put their decision-making on autopilot and then hand that autopilot over to AI. Nancy called it becoming "the great disintermediary." If an AI summary is doing the first pass on whether you get noticed, your content better answer the exact questions your audience is asking. Depth beats frequency every time.

I couldn't help myself — I walked Nancy through how LinkedIn's algorithm now reads your About section, your work history, your comments, and your posting behavior before deciding who sees your content. I even read her own About section back to her, and she laughed because it sounded like a resume. We've all been there.

If you want to understand why people say yes, why they ignore you, and what to do about it in a world where AI is standing between you and your customer, this is the episode.

Nancy Harhut — hbtmktg.com — find her on LinkedIn. Everything she posts is worth saving.