Episode Details

On the eve of the 300th episode of The Brainy Business, it felt like the perfect time to do a "best of" episode from the first five years of the show (another milestone we are just a couple of weeks away from!). How do we find out the "top" content around here? Thankfully, I don't have to choose (each episode is like one of my babies), and, we don't even have to ask.

You have been voting every day for the last five years as you have chosen which episodes to listen to. And, in these five years, you have cast 904,605 "votes" that made it into the final tally that created this Top 20 list. Thank you to everyone in the more than 170 countries who have listened to, rated, reviewed, subscribed to, and shared The Brainy Business podcast over the last five years. We wouldn't still be here if it weren't for you – please keep it up (and we plan to too!) In this episode:

• Delve into the psychology behind consumer decision-making and its impact on businesses.
• Reinforce your learning by revisiting earlier podcast episodes and mining hidden gems.
• Embrace the concept of continuous improvement by experimenting and testing new ideas.

• 00:00:00 - Celebrating the First 5 Years, In this episode, host Melina Palmer celebrates The Brainy Business podcast's 299th episode and the first five years of the podcast. She shares that upcoming new episodes include an interview with Jonah Berger (301) to kick off the next hundred, as well as the five-year anniversary episode and data visualization designer Sarah K. Miller (303), who created an amazing piece of data art to commemorate the top downloads for the first five years.
• 00:02:00 - Top 20 Most Downloaded Episodes, Melina shares that 904,605 votes from over 170 countries were cast for the top downloaded episodes – so cool! She then goes on to list the top 20 most downloaded episodes, starting with The Voltage Effect, by John List. Other top episode guests from 11-20 include Kurt Nelson, Troy Campbell, Eric Johnson, Prince Ghuman, and Katelyn Bourgoin. Not to mention, several solo episodes from Melina, like the one on the behavioral economics of Starbucks.
• 00:09:47 - How to Create Remarkable Experiences with Dan Gingiss, Melina talks about the 13th most downloaded episode of all time, episode 185, with Dan Gingis. They discuss his book The Experience Maker and how to create great experiences using his WISER methodology.
• 00:12:00 - How to Successfully Pitch Your Business, Melina shares her tips on great pitches in the 11th most downloaded episode of all time, episode 177. She also mentions that if listeners are interested in consulting or improving their pitches, they can book a strategy session or send her an email.
• 00:13:33 - How to Make Online Courses People Enjoy with Chris Rawlinson, Melina talks about the 10th most downloaded episode of all time, the shocking completion stats for most courses, and how 42 Courses have exceeded all expectations. In this episode, founder Chris Rawlinson shares his tips for creating awesome online courses that people actually complete (and enjoy).
• 00:17:23 - You Love Influence, Three episodes from specialists in the area of influence, including Vanessa Bohns (You Have More Influence Than You Think), Yale Professor Zoe Chance (Influence Is Your Superpower), and, Robert Cialdini (Influence) all made the top 10. Where specifically did they land and what are some of Melina's favorite insights from these episodes? Give it a listen.
• 00:21:06 - The Paradox of Choice, Episode 171 focused on the work of Barry Schwartz and how more choices can often lead to overwhelm and a tendency to choose nothing. People are less likely to buy when there are too many choices, so it's importan