FBI-grade influence for compensation leaders: how to reduce friction & win buy-in
October 21, 2025
The best sales compensation leaders are agents of change (requiring strong skills in influence), so in this episode of The Sales Compensation Show, former FBI agent and bestselling author Dr. Jack Schafer—who helped catch spies and flip assets—joins Nabeil Alazzam to translate field-tested influence into boardroom wins for sales compensation leaders. Listen in to learn psychology-backed tactics to align your exec team, lower resistance to new plan proposals, and secure buy-in for higher-stakes comp changes. We cover how to use rapport and elicitation techniques like the bridge-back method, preemptive statements, how to read rooms to spot resistance early, and prime stakeholders to cut friction before a meeting even starts.
Every meaningful comp change (think plan redesigns, quota models, and SPIFFs) lives or dies on buy-in. And all the best sales compensation leaders are agents of change. In this episode of The Sales Compensation Show, our host, Forma.ai CEO Nabeil Alazzam sits down with Dr. Jack Schafer, former FBI Special Agent and author of The Like Switch, to translate field-tested influence principles into everyday sales compensation leadership.
You’ll learn the psychology behind trust and compliance, how to frame proposals to reduce status-quo bias, and ways to navigate high-stakes conversations across Sales, Finance, HR, and the C-suite. Jack breaks down rapport-building, objection handling under pressure, and language patterns that shift meetings from “no” to “let’s explore.” Whether you’re introducing a new comp model or steering a broader transformation, Jack shares tacktics for leading change with confidence.
Episode notes
Guest: Dr. Jack Schafer — former FBI Special Agent, behavioral analyst, and bestselling author of The Like Switch and The Truth Detector.
Host: Nabeil Alazzam — CEO, Forma.ai.
What you’ll learn:
— A simple “like → trust → compliance” ladder for executive alignment
— How to frame comp changes to counter loss aversion and status-quo bias
— How to identify psychological and operational blockers
You’ll learn the psychology behind trust and compliance, how to frame proposals to reduce status-quo bias, and ways to navigate high-stakes conversations across Sales, Finance, HR, and the C-suite. Jack breaks down rapport-building, objection handling under pressure, and language patterns that shift meetings from “no” to “let’s explore.” Whether you’re introducing a new comp model or steering a broader transformation, Jack shares tacktics for leading change with confidence.
Episode notes
Guest: Dr. Jack Schafer — former FBI Special Agent, behavioral analyst, and bestselling author of The Like Switch and The Truth Detector.
Host: Nabeil Alazzam — CEO, Forma.ai.
What you’ll learn:
— A simple “like → trust → compliance” ladder for executive alignment
— How to frame comp changes to counter loss aversion and status-quo bias
— How to identify psychological and operational blockers
The Sales Compensation Show is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so