SOLO | Make Money By Asking Better Questions: Motivational Interviewing

This episode is a solo deep dive with Travis, host of Travis Makes Money, breaking down how motivational interviewing—a communication method created by psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick—can become a powerful tool for persuasion in business, sales, leadership, and personal growth. He shares personal stories, research-backed examples, and practical scripts that show how shifting from “convincing” to “uncovering” dramatically improves outcomes.

On this episode we talk about:

• What motivational interviewing is and why most people persuade the wrong way.

• The real problem behind inaction: ambivalence, not lack of information.

• How addiction and healthcare studies prove this method works better than advice-giving.

• Using the 1–10 scale question and “Why is it not a two?” in sales conversations.

• Applying motivational interviewing with clients, employees, partners, and even your kids.

Top 3 Takeaways

1. People rarely change because you tell them to; they change faster when it feels like their idea, and motivational interviewing is designed to create that internal motivation.

2. Asking precise questions like “On a scale of 1–10, how ready are you?” and “Why is it not a two?” pulls reasons for change out of the other person instead of pushing your arguments onto them.

3. In sales and leadership, if you can explain someone’s problem back to them better than they can, they’ll assume you have the solution—so ask more questions, summarize clearly, and let them articulate their own standards and desired outcomes.

Notable Quotes

• “Most people already know what they should do. The problem isn’t information, it’s ambivalence.”

• “People don’t change because they’re convinced; they change because they feel understood and they allow themselves to articulate the truth.”

• “Stop pitching and start pulling—talk less, ask better questions, and let them talk themselves into change.”

Connect with Travis:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/

• Other: travischappell.com

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