Neuro Marketing. Or, How Not to Clear a Room in Seconds.

On NY Brand Lab Radio earlier today, my guest Ann Convery was talking about her favorite topic, and her most popular program, “You’re So Brilliant! Why Don’t They Buy?” It was a terrific interview, and my thanks to Ann for her insights and expertise. Her talent, after all, is enabling her clients around the world to generate up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in business within weeks. Sounds attractive to me.

So here are a few sound bites from our interview. They are not fully developed here so it’s going to be helpful if you listen to the audio which will be posted on my site tomorrow. www.ZingYourBrand.com/radio. But I’m so excited about the great content Ann presented, I’m going to jot down a few points here for you. Here goes:

OK. What did we talk about? This is all about understanding human nature. One of the best books out there, and one of Ann’s favorites, is called Neuro Marketing, by Patrick Renvoise and Christov Morin. It addresses the Old Brain, and why the most important thing in communication is creating an emotional connection with your audience. Otherwise, you’re wasting your breath.

Let’s face it, the last thing you want to do is talk in such a way that you can clear a room in seconds, right?

• In the business context, when you meet someone, for example, so many of us just want to talk about what we do. The truth is, however, that most people just don’t care. Or, rather, their Old Brains don’t care. What’s more, they particularly don’t care if you’re talking in language that their brain can not respond to.

(FYI You are going to need to understand the difference between the three different brains, and why the OLD BRAIN is the one you want to be talking to. More about that in the radio interview.)

• The key is that it’s important to speak to that part of the brain, the ‘old brain or lizard brain’ that is only interested in its own survival. If you’re talking about how to get more money love or health, that’s when the lizard brain will pay attention to you. Otherwise, you’re not going to get through.

• If you use neutral language, you’re toast. (Understand now why you get that glazed look when you start talking what you do? Their Old Brain has gone to sleep.)
Remember. The old brain is self centered. You have to keep it interested, curious and on alert if you want to get heard.

• We talked about how the brain likes to make fast decisions so make it easy for the brain to understand your story. Brains love good stories, particularly when they’re visual stories. Raise the anticipation. Talk up the story in highly visual ways and what does that do? It triggers this kind of (ideal) response:

“Can I have your card?”

• The important point is to engage them with your story. Leave them hungry and wanting a bit more. Do not satisfy them. Try this out and you’ll find you’re going to resist this idea. It’s basically counter intuitive. The clue is? Stop talking so much. Hold your breath. Bite your tongue. So whatever it takes. Just stop talking and telling them everything you do!

• Don’t label what you do. Basically, we are constantly putting labels on people whether we know it or not.
So I meet you and tell you that I am brand consultant, you immediately label me as ‘brand consultant’ and you tell yourself: “I’ve got one. I don’t need you.” And you write me off! Start talking about your success stories and results that will hook them.

• How do you make your prospects “talk themselves” into working with you?
This is about an intentional conversation that will deliberately draw people to you. Don’t tell someone everything you do. Remember you are speaking to an old brain that lives in survival mode. Brains often have to listen to that elevator speech you’ve taken so long to put together, right? How many times have you delivered it and then you stop and nothing happens! Nothing happens because your listener’s brain has already gone to sleep. You’re talking in neutral language, so you’ve lost them – right from the start.

• What’s the average human attention span? You have nine seconds. That’s right. Just about the attention of goldfish! If you bore people, the brain goes on ‘snooze.’ It only wakes up at the end of your elevator speech.

• I asked Ann about politicians and are they understanding these methods of truly connecting with their different audiences? She said that Reagen was a superb communicator and was a natural when it came to making emotional connections. He was an actor, after all! But he never needed script.

Thanks, Ann! Ann is an international speaker, seminar leader, trainer and author, She offers private training and seminars on speaking, small business marketing, product training and attracting more money in business. Go to annconvery.com or youresobrilliant.com.