HWW #38 – Selling To The Lizard Brain. Hot, Profitable Emotions

Hey Folks,

Chris “Mr. Moneyfingers” Haddad here welcoming you back to the Hardworking Words Newsletter.

In today’s issue:

-Selling To The Lizard Brain – Hot, Profitable Emotions
-A quick shout out to my dear old Dad.
-A very special offer for readers of this newsletter.

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SELLING TO THE LIZARD BRAIN – Hot, Profitable Emotions
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Quick quiz . . . why do people *really* buy things?

Do they buy for logical, consistent *boring* reasons?

Or do they buy for hot, passionate *emotional* reasons?

Well, if you’ve been banging around the marketing world for any length of time (or have ever actually *sold* anything) you know that . . .

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People *Buy* Based On Emotion . . . .
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People buy your stuff because of *feelings* . . . .

But they *Justify* With Facts . . .

Why does the out of shape 45 year old ex-football player buy a monstrous humvee?

Because he wants to *feel* big and powerful and virile and tough and unstoppable . . . (though he’ll *tell you* that he bought it because it keeps him and his family safe. Very logical. Really.)

Why does the snarky copywriter and marketing consultant spend his hard-earned money on a swanky new iPhone?

Because it makes him *feel* hip and cool and special . . . (though he’ll tell you that he *needs* it to stay on top of his email and to do important work while out of the office. Good one.)

Why does the yuppie new mom splurge on a *designer* baby stroller when the old fashioned *push* cart will do just fine?

Because she likes the way it *feels* when she’s walking down the street pushing her bundle of joy ahead of her and drawing envious gazes from baby-crazed women everywhere (though she’ll *tell you* that she just wanted the highest *quality* cart . .. and after all, it was 20 percent off!)

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“But What Emotions Actually Make People Buy?”
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If you ask any old-school sales guys, they’ll tell you that there are really only 2 reasons that people buy:

Greed . . .

And Fear.

And to a degree, they’ve got a point.

*Fear* of losing something, of having your house broken into, of having your wife seduced away from you is a *powerful* motivator . . .and if you can allay a powerful fear you can sell what you’ve got like hot cakes.

And playing on the “Greed Gland” is a tactic that goes way back to caveman times. I mean, heck, the whole reason I call myself “Mr. Moneyfingers” is to tickle that little greedy place in the back of a client’s brain.

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But Greed And Fear Aren’t The Be All And End All Of Emotional Selling
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In fact there are a whole *slew* of emotions that you can use to crawl your way into a prospect’s head and appeal to that most primal, emotional “lizard brain.”

What are they? Well here are just a few of my favorites . . . .

* Pride – Can you position your product as something that will give your prospect pride? Or will *not* buying what you’ve got suck away their feeling of self worth?

* Envy (this is one of my favorites) – Can you make your prospect *envy* you or someone who’s used your stuff for the results they got . . . . or can you paint a picture of how they’ll be envied by others once they make the smart choice and buy today?

* Shame – Can your product or service help your prospect defeat a feeling of shame? Or will they *feel* ashamed if they *don’t* buy and something goes wrong?

*Anger – Are your prospects *mad* about something? Are they sick of being *ripped off* by some of your competitors? Position your product as a way to get *revenge.*

* Pain – (physical or emotional.) If your prospect is hurting, show that your product can relieve that pain and they’ll buy without even bothering to justify with logic (as a back pain sufferer for years, I can’t even tell you how much I spent on whacky devices and “wonder cures.”)

* Gratitude/Guilt – Give your prospects value for *free* and a lot of times they’ll buy from you to say “thank you” . . . or because they feel like they should.

* Lust – Just turn on the TV . . . you’ll see Lust selling in full effect.

And on and on and on.

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“Powerful Stuff, Chris. But It Feels A Little . . . Um . .. Sleazy”
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Now, if you’re not a jaded marketing weasel, all this talk of “emotional selling” can sound downright manipulative.

I mean, after all, shouldn’t the *quality* of what you’ve got to sell be all that matters?

Sure it should..

Then again, we *should* all look like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, we *should* all be rich, we *should* have perfect health and on and on down the line.

Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way.

But if you can *imagine* making more sales, making more money, building your business, actually *helping* people with your products and services, becoming the envy of all your friends and making your old boss go positively *green* . . . well, then you need to stop focusing on “shoulds” and start selling to the heart.

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SHOUT OUT TO MY DEAR OLD DAD
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April 1 is the birthday of my dear, departed marketing *genius* of a father. Kenneth George Haddad died just over a 11 years ago, but before he went he taught me *ton* about how to deal with people and how to sell to (and from) the gut. Thanks, Dad.

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A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR SOLO PROS WHO WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE *MONEY*
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If you’re already pulling down 6 figures (or more) in your solo business, this isn’t for you.

But if you’ve been struggling in your business and want to make it to 6 figure land, pay attention.

Beth Yockey Jones and I are hard at work in our secret lab developing a program to help solo pros (folks who are self employed but don’t have or want employees) make some really good money.

And we need your help.

If you’re interested in cracking the 6 figure code, shoot me back an email and tell me what your *biggest* challenge is in your business and what topic you feel like you need the most help with.

And down the line I’ll send you something nice in return.

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