Brain Glue: Switch Your Pitch If You Want To Get Rich
Brain Glue: Switch Your Pitch If You Want To Get Rich
What is key for business owners to create memorable marketing?
Jack and Jill went up the hill. How long ago did you last hear that? Maybe 10, 20, or even 50 years ago? For me, it’s been over 50 years, but we still remember it like it was yesterday. Why? Because it sticks in our brains like glue.
I’ve discovered 14 brain triggers that enhance the selling power of a message by making it memorable. These triggers work for selling products, books, speeches, and even on social media. For example, there's a woman who spent zero dollars on social media advertising and gained 5 million fans.
She’s a stay-at-home mom who wanted to create a Facebook page. She thought, “What does Mommy need?” Then, she came up with “Mommy Needs Vodka!” I stumbled across her funny post, clicked on her page, and saw she had lots of engaging content. I became a fan instantly.
We spend so much money and effort trying to market and persuade people, but brain triggers are the real key to getting people to engage.
How can business owners refine branding to attract the right clients?
There are three levels. First is the name of your product, service, or business. Second is how you describe it. Third is how you present it. Let me give you an example.
I worked with three guys who built a construction company. After 10 years, they had $2 million in sales—not bad. In one year, I helped them grow to $10 million. They joked that it should’ve been $12 million. My response? "Shut up." They even bought each other brand-new BMWs to reach $10 million in sales. Two years later, they hit $32 million.
So, how did we achieve this? I pulled out a whiteboard. At first, they didn’t think they needed one, but after nine weeks of working together, they filled it up. We started by making a list of all their different types of clients. This took about an hour. Then, I challenged them to pick just one type of client to focus on. They were hesitant but eventually chose fire restoration for insurance companies.
When pitching, I suggested they include "fire" in the description, as it would resonate with the insurance companies. We branded them as "The Fire Extinguisher for Insurance Companies" and created a simple URL, FireX.com, that forwarded to their site. I even joined them for a couple of presentations, and prospects loved it. They’d laugh, but they remembered the brand. Whenever someone had a fire, they knew to call their "fire extinguisher." It stuck in their minds, and the business grew.
Why should business owners use emotional triggers for memorable marketing?
You need to understand that people are motivated emotionally. The brain has patterns, and one of those patterns is memory. If something is repeated to you over and over, you'll remember it—just like McDonald's or Coke ads. But most of us don’t have the marketing budget of a McDonald's or Coca-Cola.
So, how do we market effectively? We trigger a brain pattern that sticks. Here's an example: If you're starting a hamburger restaurant on the West Coast, you're competing with giants like McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, companies that spend millions on advertising. How do you compete? Start by coming up with a memorable name, like In-N-Out Burger. That’s a name that sticks with people.
How can memorable phrases lead to impactful branding?
Think about names like Pop-Tart, Squatty Potty, Big Ass Fans, and Famous Amos. They stick with you, don’t they? Or how about this slogan: "The whiter your bread, the quicker you're dead." This was used by Wonder Bread’s competitors, and it almost bankrupted the company.
There are countless examples of phrases that stick in people’s minds. One tool used to make these phrases memorable is called chiasmus. John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," is an example. Another is Malcolm X’s, "We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, the rock landed on us." These statements are much more powerful than if they were said in a more straightforward way. They stick because of how they’re structured.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
