You can’t see it if you are not looking for it.

Yesterday, I set down my computer glasses on my dining room table. I rarely have my computer glasses on outside of my office. After setting down my glasses, I rushed off to an appointment. When I got back to my office, I couldn’t remember where I had put my computer glasses. This is a big deal, since I spend a large part of my time in front of a computer screen. It was critical that I find my prescription computer glasses fast so I could get back to work on a project for one of my clients.

I spent several minutes searching from room to room, scouring the likely places where the elusive glasses would be. After multiple trips from my office to the office where my accounting software resides, which was the last place I remembered having them on, I became alarmed, thinking that I had misplaced or lost my expensive, prescription computer glasses. Without them, I would not be able to work for more than a few minutes at my computer. That could be a disaster for meeting the needs of my clients.

I knew I had my glasses on earlier in the day. I remembered that I had  set them down safely. But,here is the rub, because I am a visual thinker, when I remember something, I see a picture. If I can’t picture something (like the exact location of my glasses), I can walk right by it, even look directly at it and not “see” what I am looking for. Has this ever happened to you?

Why We Sometimes Can’t See What is Right in Front of Us

Our brains use a method of recognition called the “reticular activating system.” This part of your brain controls your level of attention. You can deliberately program it to filter information and pass it between you conscious brain (aware) and the subconscious brain (the part that works in the background).

You may be familiar with and an example of how the reticular activating system works. You may have experienced it yourself that last time you were thinking about purchasing a car. Suddenly, everywhere you were, you saw the make and model of the car you planned to buy. Did these cars suddenly materialize or multiply when you started to focus on them? Not at all, but your brain begin to filter them into your awareness. Your high speed processing computer, your brain, suddenly had instructions that made it easy for you to see what was already all around you. It recognized the importance of these cars and allowed you to see them.

Your Automatic Goal Seeking Mechanism

The reticular activating system has been called your automatic goal seeking mechanism. Setting goals using the power of the reticular activating system fires up your awareness of the elements you desire. Our brains can not differentiate between what we imagine and what is real. Using your brain to imagine a reality where you have exactly what you want will help you filter in the resources, people and actions needed to make the imagined real.

Getting back to my misplaced glasses, I knew that I was not seeing them, and rather than spend endless time in a frustrating search, I asked my husband to look for them for me. The result, he found them in plain sight, on my dining room table in less than 60 seconds.

If you don’t know what you are looking for, you can’t see it. If what you want doesn’t line up with what you believe to be true, you can’t see it, even if it is right in front of you. If you want to change your life and business outcome, you must first see the change, believe it possible, and then, your amazing brain will filter in success. It will know how to recognize opportunities. Try it and see what happens for you.

If you are a visual thinker like me, picturing what you want is like giving your brain a new, laser-focused, pair of glasses. Take this a step further. When you are building your marketing messages, you can create a picture of  what life will be like when your clients have what they want by using your products and services.

Just picture it.

 

If you’re a fisherman, a can-of-worms is a beautiful thing. It’s your bait for catching fish. The more plump and juicy worms you have, the better your fishing expedition will be. Of course if the fish you want to catch only eat mayflies, worms no matter how juicy, are the wrong bait.

In marketing, the right offer is just as important as having the right food for the fish you want to catch when you go fishing. If what you are offering is not a fit in the pond where you are fishing, you may be in the wrong pond or you may have the wrong bait.

In nature it’s very obvious how the ecosystem works. For every plant and animal there is a companion food source. One organism feeds on another. Many plants and animals are very picky. There is only one thing they can and will eat. This is also true of some customers.

Take another look at that can-of-worms.

It might appear as a wriggling, disgusting, dangerous, and unpleasant source of pain. It’s not attractive and I wish it would just disappear. But knowing that it can also symbolize having the right message, to attract the customers I am looking for, I can turn that negative into a positive.

If you’re phobic about worms it may be harder for you to get over your fear and repulsion. This could also be true when you think about marketing. The visual and visceral reaction you experience when you think about worms and marketing is real. However your thoughts about worms and marketing may not be true.

I’ve been trained to help you reframe your negative thoughts about marketing. Sometimes we confuse thoughts with facts. Thoughts are changeable. They are influenced by our feelings. The difference between a thought and the fact can be huge.

If you’re hungry and you know you can catch fish and feed your family with that can-of-worms, you are far more likely to use it to your advantage.

What are you treating like a nasty can-of-worms in your business? If you’d like to reframe your approach to marketing, or get over your aversion to it, I’ll introduce you to a step-by-step program that gets results and gets you clients.

 

An effective way to build the habit of asking for referrals begins by giving them to others first!

If you are now or have ever been a member of BNI, you know the philosophy well.  “Givers Gain.”

Joanne Black, author of “No More Cold Calling” says that this behavior stimulates reciprocity in others. She herself has benefited from this habit. Repeat business doesn’t just happen. Staying in touch reminds clients about us and when they have a need for our services, we are top of mind.

Being generous with contacts, resources and help that is asked for and needed builds strong relationships.

Judy’s Ten Eleven Commandments of Referrals

1. Listen to the needs of others with an open mind, heart and ears.
2. Ask for permission before giving information or advice.
3. Confirm your understanding of what people say they need.
4. Respect others as you would like to be respected.
5. Follow-up when you have shared with others, get their feedback on what worked well or what you could do better next time.
6. Give credit where it is due.
7. Ask for what you need.
8. Be specific.
9. Give often.
10. Let others know how they can help you.
11. Express gratitude.

Here is a short movie clip of an exercise based on these principles.

”

“Creating Connections at BACN”
It was filmed at the BACN meeting on June 25, 2010.

“Creating Connections” is a regular part of our meetings, yet each month this segment is presented in a different way.

The purpose of this segment is to bridge the gap between meeting someone at an event and building a connection that is of benefit beyond the moment.

If you would like a one page handout on referrals, send your request to me at info at creative1 dot com

 

Light up Your Buying Brain

“When we brand things, our brains perceive them as more special and valuable than they actually are.”

Martin Lindstrom

“The Joneses” is one of the movies that were shown at the Sonoma Valley International Film Festival. I found it to be an insightful, sometimes funny look at how our desire to buy things is influenced by our need to fit in and acquire the things we observe to be possessed by those we admire. Since I am in the business of branding, it got me thinking about what it is that creates that irresistible urge to buy IT, makes us think we cannot live without IT or that having IT will make our lives so much better.

The Brain and the Buy Button

The field of neuromarketing is real science. It has been popularized through the works of branding expert Martin Lindstrom. He gives us a peak inside of this fascinating field in his best selling books: brandsense and buyology. I was introduced to neuromarketing by Patrick Renovise and Christophe Morin. These two are entertaining as they explore how to turn on the “buy button” we have in our brains. There are differences between consumer products and business services, but the triggers that activate the “buy button” described in SalesBrain Neuromarketing: Understanding the Buy Buttons in Your Customer’s Brain are the same.

Triggers That Cause us to Buy

We may think we make decisions to buy based on objective information. In reality, our decisions come from our old brain, the one we share with lizards. Our emotions reside in the mid brain, and our new brain, rationalizes our decisions.

How can we attract and stimulate the old brain to take action? The main function of our old brain is survival. It behaves to keep us safe and wants to avoid pain. Safety, shelter, food and belonging are the domain of the old brain. We respond to marketing messages that identify a real or perceived pain and how to avoid it or remove it. Then we need to make it clear that we have the ability to fix the situation. A well-defined claim that differentiates us from our competition is will help us get the attention of our ideal clients. To seal the deal, a demonstration of what is to be gained by using our services will light up the buy button in our old brain.

In the movie “The Jones”, wanting to be like the beautiful, charismatic family of the title influences buying behavior. As a species we survived by choosing the most attractive mates, those who were strong and good providers. In today’s consumer world, we respond to the same triggers as our cave dwelling ancestors.

Brands Light up Brains

Neuromarketing measures observable brain behavior.

Techniques include:

How well does your brand message answer these questions?

1. Who do you serve?
2. What is their pain?
3. What makes you the best solution to their problems?
4. What will clients gain working with you?

Are you keeping up with the Jones with your marketing message?

Tell me how your value proposition lights up brains.

 

The 10 Most Addictive Sounds in the World | Fast Company.

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard that the most addictive sound is that of a baby giggling. It is one of 10 sounds that trigger our brains.

Martin Lindstrom, the noted market researcher and author of two outstanding books on customer behavior: buyology and brand sense, posted this article to Fast Company. It is all about the sounds we know, love and remember.

For years, I have encouraged clients to record memorable voice messages. I get comments on my voice mail greetings. The sound of your voice is part of your brand. How do you sound to the ears of your prospects and clients?

Most of us have five senses, yet over 80% of all marketing communication is aimed at our sense of sight.

What opportunities do you have to use sound to attract and engage your audience?

I recommend starting with your “audio logo” also known as a elevator pitch.  It is a sound bite. If it is done right, it catches the attention of your intended audience and triggers their interest to know more about how you can help them.

Sounds good to me.