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created on 5/3/2006
The human brain craves novelty, so says Gregory Berns, a professor at Emory University.
“The old evolutionary model that the brain exists to help us survive and reproduce is fine but too broad. If you go beyond that, the thing that helps us to survive and reproduce is the capacity to adapt in the world and to learn. The world is so unpredictable; most animals have brains like sponges absorbing so much in their drive to learn. Our brains are just primed for novelty. Nature never said you had to be happy. It said you had to learn to adapt to the world" (emphasis added, read more here).
Professor Berns spent the last ten years in the field of Neuroscience. The last three of which he spent researching and writing a book on human motivation called "Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment." His research discovered something amazing. For 50 years scientists knew that the brain released dopamine when experiencing pleasure – during sex, eating food, taking drugs, etc. But what Berns learned was that being exposed to novelty/unpredictability also sends dopamine pumping through the system.
Evolution engineered your brain to be drawn to those things that are novel/unpredictable – new experiences, new information. From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense. Your brain’s job is to make sure you survive. In order to survive, you need to assess things that are new to you. Will those novel things help you thrive or will they kill you? Your brain is also wired to ignore things that are predictable. Your brain doesn’t need to invest precious processing power dealing with familiar things, because it’s already assessed if those things will help you thrive.
What does this have to do with selling?
If your sales messaging has become predictable (i.e. you’re using PowerPoint, handouts and step-by-step demos to get your message across, just like your competitors), your customer’s will have trouble focusing on your messaging/presentation. It’s not their fault. It’s the way evolution wired their brains. Your challenge is to come up with novel ways to present your message, so that it’s easy for your customers to stay focused on what you’re saying.
Here’s where Power Messaging® techniques come in. Follow the Message Map, spike your audience’s attention with Grabbers and Stories so they stay out of the hammock, deliver messages that are unique to you, important to the buyer, and defensible, and you’ll win the deal.
By Erik Peterson, Consultant, Corporate Visions Inc.
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