The 3 Most Hypnotic Words When Pitching

Words hold a lot of power. And when it comes to selling your message, idea, product or service - choosing the right words absolutely matters. More often than not- certain words are able to trigger particular hypnotic ‘reflexes’ in our brain, like a light bulb suddenly sparking off in our brain. These triggers lead us to experience a certain magnetic pull towards the message.No wonder at times- we just are not able to articulate why it is we feel so attracted towards an idea or pitch.

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The reality is that the best kind of pitches are able to tap into three core elements. Firstly, influential pitches are able to effectively create a ‘sense of ownership’ in the minds of the audience. Next, an influential pitch is also able to induce a ‘sense of reason’) in the minds of the receiver, which is important for us in order to have faith in the idea or product. Lastly, an influential pitch should quickly and easily appeal to ones ‘sense of identity’.So how does one activate these triggers in the brains of others?

It is simple. The most persuasive pitches boil down to these three hypnotic words.

IMAGINE

Human brains are hardwired to connect through the use of visual images. So, when you ask someone to ‘imagine’ themselves experiencing the outcome of a sale, (rather than making the purchase itself)- it naturally prompts a creative visual process in the brain and makes them immediately receptive. Instantly, the person is given the freedom to see themselves experiencing the outcome of the sale or pitch. This freedom induces a strong sense of ownership in their mind because you have allowed them to future-pace the experience. And because people naturally own what they feel and sense, this experience inspires them to follow through with the pitch. It is natural that we want an experience- not a list of benefits. Also, by getting the receiver to imagine owning the results, it becomes as if they already have it. And the natural thing to do then is to keep it, which means making the acquisition or buying into the idea.

BECAUSE

It is hard to believe that such a simple word ‘because’ can incite so much conviction in people’s minds. This is largely because all human beings crave order and reason. Reason helps us make sense of our own lives that lets us know ‘why’ something is happening the way it is, or what caused it to happen in the first place. In fact, just hearing the word ‘because’ in a pitch activates a cause-effect relationship in our subconscious minds and allows us to feel comfortable that there is a valid ‘reason’ lurking behind. In a way, it liberates us from having to find the reasons to buy into a product or idea. So, when one cleverly intersperses ‘because’ in their pitches, it quickly triggers the reason-why reflex so much craved by our brains. The actual reason does not even have to be a mind-blowing explanation- just the mere fact that one has used the word ‘because’ quickly eases the audience’s subconscious mind.  Even better than this, give a powerful reason- and watch the receiver jump into ‘agreement mode’ quickly.

YOU

People prefer -and often crave - personalized experiences. And the bottom line is this- when a pitch or an idea does not involve us, it becomes ‘background noise’ for us and we quickly tune out of the conversation. However, anytime we hear our name or ‘you’- which is a placeholder for our name- we magically tune into whatever is being discussed. What ‘you’ does is it immediately involves us in the pitch- also causing our minds to again feel a ‘sense of ownership’. More importantly, it appeals to our sense of identity. As Robert Cialdini highlights in his book Pre-Suasion, the word “you” is captivating because the things that hold our attention are the things that are most relevant to us.