Embedded Commands

That's an excellent technique, but it sounds like they overused it. That's a good sign of someone who has some training, but isn't very experienced... they fall in love with one technique, and use it constantly.

I usually mark out embedded commands with proximity. You draw the reader's attention to one spot, and then immediately after that, you have the command. Let's use Maria Veloso's infamous example:

"I wonder how quickly you are going to buy this product."

No! Wrong! Bad emphasis! (This is changed in the second edition to drop the italics.) A much better style of emphasis (although the command is still horrific):

"I wonder how quickly you are going to buy this product."

Personally, I hate any references to "buy" in my copy. I use them infrequently, because you sort of have to get people to... well, buy. But I'd really rather use something less sales-y, like:

"You already know you've got to have this product if blah blah blah."

The attention you draw to the word "know" doesn't disappear immediately, and carries on into the embedded command "you've got to have this product." It's not about buying the product, it's about having the product. And it's truly embedded - something before the command, something after the command.

For the rational brain, the "if" part goes on to say something that applies to everyone... like "if you want to be successful" or "if you like fried chicken." (You probably won't do as well with "if you like okra.")

Another tactic I like to use is a double-whammy of suggestive technique, where I start by emphasising the uniqueness of the product, then turn to another subject, then observe that you need a product like it. The subconscious connects the dots: "Yes, I need a product like this... but there is no product like this! I need this product!"

Which is all part of letting your prospect feel like the decision is entirely his. Consumers love choice. The more choice your prospect feels like he has, the less sales-y and pushy your pitch becomes.

If you can't make your commands subtle, just go way over the top:

"Buy this now! Right now! Get out your credit card! Buy it! Buy buy buy! Get an extra one for your dog! If you don't have a dog, go buy one!"

The prospect won't feel like he's being sold, because the tactic sucks. It's stupid. You're ridiculing yourself, and your product, and the very idea of selling anything. But you still said it. The brain still has the message.

I feel really weird talking about this stuff in present company, because there are much better copywriters than me in here, and I'm just convinced I'll say something really stupid and get my arse handed to me. So I'm going to shut up now.

Hi Jay

Caliban gave you an excellent suggestion.

How embedded commands might work in verbal communication is you pause... slightly... before the command... and after it, and change your inflexion (sp?) slightly ON the command.

If you were to <slight pause> imagine having this <inflection down> <slight pause> what would that be like?

Or skilled practitioners might mark the beginning, by setting an anchor, such as a tap on the arm, just before the command or suggestion.

So I mark off immediately prior to, and immediately after, the command.

Quite frankly, I don't know if you COULD really grasp this... but if you DID get this now, what would it mean to you?

If you'll notice the embedded commands "really grasp this" and "do this now"... are NOT highlighted. I want your CONSCIOUS mind to be paying attention to the things around it, so the actual commands slip by.

This, for me, is how I use 'em in Video #7, along with much more that I'm not prepared to reveal on a public forum.

Well, first and foremost, whatever you use to mark off the command needs to look and read natural to the conscious mind, unless you're deliberately using the confusion strategy

Commas can work, but I find them more effective after the command and suggestion.

Precisely. Using bold, italics and different fonts defeats the purpose of an embedded command.

Embedded commands are like oil in a car. The oil, by itself, doesn't get you from A to B... but it makes the journey much smoother and makes the car less likely to break down along the way. :p

You also commonly read about people seeing Elvis in the mall. That may be a ludicrous claim, but it doesn't mean there was no Elvis.

NLP in copy doesn't force or compel anything. The myths about NLP are more or less the same as the myths about hypnosis - and, like hypnosis (the two are closely related), NLP generally can't make people do things they don't want to do.

Well, I'm split testing at the moment so I don't know exactly which headline or copy you saw, but I don't think I used any in that squeeze page.

The use of embedded commands requires a certain CONTEXT, which I don't have on a squeeze page.

If you SEE them in a sales letter, then they're not embedded in the first place. That's the point.

It took me TWO readings before I consciously spotted some of the stuff DeAngelo was using, for example.

Besides, most people have never even heard of embedded commands, let alone have an idea of how they work.

I used to have people tell me that they couldn't see why salespeople use all those tactics to "force" the customer to buy today, those evil, bad salespeople.

Well, we used them because they worked... I could convert 40% of my appointments into sales THE SAME DAY, and most of those customer were actually happy they did.

The point is, a copywriter is ALWAYS appealing to the deeper desires and motivations of the prospective customer, at a so-called "subconscious" level.

It's why advertisers have a sexy model next to the car. What has a model got to do with a car? Nothing... except that a person might buy a car for sex appeal, to appear more attractive to the opposite sex.

And yes, this is a subconscious thing because the advertiser isn't always spelling out, "Hey, buy this car and you'll be more attractive to the opposite sex"... it's not a USP in the traditional sense... it's happening on a deeper, more "subconscious" (or whatever word you prefer) level.

Or think about certain WORDS that copywriters use. For example: Easy, simple, instant. They work because they have connotations at a deeper level of the mind.

Embedded commands are similar, in that respect. We tell them to "buy now", anyway... do we not? So we command them, even on the surface level. "Buy Now!" "Order Today!"

But as I have said, embedded commands are only a small part of a bigger framework. They are not a MAGIC BULLET.

It's like, think of ANY copywriting technique. Will that technique work, on its own? Of course not.

Good copywriters appeal to the readers "subconscious mind" (or whatever you think is closest to that concept) all the time.

Unless they've tested the technique/letter and found that it pulled the best. The letter is full of hypnotic/NLP language structure and they do bold some of the embedded commands as well.

Bolding or using comma's doesnt mean inexperienced necessarily. They could be using what works. We may be giving the average person who buys this type of stuff too much credit.

I did research on the letter/company and they've been around for years. Its a 2 step sales process into a "chain letter" type scheme. I can only guess they are profitable if the letter/promotion has been around for years.

And if this letter/promotion has been around for a while its probably a control or going up against a control. And im looking for good direct mail controls to learn from.

I like this thread.. that post I thanked up there rocks.. it makes total sense :-)

I do teach embedded commands in print.

However, they are radically different from anything that has appeared here or elsewhere.

Here's my most recent copy. It's pulling like crazy. Can you spot the patterns?

NLP Co-Founder Teaches Seminar With A Raging Fever And Accidentally Discovers Six-Step Process That Eliminates
Any Negative Behavior in Just 20 Minutes


From: Harlan Kilstein, NLP Expert and Personal Change Leader

The story became a legend in the annals of NLP history. John Grinder was set to teach a seminar when he woke up with a raging fever. The seminar could not be postponed. In the tradition of showmen everywhere, "The show must go on."

Grinder taught that day in a completely altered state and went to sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he was stunned to see notes on the board he had written the day before. He knew he had written them but he didn't have any conscious awareness of them.

Those notes became part of NLP history and became known as the Six-Step Reframe Process. Over the years, it became known as one of the most powerful tools for personal change.

What Is NLP and How Can It Change Your Life?

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) was the brainchild of Dr. John Grinder, a college professor of linguistics, and Richard Bandler, a computer programming students. When they teamed up, they began to model the world's most effective therapists to determine the best (and fastest) ways of helping people change.

Their tongue-twister of a name came from:

neuro - behavior comes from the brain,

linguistic - people reveal their thinking through language and

programming - most people patterns have been programmed into them over time.

Bandler and Grinder developed patterns than stunned the therapeutic world. They invented a pattern that cured the most resistant phobias in under five minutes. Even though neither had a background in therapy, they were teaching standing room audiences of therapists around the world.

One of their most famous students was Tony Robbins who based his entire career on the teachings of NLP.

The Six-Step Reframe Process
Even though he taught in a raging fever, Grinder uncovered a simple six-step process that let people eliminate negative behaviors. Over the years, the six-step reframe process has been used by therapists all over the globe to rapidly change negative behaviors including:

Weight Issues (For people who can't lose weight with normal diet and exercise)
Smoking (For people who both want to quit but don't want to give up smoking)
Alcohol (For people who know they are destroying their families but can't give up alcohol)
Sexual Dysfunction Issues
Failure To Succeed in School or in Business
And many many more issues.

In fact, Grinder went on to state that he never found a problem that did not respond to the six-step reframe process.

Now Available On Video For The First Time Ever!

A number of years ago, I recorded a demonstration session of the Six-Step reframe process with Sara. (Sara was my demonstration subject on The Physiology of Excellence DVD.)

Unfortunately, my hard disk crashed and I thought the session was gone forever. However, in a stroke of luck, I discovered I had created a back up of that video and I've hurried to share it with you.

What you receive when you purchase is online access to the video. You'll get to see the the steps I used with Sara.

But that's not all...

You'll also get a word for word transcript of my session with Sara.

And even better...

At the end, I give you the exact six-step process you can use.

And you get all of this for the incredibly low price of $29.

Why So Low? What's The Catch?

There is a catch I want to tell you about up front. There is a minor hum to the audio. I could have spent a few thousand dollars cleaning it up (instead I purchased a better microphone.) And because of that hum, I decided the slash the price.

Does the hum affect your ability to listen to the program? Not in the least. Every word is absolutely clear.

But I want to explain why I'm not selling this program for my usual higher prices. In addition, you need high speed access to view it online. If you have a slow internet connection, this is not for you.

Introducing Hypnotic Reframing

Grinder combined the power of Hypnosis with the Six-Step Reframing Process in the book Trance-formations. Unfortunately, this book is out-of-print and due to a long dispute between Bandler and Grinder, this book will never be reprinted.

Do you need to know Hypnosis to use this process? Absolutely not. In the video, the only "hypnotic" instruction I give is "close your eyes."

Can you use this pattern on yourself? Yes. Just be familiar with the six-steps before you begin.

Prepare To Be Amazed!

You are just two minutes away from beginning to eliminate one of your most stubborn patterns.

When you process your payment, you will be asked to confirm your email address and then you will be sent your personal log-in credentials.

You will be able to return to the video time and again.

And if the video isn't everything I say it is, just ask me for a refund. I want you to be completely happy with your purchase.

So order with confidence. And prepare to be amazed by the changes in your life.

Peace,
Harlan Kilstein Ed.D. C.Ht. Certified Modeler of NLP

PS. Before you use this process on someone else, be sure to change one of your own stubborn patterns first. That way, you can help someone else in full confidence the six-step reframe process works.

PPS. Did you notice I didn't put a time-frame on the guarantee? That's because I believe in this process so much, I'll refund the money at any time - even ten years down the road. But I know that's never gonna happen...as soon as you discover how simple and how powerful this technique is.

Excellent.

Yes, I think pre-suppositions trump embedded commands, because when effectively used (as in your example), they are automatically accepted as true by the reader's mind.

When a person starts to truly realize the power of presuppositions, I wonder how quickly they will find themselves wanting to put their knowledge to use.

:rolleyes: