Do You Use NLP in your salesletters?

My bad- Maria Vellosa is the website NLP guru.

I apologize for using the wrong name!!!

Hi all,

Years ago, there was an very well known NLP trainer who scared the bejeezus out of me.

This was back in the late 80's. I spent two months with him, solid. Day and night, hours on end.

It left an indelible impression on me.

But at the end of that "internship," he put something into my head that has stuck with me to this day.

While I don't remember it verbatim, what he basically said was this:

What I have shared with you is like a treasure chest, filled with gold, and pearls, and jewels.

You can do what you want with these techniques.

But, you must be ever so careful. Because if you ever use what I have taught you for evil, or to inflict pain or ill, or even remotely manipulative reasons, that treasure chest will slam shut on you and you'll have access to it no more.

That scared me. I got his point. Oh man, did I get his point.

Ever since then, I NEVER use NLP deliberately. Because that to me, in and of itself, I consider that extremely manipulative. But it's principles, while I do not think anything about them consciously, I am sure I use them everyday, without knowing. In a helpful, beneficial way to others.

NLP is NOT like swiping copy, cutting and pasting and ladling your copy with embedded commands. Sheesh.

That's manipulative and you should it avoid at all costs.

That will cause harm, ill will and most likely buyer's remorse. People will feel cheated and manipulated. Not good.

To use NLP, you MUST, MUST, MUST be trained by a compassionate, caring, ultra-qualified trainer, one who only has YOUR highest interest at heart. Robert Dilts comes to mind, although I have not talked to him in years and don't even know how he's doing.

I guess what I'm saying is this: Once you learn NLP deeply, so that it becomes a part of you, you will be able to communicate more effectively as a copywriter.

NLP will teach you how to be surgeon scalpel-like precise with your language, and once it is integrated into your neurology, like many ultra-qualified trainers can do with you and for you, you will do well with it.

- Rick Duris

PS: You see, I have a profound respect for Richard Bandler and John Grinder and others who have added to the NLP body of work.

In my hands at least, I know I've saved lives. Literally. People such as the homeless, battered and abused wives, as well as people with HIV/AIDS.

That last one is a stretch probably, I know, so let me share with you how I did it so you can see I am not full of BS.

I would get the person with HIV/AIDS to raise their t-cell counts.

When a person has HIV/AIDS, the most important thing is monitoring their T-cell counts.

Like in direct marketing, I would literally have them go in for a test. And then we would have a session or two or three or four together. And then they'd go in for another test. Amazingly they'd find their T-cells had increased substantially.

They were elated and very thankful. I would leave the clinic on a cloud. I credit NLP.

And here's how I did that T-cell thing. This was back in the 80's and I wanted to put my NLP skills to the test. This was all pro bono work. I did a study, (to be technical about this, in NLP they call it "modeling" and it's a very precise series of processes,) of AIDS long term survivors.

(Hint to copywriters: "Modeling" is a very effective way of getting to know who exactly your customers are. Google the term. I have not, but I am probably sure somebody has described as a basic process for all as a glimpse.)

One of the things I discovered was long term survivors with AIDS consistently would, every morning, would treat their body like an instrument. Like a violin. Ever analyzing every aspect of their body. Always making sure, string by string, it was ever in tune.

Even a small blemish would be a cause of concern, because it could be the onset of Kaposi's sarcoma. A type of common skin tumor with HIV/AIDS folks.

There were other things the long term survivors did obviously and I started to run small group trainings at the alternative health clinic I was at about these ideas. (You may ask why I don't do it today, and that's whole 'nother story.)

NLP can change lives. And I seriously kneel at the feet of the NLP gods. Ever grateful for the opportunity learn and study under them.

And I never, ever want that treasure chest to close on me. It would break my heart.

Hi Mr. Enthusiastic,

Thank you, Chris. I mean it.

I took NONE of what you previously said negatively. I understood implicitly what you were trying to accomplish. I found it actually pretty amusing. And was thinking of doing it myself, but I knew people would take it the wrong way.

Some people didn't appreciate, but no worries. You meant no harm.

Chris, I am going share something. It's personal.

First, let me ask you a question.

What do you think the most vital organ is in your body?

Here's the answer: Your brain.

Now what's the most next vital organ in your body?

Answer? Your spine.

And now what's the third most vital organ?

Your heart and your lungs.

Now, ask me how I know. Well, just think for a moment how much bone (i.e. protection) is wrapped around these particular organs.

The more bone, the more protection, the more important they are. God and/or evolution, made it this way (not me. )

Now having said that, what you need to know about me is this:

Metaphorically speaking, I have no bone covering my chest. No rib cage. No sternum. My heart is completely exposed. You can watch it, look at it beating.

It will feel kinda weird, but you can actually touch it with your finger.

I will let you. Go ahead.

My heart is completely vulnerable. Exposed. Revealed. It's how I live, it's how I write my copy and it's how I enjoy and live life and the people around me. It serves me.

My only protection I have discovered are two things:

The truth. And trust.

On the Internet neither are prevalent. And that's unfortunate for all. All suffer dearly with half-truths, lies and false claims.

Some things I see people say, I let go. They're wrong, I see it, I know it, they're false. It's admittedly their opinion or their business, it's wrong but they have a right to both. And I will not argue. But if asked, well that's a different situation.

But when it comes to things that matter, like peoples' reputations about people I trust? People, I know for a fact, to be true as an arrow?

Oh my goodness, I just can't let it go. I must come to their aid immediately and defend.

If that sounds arrogant or "righteous" in any way, I am sorry. I apologize in advance.

I am not that way. But if you touch my heart... with your finger, if you feel its beat, you will know, I speak the truth.

This is how I protect myself, my heart.

Thank you again, for your comments. They touched my heart.

- Rick Duris

Whatever it is, I'm against it! Groucho Marx

My point was simply that, when a person says "Don't X", X might be perceived as an embedded command, whether the person speaking intended it to be an embedded command, or not.

Maybe.

Of course. If such a thing existed, all copywriters would be using it and getting conversion rates close to 100%.

Do you know what NLP is? This statement seems to suggest you don't.