NLP and other psychological tactics in sales copy

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Although I am NOT a copywriter and know little about it (disclaimer) I am a psychologist (BA in psychology and Msc. in Consumer Psychology with Business) and I'm just wondering how many of you use specific psychological tactics in your copy? I'm also wondering about how effective you find "pseudopsychological" tactics such as NLP and suggestion?
#copy #nlp #psychological #sales #tactics
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    • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
      Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke View Post

      I'm curious to hear from other warriors in the forum on their psychological techniques, including NLP as well as other techniques
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      • Profile picture of the author Cool Hand Luke
        Originally Posted by DTGeorge View Post

        I'm curious to hear from other warriors in the forum on their psychological techniques, including NLP as well as other techniques
        Which is why I posted that link to a 4-page thread about it... Try the search feature, you'll find dozens of other threads about NLP and persuasive techniques.
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        • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
          Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke View Post

          Which is why I posted that link to a 4-page thread about it... Try the search feature, you'll find dozens of other threads about NLP and persuasive techniques.
          I wanted to have a dialogue as opposed to simply getting a question answered.

          I can certainly understand warriors getting tired of the "same old" questions but please appreciate that there's a huge difference between reading a conversation and actually being in one.
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          • Profile picture of the author The Black Panther
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            • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
              Originally Posted by The Black Panther View Post

              Translation: I want my signature link to be seen as often as possible.
              I've got 84 thanks, which would indicate that I've contributed something valuable at least 84 times.

              You've got a grand total of 2 posts. I'd suggest you get more involved in the forum rather than making accusations.

              PS - If I had wanted to spam my sig, I'd have made far more than 1.5 posts per day.
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  • Profile picture of the author James Clouser
    I use NLP language patterns in my copy.

    For example:

    [Bad news], but [good news].

    This coaching program is not easy, but it will help you get the results you desire.

    Notice how the phrase "is not easy" feels better than "is hard." And how you were reassured when the good news followed the bad news.

    Notice the action verb "notice" made that last sentence seem true.

    This stuff works!
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    • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
      Originally Posted by James Clouser View Post

      I use NLP language patterns in my copy.

      For example:

      [Bad news], but [good news].

      This coaching program is not easy, but it will help you get the results you desire.

      Notice how the phrase "is not easy" feels better than "is hard." And how you were reassured when the good news followed the bad news.

      Notice the action verb "notice" made that last sentence seem true.

      This stuff works!
      Hmmm ok, I would more consider this along the lines of framing, in terms of how you frame an outcome makes a difference in people's perception
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      • Profile picture of the author James Clouser
        Originally Posted by DTGeorge View Post

        Hmmm ok, I would more consider this along the lines of framing, in terms of how you frame an outcome makes a difference in people's perception
        You're right. When I learned NLP, I was taught that re-framing is a function thereof.

        There are many more language patterns. Some of them are quite advanced. That was just the most common example.

        What were you thinking of when you asked about applying NLP to copy? Things like pacing and leading? Or visualization?
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        • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
          Originally Posted by James Clouser View Post

          You're right. When I learned NLP, I was taught that re-framing is a function thereof.

          There are many more language patterns. Some of them are quite advanced. That was just the most common example.

          What were you thinking of when you asked about applying NLP to copy? Things like pacing and leading? Or visualization?
          Yup that pretty much is along the lines of what I was thinking!
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by DTGeorge View Post

    Although I am NOT a copywriter and know little about it (disclaimer) I am a psychologist (BA in psychology and Msc. in Consumer Psychology with Business) and I'm just wondering how many of you use specific psychological tactics in your copy?
    100% of successful copywriters.

    Thinking like the prospect and stoking his emotions are essential.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author TerryX
    I often use future pacing in writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author kash21
    I think NLP works if you use it right.
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  • Profile picture of the author teknetz
    I have used NLP for a number of different things not related to marketing and have had amazing results(mainly phobias, addictions, anxeity, just to name a few).(and I won't call this "psuedo-psychology" as much as I would call it viable alternative to modern-day psychology.. esp. when someone's been going to a shrink for years and years and still has the same issue they did when they started and a single session of NLP "cures" them of their affliction.) I do still use it for my email swipes and sales pages and have always had great outcomes, but the "persuasive" aspects of NLP are just the tip of the ice-berg. It can be used for SO much more...
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh Rueff
    Originally Posted by DTGeorge View Post

    Although I am NOT a copywriter and know little about it (disclaimer) I am a psychologist (BA in psychology and Msc. in Consumer Psychology with Business) and I'm just wondering how many of you use specific psychological tactics in your copy? I'm also wondering about how effective you find "pseudopsychological" tactics such as NLP and suggestion?
    Pre-loading, reciprocity, agreement, and appeals to emotion.

    Pre-loading: Something like "We'll revisit the alchemy of turning words into gold, but first..."

    Reciprocity: The more I give, the more they feel obliged to give back.

    Agreement: "We've all been in that awkward in-law conversation. You know you hate each other but need to maintain civility for reasons well outside of your current grasp" - getting the reader to nod in agreement is the best case scenario here. The more they say yes, the better the chances of making a sale.

    Appeals to emotion:
    Self explanatory.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
    I just love how NLP takes things that have been around forever and slaps a name on it to "make it NLP."

    Notwithstanding NLP as a science has been widely discredited by tons of respected scientific bodies (aka it's a load of crap), the stuff that does work has been ripped off from people who figured it out a long time beforehand.

    That aside, we're sales people. We use psychology all the time, particularly behavioral psychology.

    -Daniel
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      Originally Posted by Daniel Scott View Post

      I just love how NLP takes things that have been around forever and slaps a name on it to "make it NLP."
      Yep... that's the bottom line.

      Some copywriters use NLP to position themselves. So I'm sure we'll keep hearing about "NLP copy" as long as the ploy works.

      Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
        The main arguments I keep hearing about NLP are they ripped off techniques that have been used forever. And then incorporated it into what is called NLP.

        Too many unknown variables to comment on the opinion NLP has been discredited by... except...

        So what? That type of action has also probably been done forever by others as well.

        The saying Form over Substance comes to mind with these discussions. Attack the results, not the procedures if they are wrong.

        Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    I like to use voice to text in creating sales copy. It makes it easier for copy to come across as more natural conversational. Notice how much written copy is very different from good audio/video/in person pitches.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rhino99
    Robert Cialdini's 'Influence the Psychology of Persuasion' is required reading for every copywriter. None of it is about writing but instead behavioral economics, the act of reciprocity, scarcity, being part of an exclusive group etc. If a copywriter's not using psychology then they're writing to inform, not to sell.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
    NLP is fine and all. I use it.

    But best to focus daily on just being a flat-out gangsta in the fundamentals of selling.

    --- Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisnos
    Originally Posted by DTGeorge View Post

    Although I am NOT a copywriter and know little about it (disclaimer) I am a psychologist (BA in psychology and Msc. in Consumer Psychology with Business) and I'm just wondering how many of you use specific psychological tactics in your copy? I'm also wondering about how effective you find "pseudopsychological" tactics such as NLP and suggestion?
    It's not really all that complicated. I myself have a BA in psychology, and the thing I always notice is that people always over analyze the hell out of everything.

    If you look at normal human relationships, people use marketing techniques flawlessly completely subconsciously without even realizing it, because the whole focus of marketing in the whole point of it is to build trust, build a connection with the reader, and build a relationship.

    If people don't believe a word you're saying, that no matter what you write on your page it's irrelevant, and most of what 99.9% of marketers misses the fact that they need to be focused less on what they're testing, and more on whether or not they're communicating things like trust, rapport, openness, and building a connection where the person will feel like they can really relate to the marketer, and like the marketer really wants to help them, because 99% of marketing basically just says I'm telling you things that are going to make you want my product so you'll give me money.

    People build trust and communicate flawlessly (generally) in relationships in their everyday life; we have no trouble finding friends or partners to connect with, the one we going to marketing we start putting on masks and façades because we have ulterior motive, but we don't want to say that we have an ulterior motive, so we sabotage ourselves because we blindly follow what marketers tell us, and don't fully understand the subtext behind what we're doing.
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      NLP, hypnotic copywriting, all those terms are just people doing branding and positioning. The fundamentals of persuasive writing are all the same regardless of what you call them. Personally, I think NLP is bunk. It's got enough threads of real science in it to make it appear legit (i.e. "towards vs away," is the same as "Approach, avoidance" stuff about the RAS and science of perception), but it tosses in a lot of nonsense too. Mainly when it talks about what it can and cann't do.

      There are plenty of resources out there written by people who know how to get results. Study those and ignore the rest.
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  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    Most of the stuff found in "Influence" by Cialdini works in copy.

    As far as NLP, this was designed as a therapy tool not as a sales method but it works in the right cases.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    I've read quite a bit about NLP, but I honestly still isolate exactly what it is.

    Someone tell me... in a sentence.

    Mark

    P.S. An example of pure NLP copywriting would be nice.
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  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    NLP is a hybrid form of psychology created somewhere in the 60s. It was designed for creating rapid change in people with fobias and other problems. However, in the last 10 - 20 years, it got very popular in the sales circles because some of the tools used there can be used for persuasion too.

    Consider it as a better alternative to psycho-analysis. I have a NLP practitioner degree but it's way overhyped. It teaches you some good self-help concepts (as beliefs are possibility filters) and some tools for selling but it's nothing new under the sun.

    A large part of NLP comes from hypnosis, to be more precise, from Erickson. This is why NLP can be considered "hypnotic selling". The only problem is that most patterns play more on the tonality, body-language and the delivery as a whole and less on the words used.

    Anthony Robbins swears that NLP is the best thing since sliced bread so does Jordan Belfort. As far as I'm concerned, I consider it a good tool to have but it's not "THE" tool for an extraordinary life.
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