How do gut feelings influence our behaviour?
How do gut feelings influence our behaviour? If you haven’t seen Simon Sinek’s first TED talk from 2009, I highly recommend you watch it right now. I’ve attached the link below. It’s called “How great leaders inspire action”, but I don’t think that title really does it justice. His first book, “Start With Why”, was published the same year, and I believe that is a much better title.
In the talk, Sinek describes why some companies, like Apple, have phenomenal success.
Marketing
Usually, marketing and sales techniques are based on describing features and benefits, to explain the what and how of what we do. The model often involves describing our top three features in detail, and then goes on to explain our unique selling point, i.e. the reason why someone should choose us over the competition.
The next stage is the call to action, asking them to buy from us, or at least take the next step.
People always seem very disappointed when the answer is no. Sinek makes the point that this type of sales technique is uninspiring.
Ego
We are surprised when we find it hard to convince people to buy, but we shouldn’t be if this is the approach we are taking. We haven’t done anything to convince anyone. There are millions of people out there providing the same type of service as us. In the grand scheme of things, we are nothing special. We need to get over ourselves and lose our ego.
Ego is defined as a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
That’s important to understand. It is our ego that makes us believe we are important. We aren’t. There is nothing special about us at all. The sooner we accept this, the easier it will be for us to move on and grow, and that’s when something interesting starts to happen.
It is our ego that drives us when we are designing a product that we think will sell. In reality, we aren’t designing what we think people want to buy, but what we want to sell. It comes from our own self-importance. When we lose the ego, we tell people why we are doing what we do, which comes from the heart. People buy into that, because it is truly relatable, and inspiring.
As Sinek says: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe”.
Neuroscience
The reason this works is based on the biology of our brain.
The newest part of the brain, the cortex, is responsible for rational and analytical thought, and language. It is what we use to understand all those features and benefits that are used in traditional marketing. But it doesn’t evoke feelings, or drive behaviour.
The older part of the brain is the limbic system, which deals with feelings, emotions and memory. This can drive our behaviour, and is responsible for our gut feelings and instinctive decisions. It has no capacity for language. We can’t explain why in words, but something just feels right, or wrong.
In order to be a successful leader or salesperson we need to be able to inspire. Understanding your true why is the first step. So, if you haven’t worked out your purpose yet, that is the best place to start.
Project 365
I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.
I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.
The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 336 days to go!
Why not check in on a regular basis to see how I am progressing, and what I have discovered?