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 The
Hypnotic Power of Confusion
By
Joe
Vitale
"Did you walk to work or carry a
lunch?"
Huh?
My father asked me that question more than 25 years ago. I still remember
it. Why? Because it's a ridiculous question.
A famous comedian in the 1950s used to ask people, "Got a banana?" The question
might make sense if asked in the right situation, but he asked it everywhere.
I've forgotten the name of the comedian, but I still recall his question.
Why? Because it's strange.
As I write this, I am creating new business cards for myself. I decided to
add a confusing line to it. After some fun brainstorming with my girlfriend,
I settled on, "Ask me about the monkey."
Why is "Ask me about the monkey?" worth putting on my business card? As with
my father's question and the comedian's question, it stops your brain in
its tracks. It makes you pause. It makes you focus on ME. The theory is that
once you stop someone with a confusing line, you can then implant a hypnotic
command right after it.
In other words, if I write something like, "Apples desk fly dirt," and then
follow it with, "Read my new ebook," the chances are very high that you are
going to want to read my new ebook.
Why? Because the first line jammed your mind, and the second line slipped
into your brain while you weren't looking. I've just upped the odds that
you will buy my new e-book. And if you don't, of course, it doesn't matter
because I never really told you to go buy it. See?
The same thing will happen on my new business cards. Since I'm now known
as "The World's First Hypnotic Marketer," I wanted a strange, confusing line
on my new card. When someone sees, "Ask me about the monkey," and then asks
me about the monkey, I can simply point out that I practice hypnotic selling
and I just got them to do what I wanted.
The Japanese practice this "hypnotic confusion," but probably unknowingly.
A friend of mine who flew to Japan reported to me that the English phrases
on all the Japanese products were bizarre. A tube of toothpaste might say,
"Green days you not sing." A box of cookies might say, "Wood above fish."
How can you use this secret right now? Don't be afraid to be confusing. People
tend to sort out whatever you say anyway and make sense out of it using their
own terms. If you are describing your product in great detail, be willing
to toss in something odd. It may increase sales.
If not, swirl up!
About the Author:
Joe Vitale is recognized by many to be one of the greatest living copywriters.
His latest project,
the
Hypnotic Writer's Swipe File is a collection of over 1,550 copywriting
gems that took him years to compile. This is his personal swipe file that
he uses to create world famous sales letters responsible for generating millions
and millions of dollars of revenue. Click here to learn more. |
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