Last night was the best Super Bowl I have ever watched. I laughed, I cried, I shouted and I cringed. When the confetti settled, the underdogs had taken the day. But even more striking than the heart-stopping, nail-biter of a game was the fact that many of the commercials had absolutely nothing to do with what they were selling — and they were the best ones.
There were stories about the most unlikely people coming together to help each other in times of need, first-responders unexpectedly reconnecting with the people whose lives they had saved years earlier, cancer patients introducing themselves to the unsuspecting consumers who unwittingly funded the experimental treatments that saved their lives. Emotion, connection, and story create powerful messages that are unforgettable.
What do all these commercials have in common? They were created on the right — the right side of the brain, that is. We’ve all heard of the differences between how the right and left sides of our brains behave. The left side specializes in data, information, analysis, language and abstract thought. The right handles most of our emotional life, visual understanding, synthesis, and being able to see the forest through the trees.
It’s natural that when we sell, the left side of the brain wants to take the lead. After all, we communicate most often through language, and that’s the left side’s department, right?
But here’s where the most common disconnect in sales occurs: left brain facts and figures, features and benefits, data and statistics all speak to the customers’ left brains. This helps them understand a concept or grasp an idea, but it stops there.
As it turns out, ideas don’t get people moving, unless they come accompanied by emotion. And emotion is the right brain’s department.
I think that’s why the game seemed so perfect to me: the underdogs faced up against the proven, battle hardened favorite; they were chastened by adversity but driven by sheer desire; they clawed their way to victory against all odds. It was, essentially, an excellent story.
Story is one of the most powerful ways to integrate both sides of your brain and communicate both information and emotion in an especially powerful way. Stop listing your features and benefits and start telling your story, the story of how you’ve helped customers achieve their goals, overcome the odds and come out on top.
A great sales person is a great story finder and a great story teller. What’s your story?
