Food, Fear and Flight ‘Review’

It is 2020, the year of the great digital revolution and like everyone else a year when dreams are forged in the depth of empty long halls and silence as a companion.

Studying the Digital Persuasion at the CXL Institute is a decision to understand just how much of the human minds can be understood and what causes a customer to take a sales action and convert.

Ever since the start of my career, the lack of not generating leads and conversion has led to a very shaky career progression and not understanding how my audience is, their psychometrics, thought patterns have led me to question my belief in my writing skills and even the love I have had for writing.

I started the course with learning about Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion, the reality is when writing a story or a piece of article, getting a reader to believe you understand takes writing from his/her pain points.

Understanding Dr Robert Cladini’s Basic formula:

C= 4M+3V+2(1-F)-2A

Where C stands for Conversion, M for Motivation, V for Clarity of Value Proposition, F for Friction and A for Anxiety.

While it is true that you can probably read this on Google or heard about the formula, you dear friend, may not be my target audience.

If as a business you do not motivate me to understand your why, it would be hard to get me to buy or believe in your brand, for me, why I understand the Abraham Maslow’ Hierarchy of Needs and Sigmund Freud’s Personality Theory. I write to express and influence my thought. This is why you probably believe in the Apple brand so much and still buy an I-Phone with no charger.

“What is your why?” changes a whole lot of things, for example, Former President of Nigeria presidential campaign sold, because many saw a replica of themselves in him and his “why”.

In my early days in school, I had no shoes — Goodluck Jonathan

Also in the recent USA election, President-Elect Joe Biden was voted for because of his why. Nothing greater than getting inspired by one who believes he is one of the people.

My life, my struggles and sorrows are a mirror of yours

Imagine if your business statement represents a good way, or your writing tells a story, a persuasion or a beautiful narrative,

Also, Clarity of value proposition, what are you giving that they can’t get anywhere else.

The incentive includes what you can add like a discount or promotion to get your audience all excited about your product/ service offering.

Anxiety is that tiny fear and perceived risk you have when you try to inform your audience.

Hopkin’s Theory of Persuasion

Once upon a time, in the animal kingdom. Tortoise heard of the great party happening at the sky to which the birds were all invited.

So, he sent out words to the birds, they laughed, danced and had games night.

Then he mentioned subtly how he heard they had been invited to the best party ever in the sky. Tortoise so poise and confidence revealed to the birds how he had visited the skies before and understand their culture. One of such cultural difference is that everyone had to pick a new beautiful Twitter handle to which they would all answer to. After the birds had selected theirs, he asked to be called All of you.

Soon, they set out to the party, all dressed up. On getting the party, the host had served their table . Tortoise asked the waiter for the owner of the food served. The waiter mentioned all of you and so Tortoise ate and ate until he was well fed.

Slowly all animals left him, collected their feathers they had previously donated to enable him to fly to the party and flew hungry to their homes. As soon as he saw them leave he ask Parrot to leave a message for his wife to bring out all of the soft items in the house so that he could drop safely to his house. But Parrot who was out for an act of revenge informed his wife to do the opposite.

And so, Tortoise got to drop from the sky, only to have his back on hard surfaces, broken.

In the business world, everything comes down to your ability to persuade. This is also true about writing.

Here are Hopkins’ Principles for Persuasive Communication

Be Specific

Offer Service

Tell the full story

Be a Sales (wo)man

I bet Tortoise could offer a full online course for you.

Understanding the Old Brain

When you understand persuasion, you understand that a man’s brain is concerned with food, flight and fornication. Oh, don’t get me started on the Middle brain required for emotion and the New Brain required for decision making.

What this means is that the Old brain allows for your customers/consumer to be selfish and self-centred. Relax, think of the last advert you saw, what was your first thought:

What is in it for me?

Truth is, as human beings, we only care about our problem or how other people’s problem can affect our life.

And that is okay, because

Problem no dey ever finish.

So, if it is the food you are concerned with, well it must be balanced because once hunger is out of your mind, you can now focus on major things. No wonder it is on the Sustainable Development Goal 2.

While I may not be able to provide answers to why fornication is that important, I know we all need companionship whether we are in the primitive age or not.

We run away whenever we discover that there is something greater than us than can harm us, we live in fear and run away. For me, it is my goal to be all that I have imagined. Writing this essay and hoping it gets approved is my choice to fight and be everything I have imagined. I mean, why would I shut the door to my imagination, when I am just getting started.

Good, better, best,

I shall never rest

Until my good is better

And my better best

Follow me and drop a comment if you read to the end, this would encourage me to keep fighting, one word at a time.