Brainfluence by Roger Dooley

Rating: 5*/5

An absolutely enthralling read. 

I want to buy every last copy of this book and hide it under my bed because the knowledge is pure gold! I used the audiobook and will almost certainly buy the physical like I did with "The Four Hour Work Week". 

As usual, I made notes as I listened to the book. Some of these notes will only make sense once you've read it but here it goes:

• Bundling products reduces the pain of purchasing
  
• Credit is a pain killer
  
• Money images increase selfish behaviour. You're less likely to help others or to ask for help
  
• You spend more if you see 12 rather than 12.00 or $12 or even twelve dollars
  
• Be careful where you drop your "anchor" price
  
• Price precisely, e.g. 14.95 is better than 15.00
  
• Use decoy marketing. E.g. as discussed in Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
  
• Don't provide too many choices. Sales are reduced due to "paralysis of analysis". Brands like Proctor & Gamble and Unilever have increased revenues by reducing the number of products that they make
  
• Have a brand "smell"
  
• Have a brand "sound"
  
• Consistency is key in branding, be consistent
  
• Best brands are "passion" brands. Those brands that create near-evangelical fans
  
• People have an inherent inclination to build an association with certain groups; they then create their social identity partly based on this group identity
  
• Find an enemy. E.g. Mac (cool) vs. PC (uncool, stiff upper-lipped business man)
  
• Use paper for emotion. Print media elicits more emotion and a longer memory imprint
  
• Use vivid images in print
  
• Heavier paper creates better impact
  
• Simple fonts are more likely to lead to a commitment except if you are trying to sell something, e.g. at an upmarket restaurant
  
• Boost recall with disfluent fonts. E.g. have your tag line in a crazy cool font. If you overuse disfluent fonts customers won't bother reading the copy at all
  
• Baby pictures tug at the eye
  
• Use a baby gaze to direct attention where you want it in an ad
  
• Photos of women led to men committing to borrow at an interest rate that was 4.5% higher in RSA!
  
• Men make impulse decision when they are aroused
  
• Dilated pupils attract men
  
• Use photos where empathy is needed, e.g. if you're a charity
  
• Loyalty reduces ad expense. Create loyal customer
  
• To get employee loyalty ask: "What would your life be like if the company hadn't been created?"
  
• Offer loyalty rewards
  
• Mobile targeting can help to create loyalty
  
• Rats and goal-setting. You run faster when the goal is nearer!
  
• Fairness. If people are easily able to voice grievances your brand will be deemed fairer, e.g. felons that had more face time with their lawyer viewed that lawyer as being more fair
  
• Quality contact time counts
  
• Tell your customers to trust you. This will boost your trust score in many areas
  
• Show trust to get trust
  
• Schmooze first, bargain later
  
• Touch is important. A full, firm handshake with eye contact and an up-down shake will score you a lot of points (especially if you are a woman)
  
• SELL TO THE RIGHT EAR (I wish the study had tested whether being right vs. left handed influences this)
  
• Smiles help sales. Scientifically shown to be the case even where a buyer is completely unconscious of it
  
• Demonstrate confidence
  
• If you want to ask for a big/multiple favour, ask for a small favour first. E.g. if you're doing a survey, ask people for the time first and then ask about the survey. E.g. first ask for water or a coffee, a small donation, a trial sample of a bit of time
  
• Hire articulate sales people. They understand customers better and are better able to read emotions
  
• Flattery will get you everywhere
  
• Serve prospects warm drinks
  
• Tempt customers with an indulgent treat. Those that say yes are more likely to keep indulging! But don't give too much. Just a morsel.
  
• Don't allow a customer to multitask if you want their attention
  
• Use motion to grab attention in videos or in person
  
• The bigger the motion, the more attention you will get
  
• Throw in unexpected stuff, e.g. images and words like NEW
  
• Don't chat too much. LISTEN
  
• Seat a prospect in a soft chair
  
• Use mirrors to encourage honesty
  
• Control altitude, change attitude. If you have a survey table at the top of an escalator you will get a better response than if you're located at the bottom! People will be more "giving" of their time
  
• Reciprocity. The bigger the gift, the bigger you get back. Have a "God Father" list and call on those favors
  
• Make it personal. E.g. using one child in a charity advert will work better than a group of children
  
• Framing. Show a large number in the sales process to make the expense seem trivial
  
• Write good copy
  
• Have a simple yet catchy slogan
  
• Product names influence sales. A muffin is still a cake but you're more willing to have a muffin for breakfast than you are cake!
  
• Use real numbers for impact. 2 out of 100 people died sounds a lot worse than 2%
  
• Show negative results as a % and positive numbers as numerals. E.g. 9 out of 10 people positively reviewed our product sounds better than 90%. It "personalises" the result.
  
• Tap into the power of FREE
  
• Enhance copy with clever adjectives. NEW is a great word.
  
• Tell a vivid story
  
• Use story testimonials
  
• Text beats richer media when it tells a story
  
• Use text effectively in videos
  
• Don't allow negative sentiment to continue; if a customer is upset find some way to appease them
  
• Give buyers a simple reason to buy your complex product. Benefits over features.
  
• Allow for different types of decision makers. Some people want KEY BENEFITS others want all the FEATURES. Provide both. But if you must have one, benefits rule.
  
• People like new and novel information. Capture and intrigue people with a departure from the familiar
  
• We all have a WANT and SHOULD self within. If you're selling wants (e.g. chocolate) make sure they are immediately available. If you're selling shoulds (e.g. education) offer advance purchase discounts and payment plans. I realise now that the CFA uses this thinking!
  
• Couch a product in utilitarian terms to capture tightwads (e.g. pain relief and money saving), they are less likely to buy if hedonistic terms are used
  
• Tightwads love discounts, deals, product bundles etc. You need to reduce their pain points, i.e. they should not have to keep paying. Appeal to needs. Use words cleverly, e.g. a small $5 is better than a $5 charge
  
• Provide credit options. They enable the purchase and/or spread the pain
  
• Offer instant gratification
  
• Upsell. 15-20% will go for it. E.g. Do you want large fries with that? (the classic upsell) or do you want an extended warranty?
  
• In a giveaway the magnitude of the prize is all that matters!
  
• Personalise! People love the sweet sound of their own name
  
• Expectations become reality. However, be realistic, don't mis-sell!
  
• Create positive feeling with a small surprise that is delivered at the same time as brand awareness. E.g. include a free accessory in a package; when giving samples mention the brand!
  
• Visual altruism is a form of conspicuous consumption
  
• Men and women think differently
  
• Copy for men: simple, direct. Women: contextual, abstract is okay
  
• Peacock effect. Appeal to men's desire to flaunt their wealth, power and authority
  
• When primed with pictures of attractive women, men become more shortermistic and want instant gratification
  
• Products that elicit disgust (e.g. menstrual products) contaminate the perception of other items: watch your pairings!
  
• Clear packaging can give the impression that the contents are contaminated, especially if sold in a dark, dingy place such as a service station
  
• Respond positively and promptly to dissatisfaction and negative reviews. Studies show this can convert the person into a repeat buyer or cause them to delete or update bad reviews. ALWAYS APOLOGIZE
  
• If you're rude the customer will want to punish you in some way! For instance, doctors with poor bedside manner get more lawsuits
  
• Touch and ownership. Encouraging people to touch an item and imagine owning it can convert them into buyers, e.g. test drives or people that stop you to try out their hand lotion. Online, ask people to imagine ownership. 
  
• Easy isn't always best. Cognitive dissonance
• Actions speak louder than words
• Credibility, e.g. as testimonials, is more important than claims. I tell people this when they are writing CV and cover letters all the time
• Sell to emotions rather than logic
• First impressions DO count and they stick
• Use the golden mean or Fibonacci series
• Use more than just text on your website to engage. Images, audio and video are good.
• Test reciprocity. Some research suggests more people will volunteer info to you AFTER you've given them a freebie, rather than before
• Scarcity can be a selling point especially for veblen goods
• When you sell to older people keep the message SIMPLE and UNCLUTTERED
• The lower right corner is the worst place for a logo - lower middle is best
• Humanise computer interaction

OVERALL: BUY. Some of my notes may make sense to you but you'll definitely make sense of all of them once you've read the book.

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