The Hypnotic Power of Confusion 0 article

The Hypnotic Power of Confusion

"Did you walk to work or carry a lunch?"

Huh?

My father asked me that question more than 25 years ago.

"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.
Click
here to learn more.
http://www.roibot.com/tk_hwsf.cgi?hwsfartnl