PITCH TIPS: Unlocking Your Customer's Brain

The two basic drivers of all behaviour and decisions are:
·         to seek pleasure (“I like”, which generates attachment), and
·         to avoid pain (“I don’t like”, which generates anger).

According to Kevin Hogan, author, The Science of Influence, "most people react to the fear of loss and the threat of pain in a much more profound way than they do for gain."

 The old brain "decides" on the basis of the gain vs. pain tradeoff.

According to neuroscientists, there are 3 main parts to the brain, each functioning as a brain unto itself. These "three brains" - nestled inside one another -- are as follows:

 ·          The "Human" ("New," or outer-most) Brain: Most evolved part of the brain known as the cortex. Responsible for logic, learning, language, conscious thoughts and our personalities.

·          The "Mammalian" (Middle) Brain: Also known as the limbic system. Deals with our emotions, moods, memory and hormones.

·          The "Reptilian" (Old) Brain: Also known as the R Complex controls our basic survival functions, such as hunger, breathing, flight-or-fight reactions and staying out of harm's way.

While neuromarketing is still a young field with many unanswered questions, one finding is clear. The reptilian, or "old," brain drives your customers' buying decisions.

 

So when preparing any pitch (sales, investment, etc), make sure you follow this strategy:

·          Diagnose the PAIN
·          Differentiate your CLAIMS
·          Demonstrate the GAIN
·          Deliver to the DECISION-MAKER (the Reptilian Brain)

 

 

video: Lean StartUp 3 day workshop

finalists of PNIC 2012 - Creative Industries

Porto, Portugal

 

The way to "update our operating system" is to develop our emotional intelligence with practices from the Contemplative Sciences, such as Mindfulness (Tog Chöd) and Fast2Yoga (happy mind in a blissful body).


Videos:
Dan Siegel - The brain and the developing mind (lecture) - video 1
Dan Siegel - The hand model of the 3 brains - video 2

Emotional Intelligence - how to use and transform your emotions

 

Our emotions are neither good nor bad. They are a source of energy and it is up to us, it is our responsability, which direction we will give them.

This is what emotional intelligence is all about. Learning how to use our emotions and put them into good use.

We can learn a lot from the contemplative sciences, especially from the Tantrayana School of Thought. Their methods and wisdom teaches us how to transform our negative emotions into their pure quality.

It is like alchemy: using the power of the 5 elements (space, earth, wind, fire, water),
we transform metal into gold,
we transform charcoal into diamant
we transform our Ego into a pure being.

We are blinded by ignorance on our true nature, and the true nature of reality, phenomena.
Our wrong view gives our emotions a negative direction; a right view gives our emotions a positive direction. The ax that cuts the root of our ignorance is understanding emptiness and compassion.

By practing daily the Vajra2Yoga ( 5 elements tantra yoga exercise), we do not only acquire a healthier body, but also a healthier emotional mind (we develop our emotional intelligence). Gradually our emotions and view on life change:
- close-mindedness is transformed into equanimity (space element) - daily antidote: tolerance
- pride is transformed into serenity (earth element) - daily antidote: devotion
- jealousy is transformed into love (wind element) - daily antidote: generosity
- anger is transformed into kindness (fire element) - daily antidote: patience
- self-centred is transformed into selflessness (water element) - daily antidote: altruism

To start this changing process, first you need to meditate analitically on the four transformation thoughts:
- life is precious
- life is suffering
- life is impermanente, always changing
- law of karma (cause and effect, "what you sow, you shall reap").

Then, you medidate on the Four Noble Truths that will teach you that life is suffering but there is a way out of this suffering.

 

You will realize that "Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional".

 

Pain is what the world does to you;

Suffering is what you do to yourself.

 

 To Schedule Workshops (fast2yoga@gmail.com)

How is the Internet and our digital age affecting the human mind?

This question was addressed at the recent gathering at the Wisdom 2.0 conference in San Francisco by exploring how individuals are connecting in ways that do not support a deep sense of being seen or felt by others.

As a result of the digital age, we are "alone together", and ironically people feel more isolated than ever.

IPNB (Interpersonal Neurobiology, a term coined by Dan Siegel) views the mind as both an embodied and relational process, and so in many ways these constrained communications are not just shaping the mind, but they are creating a more externally focused way of living that can create more stress, less meaning, and more loneliness in our world.

At this conference, participants were seeking creative ways to alter this trend and help the mind and our relationships become more integrated.

The following citation from Carl Jung shows us the way:

When we look outside we dream;

When we look inside we awake.

 

In my opinion, the best way way is to balance outer networking with inner networking, through meditation.

There are three main types of meditation: Mindfulness, LovingKindness and Awareness.

 “The practice of lovingkindness meditation brings to life our innate capacity for connecting to ourselves and others,” states Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, USA.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated, “My true religion is kindness.” Although kindness can be mistakenly seen as simplistic and weak, it has an inherent power to transform our worldview from one of fear and isolation to one rooted in clarity, courage, and compassion.

One of my individual practices is Tog Chod (the Wisdom Sword) - in its first level of practice we develop a state of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness gives us the power to succeed in life and business

Tog Chöd is a tantric practice that gives us physical and mental strength; it liberate us from fear and expectations so we can embrace change and seize opportunities (the makings of an entrepreneur).

Tog Chöd empowers us with:
the power of now (mindfulness) which in turn fuels the power of change (free will: freedom to choose and power to decide):
1) freedom to choose (comes from an open mind: self-esteem)
2) power to decide (comes from an open heart: self-confidence).

The more we are in the present moment, the more silence and space we have to truly exercise our free will. 
We need space to find our self-confidence to decide amidst incertanty; and
We need silence to find our self-esteem to have freedom to choose.

Our space is comprised of either love or ego (because love and ego don´t coexist) => love expands our existence, ego limits our existence. So the more open we are (the more we love), the bigger is our existence and we have more courage and power to decide. 

"For until we know everything, the only way to make life clear is to decide", Tulku Lobsang.

You want to succeed in life? Practice Tog Chöd - The Wisdom Sword (read more)
It gives us mindfulness (space and silence), giving us the "power of now".
It cuts fears and expectations, increasing our emotional intelligence, giving us:
"vision/insight" - the ability to identify oportunities, and
 "decision" - the ability to act facing uncertainty.

{Vision + Decision} = Entrepreneur

We need both qualities to succeed in life  and in business!

Tulku Lobsang gives an introduction to the Tibetan martial arts and meditation technique:  Tog Chöd – the Wisdom Sword:
Video 1 - Tog Chod Philosophy 
Video 2 Tog Chod I practice.

 

Mindfulness and the Brain: intuition as THE mode of action to excel in business and in life

Literature available seems to indicate that stress and anxiety, as well as self-concept, play a decisive role in academic performance. Furthermore, meditation has been demonstrated to reduce stress and anxiety, at the same time it leads to improved cognitive skills, such as attention, memory and concentration, as well as academic performance. (source: "Exploring the effects of a Mindfulness Program for Students of Secondary School", International Journal of Knowledge Society, 2011).

The way to excel  in any type of activity (intelectual, artistic, athletic) is first to learn and then forget. Otherwise knowledge closes our mind instead of opening it. So, first we learn the methods and techniques then we need to forget them, and just follow our intuition. In the first part we use the left hemisphere of the brain (analytical thinking) and then we act freely by unleashing the right hemisphere of the brain (holistical thinking).

Lets see, for instance, what happens in sports, according to James Harvey Stout: the analytical function of the mind learns techniques, and it analyzes our movements (and the opposing team's general techniques), and it tries to control the body willfully. This mode is vital when we first learn a sport, but it becomes less important as we master the basic skills and make them automatic. Then, we can rely more upon intuition.

Each moment in every game is unique and infinitely complex (with regard to the possible action of each player); only intuition can give us the overview of all of those unique dynamics -- including the movements of other players, our own capabilities at this moment, etc. The best players are intuitive; for example, they know that the opposing team's defense will open a hole for them at a specific instant.     

In contrast, if we rely on analysis, we are limited in many ways:
=> Analysis depends upon technical knowledge. This technical knowledge is merely a generalization of the methods of the sport; by itself, it does not account for the singular factors in this moment.

=> Analysis depends upon sensory data. We do not have "eyes in the back of our head" -- but intuition can detect motion and intention of players who are beyond even the peripheral range of our senses.

Furthermore, meditation is the key method to control and "upgrade" our mind (emotions), so the mind can control the body. Recent research supports both a physical and brain contribution to the perception of exercise fatigue. Brain imaging research indicates a key role for the brain insula region in regulating subjective fatigue and in making a decision to discontinue exercise. Highly trained athletes show an ability to attenuate the brain right insula activation found in untrained athletes with extreme exertion (source).

The Tibetan Running Technique (Lung Ta) is a meditation-in-movement technique that allows us to overcome fatigue and reach high peak performance, both in speed and power.

It can also be used in daily life to develop a healthy body and a healthy mind. As with all meditation practices, it will empower us with creativity, empathy and insight.

Lean StartUps are powered by Design Thinking

Lean Entrepreneurship is all about "searching for a repeatable and scalable business model", according to Steve Blank and Eric Reyes.

The focus of this search is Customer Development: Customer Discovery and Customer Validation.

Guess what? This is what Design Thinking is all about: an iteration process to find out what the customer wants: the ultimate emotional experience.

And all buying decisions are emotional. Don't let anyone tell you differently (read Pitch Tips - Unlocking your customer's Brain).

So Design Thinking powers the process of aligning our Value Proposition (and the Minimal Viable Product - MVP) with Customer Needs.

A CEO needs to be a Design Thinker.

EMPATHY IS THE HEART OF MARKET/PRODUCT FIT

Be mindful and healthy - a 12 mins daily practice from Tibetan Tantric Yoga

The essence of TibetanTantric teaching is that the body is the vehicle for the transformation of the mind. In other words, Mindfulness starts with the body (see previous post).

I advise everyone to take a tutorial from Fast2Yoga  (Tibetan Tantric Yoga) - a 12 minutes practice of Lu Jong: the 5 elements (space, earth, wind, fire, water). These 5 exercises (meditation in movement), though very simple, are the cornerstone of Tibetan Tantric Yoga: the fastest path towards lasting happiness.

These exercises also give us vitality and rejuvenation: the 5 elements exercises focus especially on the spine thus allowing us to develop a healthy central nervous system.

There are three very essential prerequisites for vitality and rejuvenation: a healthy central nervous system (brain and spine), healthy glands and healthy internal organs.

Lu Jong, the Tibetan healing yoga improves the health of the body, mind and spirit. This series of movements cultivates our self-healing capacity by releasing physical and mental blockages and harmonizing our flow of energy. Rooted in Tibetan Medicine, the Lu Jong exercises restore the balance of the elements and humors – vital substances – of the body and increase the flexibility of the spine. Through a rhythmic combination of position, movement and breath, this practice cultivates conducive conditions for meditation by calming and focusing the mind.

If you finish this practice with the 5 elements massage from the Kum Nye practice, then the benefits will rise exponentially.

The Kum Nye Massage can regenerate and balance the whole energy system by opening chakras, or blocked points, on the gross, physical level. Various massage techniques are used to release blocks and cramping in order to relax the muscles. This massage has a special benefit for those that do hard physical labor, those who train the body through sports or other body movement practices, as well as for those with a sedentary way of life that suffer from tension. Kum Nye makes us feel more balanced and increases strength and vitality.

The combination of this two practices is the balance of all elements and through that, the balance of body and mind.

Healthy Central Nervous System (Brain and Spine) 

the spine is more critical to our well-being than the brain

Nerves from the brain and spine go to every tissue in the body and therefore the health of every tissue in the body depends upon the health of the brain and spine.

Since the nerves from the spine go to all the organs and glands of the body, a healthy spine obviously plays an important role in vitality and rejuvenation. In fact, the spine is more critical to our well-being than the brain, since the brain is well protected by the cranium or skull bone. Whereas the spinal nerves have no protection.

The ancient Tibetan yogis fully understood the vulnerability of the spine and the importance of keeping it healthy and flexible.

If you do nothing to improve your spine's flexibility as you get older, your spine will deteriorate further and the spinal nerves will be increasingly impinged upon. This will lead to further deterioration of your organs and glands, until eventually their actual structure becomes diseased. We call this organic disease. At this stage, not only is their function impaired, but their cells are actually dying. If the condition is too advanced, it is irreversible. It's at this stage that many people go to doctors and are told that they have, for example, cancer of some particular organ. The cancer has not appeared overnight; in reality it has been developing for many years. source