What’s Your Vibe?

By Gregg Sanderson

The more positive your marketing words are, the more positive your clients will be.

It was a beautiful spring day in the Colorado Rockies. Without much coaxing, we took the day off, packed a lunch, and hit the road. The first dirt road off the main highway went up the mountain to a clearing where we had a picnic and marveled at the grandeur.

Just as we finished, it started to rain. We had to choose whether to go back the way we came, or continue along the dirt road to see where it led. Explorers that we were, it was an easy choice. Onward!

The road was fine, but deserted. Many miles through the rain and into the woods we saw no signs of people. After 10 miles or so, we rounded a curve and came upon a stone and iron gateway. Embedded into the stone was a metal plate that said, “DORMANT BRAIN RESEARCH LABORATORY.”

Visions of Dr. Frankenstein and weird experiments came to mind. We decided not to seek shelter there. Rain, dirt road or not, it was pedal to the metal time.

Not a hundred yards past the gate, part of the road was washed out. Once again, we decided not to turn back, this time driven more by panic than curiosity. We had no idea where the road led, but it had to be someplace else. At the cost of a wheel alignment and flat tire, we made it over the wash and down the mountain.

We later reflected on the experience. There had to be a lesson somewhere. Can you put together any four words more ominous than “Dormant Brain Research Laboratory?” These people, whoever they were, did not want to be found.

They could have been leftover hippies from the ‘60s. Perhaps a hidden colony of extra-terrestrials planning to take over Earth. We concluded it was a lesson in marketing.

We learned that words have vibes. Even the lab later softened their name to “Dormant Brain Research and Development laboratory. See how the feeling changed, just by adding the positive word “development.”

At the time, we led workshops and did counseling/coaching in relationships. Our promotion followed the routine of those of limited knowledge.

Words like “suffering,” “frustration,” and “abuse” were common on our flyers and communication. We thought people would relate to them. Yep, they did. We got clients who were deep into self-pity and resistant to the concepts we taught. We called such depressing words “Dormant Brain” and filtered them from our vocabulary.

Instead, we used words like “happy, powerful and love.” We called them the “WooHoo” words.

Bull’s eye!

Our clientele increased in numbers and commitment. They were more open and got better results.

Don’t get me wrong. Dormant Brain marketing works and is popular yet today.

Two successful TV commercials give perfect examples of the difference. Both were for excellent children’s hospitals; both asked for the same donation.

One showed a sad li’l kid with a shaved head nestled in his mother’s arms. It talked about deaths from childhood cancer and how they could reduce the rate.

The other showed children playing, in wheelchairs, on crutches and with prosthetics. They were happy, smiling, and the narration stressed the love.

Both approaches get plenty of donations, I’m sure. Both hospitals are topnotch, yet each ad resonates to a different vibration. One appeals to sympathy, the other to celebration.

As heart-centered coaches, those we want to attract might be more inclined to celebrate. Get ’em off to a good start. Dwell on the solution, not the problem; results, not methods; and celebration, not effort. Go from “Dormant Brain” to “WooHoo.” You’ll be glad you did.

And so will your clients.

Gregg Sanderson is author of Spirit With A Smile, The World According To BOB. He is a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living, and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books were, What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing The Pain Of Divorce. His latest project is the New Thought Global Network, where subscribers can enjoy the best in New Thought presentations from anywhere at any time. You can see it at http://www.newthoughtglobal.org.

This entry was posted in Coaching. Bookmark the permalink.