What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and How Does It Apply to Marketing?

Unlock the secrets of communication and persuasion with Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). This powerful technique has been used by top executives, coaches, and therapists to change the way they think and communicate.

In this blog post, we'll take a deep dive into NLP, exploring what it is, how it works, and the benefits it can bring to your personal and professional life.

What is NLP?

NLP is the study of human behavior, which allows the understanding of the individuality of each being, their unique and joint needs and, of course, the achievement of objectives through the development of skills, like self-analysis, changes, and adaptation.

NLP arose from a study carried out around the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder who tried to understand why part of the population was able to succeed in their career, while another part with the same characteristics and experiences had professional problems.

The result was the understanding of individuality and all the basic principles of NLP, which show the uniqueness of each person and how these characteristics are decisive for success or failure in actions throughout life. However, to reap the rewards of this strategy, it’s necessary to understand the basics of NLP, how it came about, what it is all about, and what are the best ways to apply it on a day-to-day basis. We'll show you how NLP can help improve the results of a marketing team. Keep reading!

Why NLP tools?

The mind and the body are parts of the same system, the mind and the body are no longer seen as separate entities. One influences the other and vice versa. Our physiology has a tremendous influence on our mental state and behavior and thoughts have significant effects directly on the body.

Therefore the balance of body and mind is a natural state and knowing the close relationship between body and mind, we’ll feel more secure with greater control of our whole self.

What are some of the basic principles of NLP?

Within NLP, basic principles help in people's daily lives. Each of these principles, applied correctly, help in daily actions, increasing the chances of achieving goals and optimizing results in work and personal life.

Rapport

Rapport is one of the basic principles of NLP. Creating a rapport with a person during communication is, according to neurolinguistics, a way to strengthen ties and guarantee more and more security and tranquility in that relationship.

Rapport is nothing more than creating a relationship with the listener, based on positive reinforcements that guarantee trust. It is also necessary to analyze behaviors, ideas, arguments and other details during the communication to increase the closeness with your audience.

The idea behind rapport is that as trust increases, these people become more receptive to suggestions, making it possible to shorten the purchase journey and increase conversion.

Behavior

The way we behave doesn’t define who we are. Our behaviors are, in general, a reaction that we have to adversity and positive situations in our everyday life. This reaction can vary, even depending on the mood and the day things happen. In NLP, the key is therefore to know how to change your behavior and control it in different situations and improve the way you deal with adversity.

Positive intention

Positive intention is a principle that develops the idea that behind all behavior there is a positive intention. In this sense, NLP techniques understand that all people generally act with good intentions, always doing the best they can within the possibilities and with the tools and attributions at their disposal.

As a result, if we consider that people always act with good intentions, it’s essential to empathize and not blame them for possible negative results. We shouldn't feel frustrated, sad, or angry for this reason, since each of us does the best we can.

The ideal, at this point, is to try to understand that, even if the result is not satisfactory, people did their best at that time. It is a good way to give a second chance to negative feelings and emotions that make us close and not move forward. However, as in the case of other principles, it depends a lot on the context and always with certain predefined limits.

Mind map

Each individual is unique, as well as their way of seeing and understanding the world and the events that surround them. This is because we don't see things as they are, but according to the mental maps that we built over time, based on knowledge, experiences and perceptions. So, as we grow and have new experiences, we update and change our mental maps, transforming our way of reacting and understanding the world around us.

Subjectivity

Subjectivity is one of the most incredible characteristics of human beings. Although we live in the same environment and are subject to the same situations, each being is unique and has different views about life, challenges and how to face day-to-day situations. On the other hand, you must open the possibility of hearing new opinions and developing new perspectives, since the suggestions and visions of others can help enrich our lives and increase our knowledge.

Flexibility

Among the principles of NLP is flexibility. Being flexible is a way of being able to adapt to the needs of the environment, without letting your overall goal get lost along the way. If you manage to be flexible in your thoughts, behaviors and actions, you’ll be able to achieve success effectively, in addition to adapting to adversity and building a much more consistent path.

The NLP philosophy doesn't talk about failures, it handles the term results based on the strategies used. These strategies draw our behavior as a result of experience, emotions and perceptions which will lead us to different results. When the results are not the desired ones, you should reprogram your strategy for another more successful one to replicate these successes in the final results.

Change

Like flexibility, the ability to change is also essential. In this context, you must know how to identify difficulties and challenges in your actions, thoughts and behaviors and, from there, have the initiative and wisdom to change, optimize your performance and improve your results.

The truth is that there are several ways to perform the same task, for that reason, allowing yourself to try new approaches and new attitudes may be the missing piece to improve the way you interact with all the events in your life.

How can you implement NLP in marketing?

NLP applies in many contexts of marketing. In businesses, the application of NLP marketing techniques brings significant benefits, such as improving customer relationships, optimizing marketing strategies, improving the argumentative communication process, increasing conversion rates and, of course, sales.

With so many benefits, how can NLP techniques apply in marketing?

1. Producing more attractive copy for readers

The key piece of a good communication strategy is good copy. The copy is, without a doubt, the decisive click factor for users: it should deliver originality, be eye-catching and stimulating. So, writing a good copy is essential to increase sales and the best way to do it is to find out what is the best argument and language to speak with the public.

2. Increased perception of the value of products

Increasing the perception of the value of products is one of the main advantages of neurolinguistic programming in marketing. When you know your consumer and understand their behavior patterns, you can find more efficient arguments that help increase the perception of the value of both the products and your company in general.

By creating a good relationship with your audience and turning that relationship into something positive and stimulating, you can make your customer more engaged, satisfied and happy with the decisions they made when closing deals with your company.

3. Definition of more coherent content

Content is essential to educate the market and reduce purchase objections and NLP helps to create richer content and planning of materials much more coherent and well-directed to your audience, increasing the access rates and the reading and conversion indicators of these materials. With more consistent content, it’s possible to reduce purchase objections and prepare consumers to close deals in an informed way.

This content will also help to improve the market's perception of your company: with more efficient content, it’s possible to transform your company into a true reference in the market, increasing your reach and the number of potential customers for your business.

4. Definition of the correct timing

One of the most notable benefits of NLP is public awareness. By understanding and applying the basic principles, it is possible to understand more and more how your consumers behave and how, collectively and individually, they make decisions. With this information in hand, you can identify the ideal time to communicate with customers, offer solutions and deliver products and services.

5. Structuring of more targeted actions

Structuring more targeted actions is one of the most important benefits for the marketing team. By improving your understanding of the behavior and preferences of your audience, it’s easier to find actions that are more in tune with the reality of your customers. So, with more targeted actions for your consumer, the results tend to be better, which increases conversion, interaction and sales rates.

6. Use of positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement or reinforcing positive behavior or action through praise can help motivate and gain consumer trust throughout the communication process.

Examples of the application of positive reinforcement include the sales process. Imagine that your sales team is working with a customer who, during the purchase process, has some objections. To win the sale and gain the customer's trust, in addition to resolving objections by clarifying all consumer doubts, it’s important to work on communication that reinforces the positive points during the dialogue, getting even closer to the customer and removing objections from the path.

7. Use of the mirroring technique

The mirroring technique is an NLP strategy applied by sales teams. The salesperson subtly reflects his body language in the language he is developing with the customer. The sales professional must have a critical eye to analyze details such as posture, facial expressions, breathing and gestures that are made during the conversation.

This technique helps to increase the connection with the customer, through an intense analysis that allows us to understand their behavior and thoughts, which makes it possible to discover the best moments and arguments to present new ideas, influence the purchase process or give an opinion on any specific question.

The best way to work with the mirroring technique is to make sure that the whole process is done subtly, making sure that the client never realizes that you are somehow mimicking their movements and quirks.

In short, NLP is a study of the behaviors and mental processes of each individual, collectively and individually. With this study, it’s possible to increase the company's revenue, improve customer relationships and raise sales rates through much clearer and more efficient communication.

For companies that want to invest in this strategy, the marketing and sales sectors are the best opportunity. They are teams that deal with customers daily and that can use their knowledge to improve the vision of the market and consumer in general, structuring differentiated actions, reducing purchase objections and increasing commitment.

Don't expect different results if you do the same thing

The results change if your actions change. NLP practitioners aim to help recognize and modify those behaviors that are not effective. We must make an effort to change our strategy so that a certain action bears the expected results, this is the beginning of the opportunity to find the best way to achieve our objectives. NLP tools help you create an attitude and working methodology to know how to achieve goals and obtain desired results. 

Need more help? No problem, Give us a shout and we’ll help you create a more effective marketing strategy!