Covert Persuasion

The Subliminal Factor: Causing Successful Subliminal Persuasion

(Part One)
Kevin Hogan

I’ve found 13 factors in creating effective subliminal messages. There are probably more.
In this series of blog posts, I want to show you a number of these factors and discover how you can use them at the office, the club, the bar and with almost anyone you choose.

Part of my mission on this orb has been about giving my friends the edge in life. The edge over the competition, against the scamsters, the edge on achievement of goals and desires.

All subliminal influence that IS effective…is because the triggers are hardwired like telephone lines your brain.

For example:

People buy the “Instant__________” because they are greedier than they are smart.

• Instant Billionaire
• Instant Influence
• Instant Weight Loss
• Instant Fame
• Instant Pick a Desire

And, there is a *lot* of money to be made in the “quick buck business.”
I can confirm to you that I was asked to co-venture a promotion where you would spend $10,000 (I would get paid 1/2) and the claim was that you would be able to simply “imagine” and “think” about something and it would manifest. No kidding. And in fact, I am regularly asked to put someone’s junk in Coffee for you to look at….and try to kindly refuse. Let someone else do it. I’m having Coffee with you.

Now, if I tell you that something which is claimed to be spectacular… is true…, there is a reason to consider the proposition (which is why I was chosen to be a vehicle of the message to you). You’ve trusted me for 5 or 6 years or however long you’ve been with me on Monday morning. And you know that if it’s in Coffee, it’s worth considering. You’ve been “primed” to know that what we talk about is worthy, trustable and typically falls in the realm of usefulness, value and fun.

So, many would consider that $10,000 is worth exchanging for Kevin Hogan telling them that they would get something for nothing, virtually instantly, like unexpected piles of money in the mailbox. (And I am not kidding, that is precisely what this “opportunity” that I let you miss was about.)

How and why was this amazing program going to work?

• Because you imagine it.
• Because it’s the nature of the universe.
• Because it’s understanding the nature of the universe and utilizing that.
• Because you did affirmations for it.

And that is total garbage and though I rarely name names, don’t ever fall for it.

Let me ask you this. Do YOU have a greedy side?

How about the people you live with?

Your customers?

What do YOU think and then tomorrow we’ll look at the research…

Covert Hypnosis and Resistance

When Resistance is Likely, Distraction Triggers a Receptive Mind

One of my favorite Techniques

Festinger and Maccoby conducted an experiment in which they attempted to prevent members of their audience from inventing arguments to refute messages being presented to them. (AKA resistance in hypnosis.)

This was accomplished by simply distracting the audience somewhat while the communication was being presented. Two groups of students were required to listen to a tape about the evils of college fraternities. The argument was powerful and was obviously not going to be well received by the audiences.

During the presentation to one of the groups, the audience was also distracted by a highly entertaining silent film. (That group is engaged in TWO tasks simultaneously.) The other group was not disturbed by a film. They simply listened to the tape.

What were the results of the experiment? The students who were distracted by watching the film underwent substantially more opinion change against fraternities than did the students who were not distracted.

The distracted mind is easier to manipulate and create change in than the undistracted mind.

Resistance is inherent.

Expect it.

Anticipate it.

Erickson said there was no such thing as resistance. Erickson was wrong. We now know that there is resistance. There is resistance AND there is reactance.

There is resistance in the mind of every human being to that which the individual does not believe to be true. There is resistance in the mind of each person to that which creates fear within the individual.

If any ego state is not in alignment with what messages are being shared between two people, resistance will be experienced. Be aware of this now. The resistant person more often than not needs to experience pictures he creates in his mind, not pictures created by you. (See: The Hypnotherapy Handbook, Hogan)

Your task is simply to direct people to the right pictures!

Covert Hypnosis Tricks

Subtle Influence Tricks offer you a proven way to make difficult things easy. This is true whether these "things" are influencing your Self or someone else.

Here's an example or two of tricking the brain.

Common problem:

Someone has been trying to lose weight forever. All you need to be healthy is to lose about 30 pounds. You count calories....but you always seems to go over your set amount for the day. You usually does well in restraining your Self during the day but then at night you decide to reward your Self with a large amount of junk food.

Sound right?

OK

2/3 of American adults today are overweight. How did this happen? Were Americans born without a self-control gene?

Besides having easier access to fatty, fast, processed foods, what else makes this country grossly less healthy than the rest of the world?

When people feel they have made progress towards a goal, it's like a switch turns off pursuit of that goal. When people eat smaller portions of foods throughout the day, they feel they have made progress towards their goal, their self control switch turns OFF and they allow indulgence.

People have a tendency to choose smaller rewards immediately, instead of choosing a larger reward for later.

In this case, one prefers to indulge now isntead of feeling good about theirselves later. To get to a point where you can resist immediate small...fleeting rewards to obtain a later larger reward...takes mental discipline.

Here's the first Covert Hypnosis TRICK.

1) Get rid of the junk food. Mere exposure to the problematic foods increases cravings for the food. If you must keep some problematic foods around, hide them. (really) Keep them on a different floor of the house. (really) When one experiences a craving, you are far more likely to get up from their current task and consume the food if it is closer in proximity to them.

Getting rid of the temptation is the first trick.

Here's the second Covert Hypnosis trick.

The average person fills up their gas tanks about twice per week. If no other junk food is kept in the house this is the perfect opportunity for a reward. 2 times per week you are given the opportunity to indulge by running into the gas station mart and grabbing a -small- treat. Without the constant impulse of going for the junk in the house, who knows, maybe you'll forget to indulge all together and opt for that bowl of fruit at home instead.

Here's the third Covert Hypnosis trick.

Eat alone, TV off. New studies have shown people eat over 200 calories more in front of the tv or with people. And they don't realize it.

Humans (and particularly American humans) grossly underestimate the amount of calories they consume. When people savor their food and eat slower, they will feel fuller before consuming our full meals. The brain doesn't register being full for about 20 minutes after you start eating, so people think (fallaciously) that they need to keep eating because they don't feel full quite yet.

Here's the best Covert Hypnosis Trick: Eat off of the smallest dishes you have. You'll eat more and feel fuller if it APPEARS you have a big portion.

Remember Covert Hypnosis is bypassing the Critical Factor of the brain without resistance. This is the best kind of trick...when the brain is absolutely convinced one thing is happening when in fact, something else is happening.

Ah, and here is a bonus trick:

Eat, then shop. Much more is purchased when you go shopping hungry. Even if you aren't going to the grocery store, your hunger will take priority over fulfilling other needs, so you'll hurry, probably purchasing more than you intended in the first place.

Feeling those hunger pains? Don't be tricked, you may not actually be hungry.

We do not necessarily experience hunger pains because we need noursihment. We experience hunger pains becauase we train our bodies when to expect food, especially if we have a routine day. Remember Pavlov and his dog, classical conditioning? A way to combat this? Switch it up. Eating our larger meals at different times of the day can keep our bodies on their toes. Little snacks don't hurt either, constantly stimulating the digestive system throughout the day with SMALL snacks keeps up our metabolism-wait too long between meals and our metabolism halts.

Know what you want in life and THINK ABOUT IT OFTEN: the less people think about their future selves, the more people will be willing to indulge. If you don't have plans for the future, maybe it's time to start.

Those that are conscientious about their future health and wellbeing-because it is vital to reach their goals-are more likely to put off immediate indulgence because they see it as vital to their future selves to deny that Reeses or Tirimasu. Even just thinking about how you want to look and feel about yourself in a few years before ordering that triple chocolate cake can give you sufficient motivation to say, 'no thank you'.

The new book found here is blisteringly cool...take a peek.

And for those of you wanting to learn Covert Hypnosis Tricks for other purposes than looking more attractive to others, think about each trick and match it to your specific scenario. Block out the trick. They are simple but it takes a little practice to get the concept of APPLICATION shifting.

Covert Hypnosis and What Influences

Covert Hypnosis and What Influences

Nice guys finish last...unless they have a porsche?

Peacocks with the largest and most elaborate plumage will win the right to mate with a female...then says 'see ya' and leaves the female to parent his offspring. Peacocks are notorious for their wasteful displays that serve no other function but to spread their seed to as many peahens as possible, along with their low parental investment. They would have been the perfect companions for Ghenghis Khan. It is thought that 1/6 of all people are his descendants. Kudos

Analogously, it has been a common belief for years that men with flashy cars attract women.

But is this really true?

A new study conducted by Jill Sundie and colleagues published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology confirms this phenomenon with a resounding "YES".

Spending money on extra expensive goods is called conspicuous consumption. Usually these take form in sports cars, designer clothing and shoes, among other things that scream bling.

Men that are conspicuous spenders (think Porsche) that readily display their wealth tend to

-look for short term sexual relationships or one night stands
-attract far more females than more frugal men (think Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic)
-spend lots of money in hopes of romantic flings

However, females CAN and DO see through wasteful spending and showy displays.

Females will only prefer the conspicuous spenders if the female is also looking for short term relationships. Excessive spending signals to females that the males are looking for fun, and would probably be more interesting on a date.

Excessive spending DID NOT give men an advantage if they were looking for a long term mate:

Guys...if you are interested in a long term relationship but like to show off your wealth...your message is probably being lost in translation.

Women are more likely to go for the frugal spender if they are looking for something more long term. Flashy cars and expensive clothes won't get men anywhere if females are looking for someone who is loyal, can invest in a family, and would be a good father to their offspring. Marriage material.

Females can be conspicuous spenders too...but it's not because they are intending to attract a mate. Ask any woman...men just aren't on the top of their priority list. Sorry guys.

Covert Hypnosis for the Self?

Can You Use Covert Hypnosis to Imagine Your Way to Success?

This is not about sitting back and waiting for the universe to deliver success while you daydream or "imagine" it.

But new research does suggest that both mental imaging and daydreaming can be a factor in future performance.

That we can in fact "dress rehearse" for success in our mind..

and daydream our way to solutions...

Here is the latest.

Association for Psychological Science (2011, June 24). Imagination can influence perception.

"Imagining something with our mind's eye is a task we engage in frequently...But how can we tell whether our own mental images are accurate or vivid when we have no direct comparison? "

...How can you TRUST them to guide you, to serve you?

.. the article above refers to a study done by Joel Pearson of the University of New South Wales, Rosanne Rademaker of Maastricht University, and Frank Tong of Vanderbilt University, who wanted to test how accurate our knowledge is of our own imagery performance.

Here's the question: If you "imagine" yourself completing a task successfully, how helpful will this be?


They believe that the results of their test show that..."our evaluations of mental imagery bear a direct relationship to our performance on perceptual and cognitive tasks in the real world".

We can see how things might have been.

We can see how they might be.

Being able to imagine objects and scenarios is "one of the fundamental abilities that allows us to successfully think about and plan future events," says Pearson.

So as PART of your preparation for your next speaking gig
you might want to ponder running through a successful dress rehearsal in your mind, with as much vivid detail as possible.

In addition, research shows that while we are "daydreaming", we are problem solving for the future.

University of British Columbia (2009, May 12). Brain's Problem-solving Function At Work When We Daydream.

A new University of British Columbia study finds that our brains are much more active when we daydream than previously
thought.
"
Mind wandering is typically associated with negative things like laziness or inattentiveness," says lead author, Prof. Kalina Christoff, UBC Dept. of Psychology. "But this study shows our brains are very active when we daydream – much more active than when we focus on routine tasks."

The study further points out throught the use of fMRI scanners, that our brains "executive network" – associated with high-level, complex problem-solving becomes activated when we daydream.

"The quantity and quality of brain activity suggests that people struggling to solve complicated problems might be better off switching to a simpler task and letting their mind wander".

Have you ever taken a nap when your mind was just overloaded with data and then woken up with a clear head about what needed to be done?

Cognitive Overload is a common tool of skilled hypnotherapists. It isn't always effective but there are times when obviously...it is.

Daydreaming is essentially the same thing...switching to a rote task(mowing the lawn) while the brain is still working but you are not aware that you are still in "high gear"...but your brain is.

And when you get to your computer again, the solutions are there.

Learning influence is one of the most valuable things you can do to understand yourself, subtly influence others and get pretty much everything you want in life.

Covert Hypnosis and Control

The Have’s and The Have Not’s…Have or have not got Control

“Money doesn’t bring you happiness.”
“People care too much about money.”
“Money isn’t important.”
“I don’t need things.”
“I don’t like being around all those control freaks.”
“All I need to be happy is…”

When you are persuading, you pace the client’s actions and beliefs, but, also realize that he is only human and therefore programmed like most other humans. Your customer will often state something that he really doesn’t believe, because, he wishes that what he was saying was true.

Rationalization is psychologically required in humans. People must create an internal resonance between their behaviors and their beliefs.

The person who just went bankrupt, must say, “money isn’t everything.”

What are the facts about control, having, and happiness?

How do these biological truths relate to your influencing others or selling your products and services?

KEY. Control: The more you perceive you have, the healthier you are likely to be. Control is what keeps you focused and aware. People who experience a great deal of control in their lives tend to be healthier. When people feel in control or they feel your product or service will put them in control they are likely to buy from you… now.

If your customer is to succeed in life and move up the ladder of success and survival, he needs problems, the ability to solve them and the victories that come from defeating his problems. Control is analogous to personal power. Personal power is the ability to take action and achieve. The ability to meet life’s challenges head on and win is not only useful in raising self esteem and self efficacy but also the general health of your client!

If your product or service will give your customer more control in his life and she realizes it, then she will buy your product. PERIOD. Without control people become hopeless. When people become hopeless you are once again able to help your customer. If your product or service can generate hope, you give new life to your customer…literally. If your customer sincerely believes that your product or service can help him, then you can literally help him change his life.

KEY. People need a significant amount of control to experience happiness. If you can paint a clear picture of how you can help the other person regain control in some area of his life or business, he will be your customer forever.

Covert Hypnosis on Choice

Covert Hypnosis on Offering Choices...

There is nothing logical or rational about the way people buy or make their decision to say yes to you.

Logic would tell you that people want the best product. They don't. Logic would tell you that people want the most choices possible and that they make decisions logically...Nothing could be further from the truth.

Do people really always want to experience free choice?

Even more interesting is research released from Stanford. Researchers went to a grocery store and set up tasting booths in the store. On one table they had 24 jams that the people could taste. On another there were six different kinds of jams. As you would expect, 60% of all people who stopped at the table with 24 jams tasted a jam.

Only 40% of those stopping at the table with six jams tasted there.
What's shocking? Listen carefully: 30% of all people who stopped at the table with SIX jams purchased one of the jams. Only 3% of people who stopped at the table with 24 jams purchased any of them! The ramifications are enormous...

The larger number of options (in jam, religion, spousal choices, jobs) creates what we call cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is what happens when you hold two or more beliefs or ideas and don't know which to choose. It makes us feel overwhelmed. People like to have choices...it gives them freedom.

If you give people too many choices they will simply freeze and do nothing.

Covert Hypnosis: The Drivers

Understanding Covert Hypnosis is understanding the drivers of human behavior.

Example:

You may have less money to spend this year than last.


This makes you even more curious about what drives you to make the decisions you do....why are you spending those precious dollars the way you are?

You, like everyone else, are really 2 people, operating from both your conscious mind and your unconscious mind.

Your old car needed to be replaced. You were thinking of getting a hybrid. But you bought a red sportscar.

You went out to eat with friends and were going to just get a salad. But the smell of the steak on the grill was SO good....

According to Sad Gaad , University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption, at the John Molson Scool of Business at Concordia College, there are several drivers for what we buy and his thesis is that they are based on evolution.


1. He thinks we buy that steak for dinner because our ancestors ate cooked meats and that's how they survived. Our logical, conscious mind may say, "A salad would be good for me", but our unconscious mind is saying that we didn't survive for all this time without red meat and plenty of it!


2.Because of the primal need to reproduce, that hybrid car is just not cutting it. Men go for flashy sports cars because they believe they will impress women. Saad says his research shows that simply driving an expensive sports car boosts a mans testosterone.

3. Saad also thinks that men are the overwhelming users of pornography and that this is both evolutionary and of significance to marketers. However, with increasing inroads make by the Internet, soft porn, and using differing definitions of "pornography" ...one might see that gender gap begin to close.

[Gender Differences in Pornography Consumption Among Young Heterosexual Danish Adults
Published online 13 October 2006 Springer Science+Business Media Inc. 2006]


4. Love for our kin evidenced by gift giving. Gift giving is a consumer trend that is not likely to slow....economic downturn or not. Saad states that 10% of what we spend is on gifts for our "kin". It's probably more than that if we expand our definition of "kin" to what Oprah Winfrey called family in this months "O" Magazine...that circle of love where you are accepted for who you are....and she included her pets...

Pets?

Last year, Americans spent more than 48 billion on their pets (In 2010 $48.35 billion was spent on our pets in the U. S. www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp).

That's actually more than the average American family spent on technology last year.(May 24, 2011...Home of the San Francisco Chronicle...The average American household spent $1,179 on consumer electronics last year...).

And its not a big secret why we give gifts to those we care about or to those we want to influence...from time immemorial, it has made us feel good to do so!

Pondering these drivers might make you a better salesperson, marketer, or small businessperson. One of the members of my Inner Circle said that when she realized that buyers bought Workers Compensation Insurance not just as a commodity but to protect the people they worked with every day, their WORK FAMILY, it changed her whole approach to sales and she was much more effective.

There are actually more drivers in your unconscious mind. If you would like to learn about all of them and how to make them work for you go to

Covert Hypnosis Reframing

A Core Skill in Covert Hypnosis is Framing and Reframing.

Today we look at Reframing.

Reframing: What it really means to reframe...and do it well.


Test Yourself

I want you to participate in a Reframing Game that comes from
Kahneman & Tversky (1984)... Simply read this scenario and write down
the answers before going through the evaluation.

Imagine that we are preparing for the outbreak of a dangerous
disease, which is expected to kill 600 people. Two alternative
programs to combat the disease have been proposed. Assume that the
scientific estimates of the consequences of the programs are as
follows:

If Program A is adopted, 200 people will be saved.

If Program B is adopted, there is a 1/3 probability that all 600
people will be saved and a 2/3 probability that no people will be
saved.


What do you advise? Program A or Program B? Once you record your
answer, read on.

There are two other options now.

If Program C is adopted, 400 people will die.

If Program D is adopted, there is a 1/3 probability that nobody will
die and a 2/3 probability that all 600 people will die.

Write down your choice of program C or D then read on...


Kahneman and Tverskey found that 72% of their subjects chose the
"sure thing" program A over the "risky gamble," Program B. However
they obtained almost the OPPOSITE results when the question was
framed the opposite way. 78% of the same people (doctors) then chose
option D which is identical to option B. (C is identical to A)

In other words if someone chose A they logically must also choose C.
If someone chose B they logically must also choose D because they are
the same exact responses. However, the framing or perspective that is
given seems to shift people's thinking significantly.

Covert Hypnosis Key : Reframe with this in mind - The majority of
people will do far more to avoid losing something they already have
than they will to get something they don't have.

KEY: Fear of loss is a much greater motivator to most than the
possibility of gain.

Need more evidence? (Say "yes", as that is the logical response!) More
Covert Hypnosis tomorrow!