McKenna's Hypnotic Motivation

Doing the rounds on London promo-telly sofas over the previous weekend was Paul McKenna (wikipedia & own site).

Regular readers of my blogs will note that whilst I am fervently not in the camp of self-help guru sycophancy, I am however fascinated by how they get their ideas across. In the main it is their pitching skill and raw selling power that intrigues me, rather than any wares they may peddle.

This chap in question appears undeniably successful. In the slot I caught, his prime thrust was to target the doubters. The way he handled this was a lesson to anyone ever faced with a disbelieving prospect, incredulous at the seemingly outrageous claims of your marketing hype. Here’s a flavour, scribbled in haste as he spoke

“It works for 7 out of 10 people.”

“It doesn’t work for everyone.”

“Most people don’t believe it’ll work for them, but are open to it.”

“You don’t have to really believe, but as long as you’re open to it …”

“Anyone who says they’ve a 100% success rate hasn’t got enough clients”

His fellow comfy couch dwellers melted towards him. You could feel the warmth generated by his disarming, yet powerful approach. “Relax and be imaginative” he gently implored. A masterclass in deflective persuasion. And easily adapted to any roaraway product pitch.