The Power of Instinct Book Summary - The Power of Instinct Book explained in key points
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The Power of Instinct summary

Leslie Zane

The New Rules of Persuasion in Business and Life

3.6 (93 ratings)
15 mins

Brief summary

The Power of Instinct reveals how our innate instincts can drive decision-making and behavior. Leslie Zane offers insights into leveraging these primal forces to enhance personal and professional success, encouraging a deeper understanding of human nature.

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    The Power of Instinct
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    Instinct rule 1: Target the unconscious mind

    The traditional rules of persuasion state you should overwhelm your audience with information, aiming to bombard and thus capture their conscious mind. We needn’t look any further than social media today, where brands feel compelled to maintain constant interaction with their consumers, to see this approach in full swing. However, the sheer volume of advertisements we encounter each day – ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 – means that most messages fail to stick.

    While the traditional rules for gaining a competitive edge suggest seemingly common sense strategies such as being the cheapest, offering feature-filled products, or targeting finely sliced market segments, they overlook a crucial element: their audience’s unconscious mind.

    Modern neuroscience has revealed that our behaviors are significantly more influenced by unconscious forces – such as perceptions and memories – than hard facts or objective information. In fact, perceptions and memories are far from intangible imaginings or vague recollections; they are concrete and measurable. Interactions that leave a lasting impact can reshape our brain’s pathways, creating strong associations with the related brand or idea. Our minds operate by drawing from this complex network of perceptions, memories, and associations to reach intuitive – not intentional – conclusions swiftly.

    Therefore, to actually sway your consumers in today’s world, it’s essential to target their unconscious minds. Successful brands use their consumer’s network of neural connections to their advantage, creating a larger mental presence, leading to what is known as instinctive brand preference. Instinctive brand preference is when your audience automatically and repeatedly chooses your brand without conscious deliberation – when their perceptions, memories, and associations make it nearly impossible for them to even consider an alternative.

    The new rules of persuasion tell us that success in the marketplace comes not from actual superiority but from perceived superiority. In the following sections, we’ll explore three specific strategies for speaking to your consumer’s unconscious minds, skyrocketing your brand’s impact and influence in the process. 

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    What is The Power of Instinct about?

    The Power of Instinct (2024) explores the role of instinctual behavior in decision-making and persuasion, particularly within business and marketing. It delves into how understanding and leveraging innate human instincts can lead to more effective communication, influence, and success, and offers practical strategies for harnessing these natural tendencies. 

    Who should read The Power of Instinct?

    • Marketing and sales professionals
    • Entrepreneurs and startup founders
    • Anyone wanting to enhance their communication and persuasiveness

    About the Author

    Leslie Zane is the founder of Triggers®, a brand consultancy known for its focus on leveraging instinctual triggers to influence decision-making. A previous employee at P&G and Johnson & Johnson, Zane's work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, and the Scientific American, as well as on the TEDx stage. 

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