I wouldn’t say it was a secret conversation. But, it was certainly a private conversation.
It was a call between my friend, Rich Schefren, and one of the foremost experts on the topic of persuasion and influence in marketing. Let’s call him Rodney. That’s not his name but close.
Rodney is the author of one of the most widely-recognized and best-selling books on the topic of persuasion. It’s been translated into something like twenty-seven languages.
For around three decades he’s been an educator at over seven different colleges or universities, teaching on the topic of psychology and persuasion.
And he is a sought-after adviser on the topic of persuasion for multinational corporations, governmental agencies, and private enterprises of all sizes.
So, you could certainly say Rodney knows a tad bit about persuasion and influence. And their use in marketing and advertising.
Rodney and Rich were discussing the persuasion triggers shared in Rodney’s most popular book. That is… until the question of the most powerful persuasion device came up.
Then the rest of the conversation went something like this:
“The most powerful of all persuasion devices is actually not in the book,” said Rodney.
“Wow. Really? Now you’ve got my attention. So what is it?”, responded Rich.
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“The most powerful of all persuasion devices — when used correctly — is… a good, unique metaphor!”
Wait…
What?
Hold everything…
A metaphor?
Of all the whiz-bang persuasion methods… a metaphor is the most powerful of all persuasion devices?!?
Yep, according to Rodney — the recognized authority on the topic — it is.
“A good metaphor is extremely powerful because it allows a marketer to instantly attach their new idea or sales point to something the prospect already knows, likes, trusts, and understands.”
See: The most basic type of metaphor — when used correctly — can take a marketing point that may be difficult to understand, and make it immediately understandable. An abstract image and make it immediately concrete.
A good metaphor can conjure the perfect image in the mind of your prospect and cause a torrent of associations and emotions. And do it with few words.
And a good metaphor can take a seemingly ordinary, common idea and re-position it as something unusual and different. A process I refer to as “Metaphor Masking”. I’ll show you a famous example of this in just a moment.
Before going any further, let’s define exactly what a metaphor is (in case you have forgotten this from your high school English class!):
A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between the two.
The best times to use a metaphor in your marketing:
- you’re talking about something that may be unfamiliar to your prospect
- a concept or idea may be difficult to grasp
- you lack any emotional punch.
A good, well-chosen or well-developed metaphor can do wonders here.
For example, take a look at the following headline from our Smart Funnel Formula (SFF) launch earlier this year:
Watch Your Sales Soar With Your Own “Smart Funnel” That’s Dynamic, Responsive & Interactive… And Persuades Your Prospects To Buy… Like A Living, Breathing Sales Person!
When thinking about the marketing for SFF, I felt the idea of an adaptive marketing message might be difficult for some to grasp. So, I looked for a metaphor.
What could I compare an adaptive marketing message to? What is it like… that our prospects already recognize and understand?
A living, breathing sales person.
So, throughout the entire marketing funnel I used that metaphor when discussing how a “smart funnel” functions.
That’s the first way to use a metaphor to improve your marketing.
The second way?
With a process I refer to as “Metaphor Masking”.
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And the perfect time to use it is when you’re talking about something common or ordinary to the prospect. Something the prospect is already thoroughly familiar with and has heard about many times prior. Something that… if laid-out plain and “unmasked”… would immediately trigger mental opt-out for the prospect because it would be viewed as “nothing new”.
The folks at Agora are fantastic at this. And well worth your study.
Below is a headline and very successful example of “Metaphor Masking” from copywriter, Mike Palmer, of Stansberry Research:
The Secret Currency: How The World’s Wealthiest Families Make Money Even When Stocks, Bonds, And Real Estate Lose Value
Basically, the entire marketing promotion was about the value of investing in… gold.
Yep. Plain old gold.
If that would have been said or addressed or even hinted at in the headline, the promotion wouldn’t have done nearly as well.
By “masking” the ordinary (i.e. gold) with a metaphor (i.e. secret currency), they were able to capture the prospects’ attention long enough to entice, educate, and lead into their marketing message.
Like Rodney said, when used correctly, a good metaphor is a potent marketing and sales weapon.
So look at your marketing and look for ideas or parts of your sales argument that can be better communicated with greater power and punch: more visually, simpler, and with associations that produce a proper emotional response.
And, for some additional insight, tips, and tools, pick-up a copy of Anne Miller’s Metaphorically Selling.
It’s your turn! Please share a metaphor that you have used in your marketing in the past, or brainstorm a metaphor that you can use in the future, and share in the comments below!
