Power Phrases: Tools for Marketing and Self-Development

[Metz]

I've rambled a bit about my struggle with depression and how that really killed a lot of my progress from when I started my entrepreneurial journey to today. Since I was a kid (and later as an adult), I've been bounced around in different therapist chairs, on all sorts of different anti-depressants, shown tons of different coping mechanisms, but nothing really worked. It wasn't until I met a hypnotherapist that I started seeing really good results on my mental health; not only did she help me work through the acute dread of what I was dealing with a few years ago, but chronic issues that I've dealt with since I was like 10-11 revolving around confidence, self-worth, and other factors.

Initially I dismissed hypnotherapy as a bunch of new-age hippie nonsense but the way my therapist explained it (and after reading a few books about it too), it's sort of like programming for the subconscious. It's not about spirals or "look into my eyes" stage hypnosis kinda stuff, but being put into a relaxed state (think about that moment where you're just about to drift off to sleep or you wake up in the middle of the night and you're barely conscious but *just* conscious enough to know you're awake before you pass out again) and then working through whatever the subconscious bubbles up for you to work with.

But how the heck can you apply this to marketing and self-development?

You don't need to be a believer in hypnotherapy to know the value of emotional triggers and repetition. A lot of fantastic marketing campaigns will use these techniques to win over customers. Febreze, for instance, really took off when it attached itself as a habit, the finishing touch after cleaning your house or vacuuming to make everything smell fresh (and then started using that in its advertising). There are plenty of commercials that use catchy jingles that get stuck in your head, hijacking you like some wifi booster that, even if you aren't the target demo, you're still humming the song, mumbling the lyrics, and someone will pick up on it who might be the customer and be like, "HMM. Maybe I should check this out." While these all leverage the same things hypnosis does (repetition, habits, or our subconscious actions), the same is true of power phrases.

Power phrases are phrases that get a strong emotional reaction to help provoke a specific behavior or response. When used enough and in a consistent way, their meaning and value begins to grow and the easier they become to latch onto other people. There are five power phrases I've used, both to help others as well as myself, in business and in my personal life. I'll give you them as examples to demonstrate how they just kinda show up organically too:

• "On my honor" was the very first power phrase I was introduced to when I was in a fraternity in college. Brothers in our chapter (and apparently other chapters in my fraternity as I networked with people at different colleges) would use this phrase to mean "no matter how outlandish this claim might be, I'm telling you the truth.. that if it turns out I'm lying, never trust me again. I'm staking my reputation and legitimacy with this and I understand if my word has no value, I have no value." They'd use it to make a promise, especially to reassure someone of something ("On my honor, I'll be there to help you with x.") or, again, if accused of something, they'd stake their credibility on it ("On my honor, I didn't mess up filing the paper work on that important alumni event to get it approved."). But we knew that when someone were to use that phrase -- and it wasn't invoked lightly -- they were dead serious. Others outside our chapter, if they heard a brother say it, would be confused, scoff, or be like "lol honor in the 21st century? okay weirdo" but those who understood the phrase knew its importance.
• "I appreciate you" or, shortened " 'preciate ya" has become a power phrase in the gaming community I help lead as part of my passion project. After my best friend (who co-founded it) passed away suddenly in 2018, our other two friends (it was usually just the four of us playing games together) really struggled with the loss. And being 21 and 25 year old guys, they weren't the best at expressing their emotions. They struggled talking about it and became increasingly distant or would say how gaming (which they used as an escape from their stressful lives) no longer helps them and they don't have anyone to talk to yet couldn't share their feelings because of the pride attached to masculinity ("man up" "guys don't cry" etc etc.). So, I started just saying, "Hey, I appreciate you" sometimes just randomly, but if they shared something interesting or we were reminiscing, I'd remind them of how much I valued their friendship. As we started building a Discord server around the content website our friend and us were building, I'd still say that phrase (and they started saying it back) in front of other people. A few weeks later, people outside of our little friend group then started saying it like "Hey, x.." and the other guy's like "???" to which the first just says " 'preciate ya." There's about 450+ guys all between 17 - 35 who all consistently say that this community is one of the most wholesome gaming groups they've ever found (and I also use the server as an entrepreneurial sandbox.. but more about that later). But they invite their friends, they help market the community and grow it, and take ownership of it.. and as I'm writing this, sitting in my little "workshop" channel (if I'm just writing, I'll be around in case someone wants to talk to me about a project they're working on and want my insight) someone came in just to say "Hey, appreciate you" and left right away hahaha.
• "We shall conquer" is a phrase that one of my friends I met through the above community and I use and it's only a phrase for the two of us. He's one of my entrepreneurial accountability buddies and when either of us get dismayed or distracted from our goals and want to hype one another up, we use that phrase as a sorta rallying cry. It also means that we won't abandon one another, that we strive to be successful and that we look out for mutual opportunities for growth. We also use it as a way to celebrate growth so if one of us closes a deal or gets a bonus or figures out a long-standing problem, we'll use that phrase.
• "Pierce the heavens" is just like "we shall conquer" but between another friend of mine and myself. While it's used pretty much the same way, my buddy chose it from an anime (Gurren Lagann) that both he and I credit with helping us work through some self-confidence issues. There's a phrase that one of the protagonists uses as he's talking to his younger sworn-brother who struggled with believing in himself.. telling him, "If you can't believe in yourself, believe in the me that believes in you" -- or in other words, if you look up to me and can at least believe I won't steer you wrong, trust me when I say that you've got a lot going for you and I believe and appreciate you. The use of this phrase has helped transform my friend from someone who's struggled being consistent and motivated to someone who's been hungry for growth, opportunities, and has a much more upbeat outlook on his life and trajectory.
• "If you're hungry, go eat" is one that actually originated from this very community. It was in my second response on the "Vent about the fastlane" thread where I identified with OPs hunger for more out of life, wanting wealth, but needing to build a system of value to acquire it. Granted, I hadn't had breakfast yet so food was definitely on my mind but I figured using that phrase would help drive the point I was trying to make home. Between you and me, whenever I see someone come up with excuses as to why they can't get something done.. or how hard entrepreneurship is.. or if they just need to be hyped up, I'll be seeding this phrase because even just reading it now reminds me, "Oh yeah, I have shit to do and my goals aren't gonna get done just thinking about it." If I want wealth, I need to build the system. "If you're hungry, go eat" is much more base, something the vast majority of us understand at a very deep level.

While these are just some examples of phrases I've used both for myself and to promote certain actions (accountability, building up motivation, strengthening a friendship, building shared culture, etc.), think of some phrases or values your niche -- whether it's people you've employed or contracted, your customers, or even just yourself -- that can begin to hold power and prompt a response. I'm curious, do any phrases already come to mind? Do you already use something similar for yourself, whether as affirmation or otherwise?

Lemme know.

 

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