Your Sales Technique Sucks — But These 14 Brain-Based Techniques Actually Work
Selling Isn’t About Logic — It’s About Emotion
If you think selling is all about numbers, features, and data, you’re doing it wrong.
In this episode of The Common Cents Show, I sat down with James I. Bond, behavioral management expert and author of Brain Glue, to talk about the real secret behind persuasive selling — and why most business owners fail at it.
Bond says:
“People buy for emotional reasons. We back it up with logic, but the decision starts in the heart, not the head.”
And he’s right. Whether you’re selling a product, pitching a client, or convincing your kid to clean their room, the art of persuasion is about emotionally connecting, not intellectually convincing.
The Turning Point: “This Is Your Brain on Drugs”
When Bond was developing anti-drug campaigns, he lost a major pitch to one of the simplest ads ever made — the one with a man cracking an egg into a frying pan:
“This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?”
That ad didn’t use logic or stats — it used emotion.
And that’s when Bond realized: the secret to selling anything lies in emotional “triggers” that make messages stick.
The 14 Triggers That Make People Buy
Bond discovered 14 brain triggers that influence human behavior. Here are a few highlights:
1️⃣ Alliteration & Rhyme – Lean Cuisine, Coca-Cola, Best Buy. The repetition of sound sticks in our brains.
2️⃣ Metaphor – “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” — one change turned a forgotten book into a 50-million-copy phenomenon.
3️⃣ Anchoring – Link your message to something familiar. Reagan called his missile defense project Star Wars — and instantly won public support.
4️⃣ Tone of Voice – Margaret Thatcher lowered her pitch and slowed her speech — it made her sound more authoritative.
5️⃣ Trigger Words – “It’s the economy, stupid.” “Big Ass Fans.” “Got Milk?” Short, punchy, and memorable.
6️⃣ Odd Mental Surprises – Saying “Don’t squeeze the Charmin” makes you want to do it.
7️⃣ Sense Elevation – Hot Pocket, Squatty Potty — names that describe the experience, not the product.
8️⃣ Rejection Attracts – Tell people not to do something, and they’ll do it anyway.
9️⃣ Tribal Alignment – Speak your audience’s language. People buy from those who “get” them.
Each one of these techniques activates emotional parts of the brain that make people remember, relate, and respond.
“You don’t want them to laugh and leave,” Bond said.
“You want them to laugh — and buy.”
Real-World Examples That Print Money
🔥 Squatty Potty – A mom and son turned a simple toilet stool into a $100 million brand — just by naming it something people couldn’t forget.
🔥 Hot Pocket – Originally called “Tastywich.” The name failed — until they focused on the experience. “Hot Pocket” sold billions.
🔥 Manscaped’s Lawn Mower – A bold, funny metaphor that became a cultural phenomenon.
🔥 Big Ass Fans – A rebrand that took sales from flat to $500 million.
In every case, logic didn’t make the sale. Emotion — and sticky language — did.
Selling Is the Transfer of Passion
Bond quoted Zig Ziglar:
“Selling is nothing more than a transfer of passion.”
If you love what you’re selling, you don’t need a script — your enthusiasm persuades people naturally.
But when you pair that passion with brain science, you create unstoppable persuasion power.
The Lesson for Entrepreneurs
Most business owners think they’re selling a product.
They’re not — they’re selling a feeling.
You don’t need a million-dollar ad budget to win customers. You need words, metaphors, and stories that make people feel something.
Because if your message doesn’t stick, it won’t sell.
Final Thought
Your sales technique doesn’t have to suck.
You just have to stop selling to people’s logic — and start speaking to their brains.
As Bond says:
“If you want to sell more, stop trying to make sense.
Make it stick instead.”