What Makes a Great Salesperson? Some Surprising Psychology!
(Note: I am in the process of reviewing James Muir’s new book and I came across this most interesting study. The applications are obvious and powerful. Enjoy!)
“In the 1990s an Italian neurophysiologist named Giacomo Rizzolatti made an amazing discovery He and his team were researching brain function using monkeys as test subjects The monkeys were being monitored by machines that registered their brain activity.
The scientists would encourage the monkeys to do various activities by offering a reward—a peanut, a food they love. When a monkey receives and eats a peanut the pleasure centers of their brains light up like a Christmas tree.
One day, one of the researchers ate a peanut in front of one of the monkeys, and an amazing thing happened. The monkey’s pleasure centers lit up, just as if the monkey had eaten the peanut himself.
This was an unexpected development, and after much more investigation Rizzolatti’s research team discovered that both monkeys and humans have something called mirror neurons that mimic both the actions and emotions of those around them (simian or human).
Much research in the area of mirror neurons has been completed since that time, and through the miracle of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) modern science can now watch the brain’s responses to stimuli in real time.
As it turns out, mirror neurons are involved in a tremendous number of psycho-social areas including: language, learning, self-awareness, and most importantly for our discussion—understanding intentions and empathy.
A key takeaway here is that we are an empathic species. When we see another living being experience an emotion such as happiness or sorrow, our mirror neurons cause us to experience that emotion along with them. There is a whole invisible level of communication going on.
Mirror neurons make it possible to understand another person’s point of view, and just as importantly, their intent. It is important for us to be aware of these distinctions so that we understand the involuntary messages that our prospective clients are receiving from us.”
Excerpted from James Muir in The Perfect Close
