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Applications of Neurological Dominance
Interpersonal Relationships
Because Neurological Dominance helps explain the ways in which people differ, people often find it hugely beneficial in improving their effectiveness in areas such as communication, influence, persuasion, recruitment, sales, customer service and negotiation.
For example, we know that some people prefer information to be presented in a factual and logical way, others like to see the detail, to study all the information that supports a proposal or recommendation, others are happy to take things at face value if they feel they trust the people making the recommendation while other people simply want an overview, they are not interested in the detail but they do want to know about the benefits and the ways in which things will be different in the future. |
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If a person’s requirements for information are similar to our own then we think nothing of it, but where they are different we might find the relationship difficult. For example, a right-brained person might interpret a left-brained person’s request for more information as implying that they don’t trust them or a left-brained person might interpret a right-brained person’s request that they "come to the point" as being rude or impatient. In reality, they are simply manifestations of their particular thinking preferences.
By understanding these differences, people can improve their effectiveness by learning how to put themselves in the other person’s position, to understand the way in which they see the world.
Advertisers apply this approach when creating advertisements. They think about the people they are trying to appeal to and then create an advertisement to suit their thinking style. Car advertisements provide excellent examples:
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Honda Accord – Cars such as the Accord are targeted at people who are logical. They are reliable, reasonably economical and not too expensive. They are therefore a sensible and practical purchase.
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Volvo – Volvo have traditionally emphasised safety and practicality in their advertising.
They appeal to people who don’t buy cars on impulse, but who look into the details of things such as depreciation, European safety standards, maintenance costs etc.
Volvo did try to broaden their appeal by adding turbo chargers and making their cars a lot faster, but they never really shrugged off the image of safe family cars. |
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Volkswagen Beetle – This is targeted at people who want to love their car. It is designed to appeal to people who are nostalgic, who perhaps owned an old-style Beetle when they were younger or who loved the Herbie films. To help you show your affection for the car, it even has a small vase attached to the dashboard so that you can keep a fresh flower in it.
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Aston Martin – An Aston Martin could never be considered a logical purchase. It doesn't have much space for passengers, has a tiny boot, uses vast amounts of petrol and depreciates by more than the cost of a small family saloon car the day you drive it out of the showroom – but lots of people would love one! It is therefore targeted at people who love the technology, the image and the cutting-edge performance – just look at this picture from one of their advertisements. |
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