The 3 Brains

In the last decade,  incredible progress has been made in understanding the human brain. Some of the learnings can be applied to how consumers make buying decisions.  As a result, you can use neuromarketing to improve your sales and marketing results.

How are decisions made in the human brain?  To answer this question we must first look at the physiological structure of the brain.

In addition to the Right Brain and Left Brain, the brain is organized in 3 parts which act as separate organs with different cellular structures and different functions.

On the way to the development of the human brain, mankind went through several phases. First there was a brain stem and a cerebellum, which constitute the inner and most primitive layer. The brain stem especially is the part of the brain that overseas such functions as reproduction, self-preservation, circulation of the blood, breathing, sleeping, and the contractions of muscles in response to external stimulation.

The brain stem sits on top of the spinal column at the base of the skull. This layer is called the “Reptilian Brain” so named because all vertebrates from reptiles to mammals have one. This is the brain structure that ultimately controls actions and decisions.

Research in neurosciences demonstrates that although the 3 brains communicate with each other, each one has a specialized function:

• The “New Brain” thinks. It processes rational data and shares its deductions with the other two brains.
• The “Middle Brain” feels. It processes emotions and gut feelings and also share its findings with the other two brains.
• The “Reptilian Brain” decides. It takes input from the other 2 brains but it controls the final decision making process.

Once you know that the true decision-maker is the Reptilian Brain, your entire sales and marketing strategy should apply completely different communication principles in order to be impactful.

To hear Christophe Morin present the value of the neuromarketing approach developed by SalesBrain, view the clip below: