‘Mentalist,’ according to Gilian Gork, is a marketing term. A mentalist is anyone who does something for the mind. It involves a lot of psychology, reading and influencing people, and nonverbal communication. There is no course or a formal degree to be qualified as a mentalist, and the skills a mentalist uses can vary between person. Gork’s considers himself “The Mentalist,” and has a passion for reading and influencing people. John Golden explores more in this video interview on impacting people in the sales world.
In this sales expert interview, learn about:
- What a mentalist is, and how it applies to sales
- About Gork’s “persuasion games”
- The power of influence in the workplace
- Power of Words
Persuasion Games
When it comes to sales, a lot of it is about persuasion; how to be more persuasive, more believable, and more authentic. “Every single day were are either persuading or being persuaded. It’s part of every interaction, whether we like it or know it or not,” said Gork.
However, not everyone is immediately receptive to words like “influence,” “persuasion,” or even “manipulation.” “You imagine something questionable happening, these words have a negative connotation,” said Gork. However, Gork gives the example of a father or mother “manipulating” their child to look both ways before crossing the street, which is considered good parenting.
The words themselves are neutral terms, but it’s the person that’s doing the influencing or manipulation that can be either good or bad. Gork gives another example, likening these words to a surgeons knife. “A surgeons knife can be good for great good, or great evil. It all depends on the person using the tool. But the tool, like those words, are neutral.”
The Mentalist Rapid Influence Model
Gork has developed his own model to quickly influence people called “The Mentalist Rapid Influence Model,” or MRI3. It is based on three subconscious questions that people are asking themselves about you, or the brand, or the product/service. “They’re asking these three questions all the time, every time they interact with you,” said Gork. “They may not even realize they’re asking these things of you.” It becomes a task of trying to understand what people are thinking even when they don’t know they’re thinking it. Sometimes the answer is just a gut feeling that the person gets or a subconscious feeling. The three questions are:
Are you reliable? Can I rely on you?
Are you capable of helping me?
Do you care about me?
Gork goes on to explain how confirming two of the questions demonstrates progress, but how confirmation of all three questions earns the ultimate influence. “When you put two of them together, in this case, reliability and care, they together form trust. If you’re able to demonstrate that you’re reliable and that you care about them, that forms credibility. If you are credible, and you care about them, that create support. When you have credibility, support, and care is when you get your ultimate influence.”
Speed is Key
The goal, when you are trying to pitch to someone, is to get these questions answered as quickly as possible. The faster you can get the consumer to answer these three questions in their mind and hearts, the quicker you can establish influence with them. The “rapid” in this model is essential. With the number of messages and people and companies that are trying to persuade us every day, all of the time, it is important to gain influence quickly, just so that you can get them to the point where they’re ready to try the product.
About our Host:
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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