Many folks consider the concept of ‘energy’ to be somewhat new agey. Personally I consider it to be an integral part of understanding the self. And understanding ourselves, is absolutely the first step in learning to persuade.

At a recent seminar in Tucson, I went deeply into the idea of core drives and how these drives can be utilized to persuade powerfully, reaching our clients’ and prospect’s emotional triggers, triggers which are universal.

Chakras are an ancient Indian concept considered ‘woo woo’ by many people, and yet, if for nothing else, they are an amazing metaphor for the core values and drives within each of us. Each Chakra is an energy vortex corresponding to a different need or drive that we as humans have.

No matter what our spiritual or religious affiliation is, these energy centers are intrinsically involved with the idea of self mastery which, I wholeheartedly believe, is interrelated with persuasion. As persuaders, we have the ability to pick and choose from the abundance of life. We can take what works, and leave what doesn’t on all levels–spiritual, economic, political, popular culture, in business. . .anything at all. We take what is valuable and form our worlds from what we’ve gathered.

I also have a personal belief that there’s a certain reality to the different kinds of energy flows in our bodies. Chinese medicine practitioners would refer to that as Qi (pronounced Chi) and they can trace those energetic flows throughout our bodies in energy rivers called meridians. Meridians control different things in our body, corresponding to different organs, and to the extent that we have some awareness of this, we can use it to help ourselves. So call it DNA or Qi or Chakras or meridians. . . it’s all power.

In that spirit, how can we absorb value from chakras, as one of my students suggested, even simply as a metaphor?

Here’s a brief rundown of how the chakras correspond to our core drives. One, the base, is related to security and has similarities to our fight/flight mechanism. The second chakra is concerned with sexuality related to the fourth core value of reproducing ourselves. The third chakra is about power and is similar to the third core value of fight.

As we get higher on the chakras, we also get higher in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow was an American psychologist in the mid 1900s who created a scale in the form of a pyramid that explained human needs. If the bottom levels of needs aren’t being met, nothing else matters.

At the bottom of the pyramid are two of the four core values in addition to biological functions. The physiological basis for physical human existence-food, water, air, sleep, sex, excretion and homeostasis (internal balance)-has extreme power where persuasion is concerned. Obviously, we’re not really able to utilize air or sleep (unless you’re selling mattresses) or excretion or homeostasis (unless you’re a doctor). The next level up for Maslow pertains to security-the fight and flight core values-and also corresponds to the third chakra of power.

For our purposes, there are needs that are represented at the very top of the pyramid that can be used in persuasion as well. . . we all need to be needed. We need to have hope. We need to believe that the problems we have are from an external source. We need to be right. These all give people a sense of power and fit in with the chakra system.

When we elicit criteria and gain rapport correctly and thoroughly, we tap into these needs. When you’re really in deep rapport with someone, they feel noticed, they feel necessary, they feel listened to, and within that, we can really hone in on the core values of safety, security, reproduction and sustenance.

Tags: Business

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