Close your eyes and imagine you're standing at the end of a long race... just behind the finish line... the sun is fierce and you're sweating just standing there, and you can only imagine how the runners must be feeling.
You've got a box of gold medals in your hands -- one for every participant in the race and you can't wait to celebrate their huge accomplishment.
You look up and see a runner come into your line of sight. As they get closer, you can see the mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration on their face.
You recognize them...
You had spoken to this person right before they began this journey with you. They were full of fears, doubts and hesitations. They had tried and failed before... but whatever you said to them was the key to unlock the hope inside of them and give it ONE. More. Try.
And now -- just a few weeks later -- they're the first one to cross the finish line.
You can't believe it!
And you realize you're doing more than just teaching, coaching and training... you're changing lives and making dreams come true.
As you take the first medal out of the box and hang it around their neck, the gold catches in the sun and you feel pride and disbelief wash over you, as you realize that this person wouldn't have made it across the finish line if it weren't for you and the decision you made to pursue your own dreams of creating an experience like this one!
Welcome to Core Experience 5: Peak Emotional Experiences.
This is where you create moments for your customers to experience high points of connection, joy, excitement, satisfaction or some other desired emotional state.
And as you're about to discover, you can get people emotionally engaged through story, multisensory language, pattern interrupts, curiosity and surprise, and celebration!
As long as you avoid the opposite Anti-Experience of Peak Emotional Experiences, which is Mental Paralysis.
As you've seen, most info products are based on lecture and book learning, but few humans are driven to action by logic alone. If you only teach to the head, your customers are unlikely to take action. They may have more knowledge but, without an emotional spark, it's easy to get stuck there.
So if you want to keep your customers engaged emotionally as well as mentally, you need to integrate Peak Emotional Experiences into your products.
The concept of Peak Experiences was originally developed by my favorite psychologist, Abraham Maslow back in 1964.
According to Maslow, “Peak experiences are a euphoric mental state achieved by self-actualizing individuals or people who are committed to maximizing their potential and becoming all they can and want to be.”
One characteristic of self-actualizing individuals is the ability to experience an internal flow state where they’re completely immersed in their current activity, losing awareness of time -- and just about everything else.
While flow is an internal state, Peak Experiences happen based on external events usually related to sports, art, religion, nature, connecting with another human being OR the process of seeing or discovering something for the first time.
Here’s how Maslow describes a Peak Experience: "Think of the most wonderful experience of your life: the happiest moments, ecstatic moments, moments of rapture, perhaps from being in love, or from listening to music or suddenly 'being hit' by a book or painting, or from some creative moment."
To Maslow, attaining Peak Experiences is one of THE most important goals of life, since they allow you to see yourself and the world in a whole new way, which leads to feeling more positive about yourself AND more positive about life!
Peak Experiences allow people to see how meaningful and worthwhile life can be, which naturally causes them to want to repeat the experience, as part of their desire for growth and self-actualization.
Unfortunately, most information-based products are based on an old school 18th century concept of lecture or book learning. Teaching to the head -- which often leads to Mental Paralysis.
It’s widely recognized that we only retain 5% of information taught by lecture.
What you see here on the screen is the Learning Pyramid, developed by the National Training Laboratory, which we introduced in Module 3, Session 3 when we looked at how to create an Awesome Training Session.
According to this model, you can increase retention and create a better learning experience by introducing more active approaches to learning, and by adding visual and kinesthetic teaching methods.
Simply by adding VISUALS, you can increase retention to 20%. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement on that… integrating case studies and demonstrations brings this up to 30%. Q&A or laser coaching on your Foundational Content can help bring retention up to 50%.
Then you can retain 75% of what you're learning when you put it into practice -- this is another reason Constant Wins is SO important. It turns information or theory into real world actions that allow you to instantly put into practice what you're learning and get immediate results and feedback. And that deepens your learning and understanding. But of course, you get the BIGGEST breakthroughs and highest retention -- a whopping 90% -- when you go out there and deliver your Experience Product.
Things really sink in… when you start delivering your product using the Experience Formula… because now you’re interacting with customers. Now you’ve moved from the “Practice doing” stage in the Learning Pyramid, into the “Teach others” stage. And there’s nothing that clarifies our thinking and makes something more memorable than knowing we’re gonna have to explain what we’re learning to someone else!
And -- whether your Experience Product is coaching or an online course or services or any of the other Product Types we’ve discussed throughout this Masterclass -- you’re essentially doing some form of teaching others... Communicating ideas in a way that others can grasp.
Now here’s the thing, as great as this model is… there’s something BIG missing.
The Learning Pyramid doesn’t account for Peak Experiences, which can skyrocket retention through memorable experiences that go beyond traditional methods like discussion and practice.
In high school, I had the privilege of spending half a day every day for 2 years at a creative arts school, immersed in the greatest literature of all time. I read over 150 books in 2 years plus countless short stories and poems that expanded my mind…
I was having Peak Experiences almost every day as I witnessed the power of art and language to better understand myself and the world…
Through these books, it felt like I traveled across the full range of human experience and emotion -- from desire to despair, from exquisite beauty to pure evil.
The poet Ezra Pound famously said that, "Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost degree."
Remember, Peak Experiences happen based on external events usually related to sports, art, religion, nature, human connection OR the process of seeing or discovering something for the first time.
People used to tease me for spending all my time reading. I’d spend entire days on our beige Lazy Boy recliner reading book after book, but I found myself in the pages of those books. I touched the meaning and possibility of life through words… it was almost as if I could feel my mind expanding as I read.
And, as I’ve evolved as a teacher, trainer, mentor and coach, I’ve realized how important it is to create similar Peak Experiences for my students, so they can get into a flow state where they lose track of time and learning becomes more fun, meaningful and engaging.
Now -- that doesn’t mean I need to find ways to make everyone sit on a Lazy Boy recliner and read 150 books! That was just what ONE Peak Experience looked like FOR ME.
There are a LOT of different ways you can create an engaging experience through your products that allow your customers to feel like they’re in a constant state of discovery.
They’re seeing new things or finding new meaning, worth and value in things that didn’t have a lot of meaning to them before… so they feel like they’re growing and expanding in new ways… and they’re having Peak Experiences in the process.
Many people teach and deliver content in a linear and logical way, which allows the brain to feel like it’s in control… but here’s the flip side to that. When the brain feels like it’s in control, it’s more likely to relax and, very often -- tune out.
There’s a fine line between providing a Bird’s Eye View of where you are, where you’re going and how you’re going to get there so your customers can trust the process, without giving everything away and allowing them to feel like they know what to expect and don’t have to pay attention.
Reality TV is so addictive because it’s a blend of structure and flow...
Zigging… then Zagging!
They set up the rules of the game and then they change the rules to keep participants and viewers on their toes.
Because of that, Reality TV feels multi-dimensional, while regular game shows such as Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune feel more one-dimensional since the rules are the rules, are the rules, are the rules. And one episode ends up being very much like the next, even though the content and contestants are changing.
So while your Bird’s Eye View is the SCIENCE of getting people from Mission to Mission Accomplished, Peak Experiences are the ART of getting people from Mission to Mission Accomplished.
While your Bird’s Eye View uses a more logical and practical approach to visually lay out the path ahead, Peak Experiences are harder to explain, because it’s SO experiential.
There are unlimited ways to create Peak Experiences, and I'm going to focus on 7 of my favorites. And -- special note -- these are ALSO 7 of the most impactful ways to create Peak Experiences…
We're going to explore:
- Sharing Stories & Firsthand Experiences
- Multisensory Language
- Pattern Interrupts
- Curiosity & Surprise
- Multidimensional Teaching
- Shock-and-Awe
- And Celebration
So bear with me as I try to teach something that can really only be learned through practice and experience, starting with Stories & Firsthand Experiences.
As usual it all starts with our brains. The human brain doesn’t know the difference between thinking, hearing or listening to something and actually experiencing something first-hand. That’s why so many sci-fi movies have hologram decks where people can unplug or take vacations. In these worlds, you can experience the tropical beachside without actually leaving the ship.
When you describe something as a first-hand experience, it's almost like you're creating that hologram deck where your customers feel like they're there, experiencing it themselves…
That’s why great fiction is so absorbing -- it places you in another world where you're experiencing people and things that you wouldn't otherwise... You literally drop into someone else's reality.
When I visited the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, I saw an exhibit on science fiction and fantasy and I was blown away by the definitions of these genres:
Science fiction and fantasy are two of the most important kinds of storytelling because they show us realities beyond our own.
Science fiction offers reflections on our social structures and the technologies we use. Fantasy examines our spiritual values and the nature of good and evil. Both stimulate our imaginations, show us new possibilities and take us away from our everyday lives.
So part of creating Peak Emotional Experiences is allowing people to loosen the confines of their current reality by experiencing something else that feels JUST as real.
You can create these First-Hand Experiences by:
- telling stories from your own life, the lives of your students and the world at large
- using present-tense verbs and multisensory language that call in the 5 senses of touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste
- and using power words -- these are words that are likely to get attention by triggering an emotional or psychological approach.
And I’m going to give you some examples of each of these ways to create first-hand Peak Experiences -- starting with telling stories...
I remember the moment I learned how to dance -- I mean really dance! My husband Murray jokes that I dance like James Brown... if you can imagine that.
I was at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the third year in a row -- a few feet away from the Gentilly Stage and a Cajun blues band was just shredding it... and I had this Peak Emotional Experience where I felt like I was PHYSICALLY connected to the music -- as if there were a string connecting the music to my body. So every sound and every note moved me... it was like I was completely one with the music.
And I danced and danced and danced until the rain started to fall -- and then I kept dancing...
And I wasn't alone -- the whole audience was LIT...
It's like that string ran through each and every one of us and we were experiencing an unforgettable moment together -- a moment that changed how I danced forever.
With the right music and the right bands, I still feel that string moving me... allowing me to surrender into the music.
Since that day, I don't dance to music, it dances me.
So let me ask you: could you picture yourself there with me on that hot summer day?
Absolutely! A good story puts you right there in the action, as if you were experiencing it yourself.
Whether you're sharing a story from your own personal experience -- like I just did -- sharing a student story or sharing a story from the world at large -- something you read or saw or heard somewhere.
Stories create Peak Experiences by allowing your students to see through someone else's eyes and feel like they're experiencing or discovering something for the first time.
This is a great way to bring your customers more deeply into your world and your Micro-Niche Solution.
Now, in addition to telling stories, you want to become mindful of the actual words you're using -- whether you're telling a story or just talking about your work.
Where possible you want to use present-tense verbs such as experience, look, listen, feel and imagine that place your students in the moment there with you. You may also notice that the particular present-tense verbs I chose are also multisensory.
Multisensory Language is language that calls in the 5 senses of touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste -- whether you're describing the texture of wet grass beneath your feet, the color of your beloved's eyes, the sound of your mother's singing, the smell of hot apple cider on Christmas morning or the crisp juicy taste of an apple pulled right off the tree...
When you tell stories... paint a scene... or simply ground someone in their 5 senses, it allows them to get out of their minds and have... an experience.
Did those make you feel any different?
Definitely. So one practice I recommend is tuning in to how you want your customers to feel at any given moment in their journey through your product, then choosing words that support that feeling.
Another great way to access the emotions is through Pattern Interrupts.
Just when your audience thinks they KNOW what to expect, you stir things up or change the game.
I might drop in a random image, video or sound effect, that makes my point in a completely non-linear way and causes the brain to say -- Woah! What’s that?
And while they’re processing this new thing, while the brain is trying to make sense of what just happened, it lowers its defenses for just a moment and creates a little window where the learning or the message can get in and land at a deeper level.
In addition to finding clips on YouTube, you can also use a free tool like GetYarn.io or Giphy.com, which allows you to type in a phrase and find videos and giphy's related to that phrase.
It can take some time and searching to find just the right clip that surprises, delights or makes your point in a non-logical way... but it's worth it!
Now I often have people ask me, "Marisa, is it legal to use clips from other people's videos in your own videos and trainings?"
And, I can't give you legal advice but I can point you to information on Best Practices for Fair Use in Open Courseware, Academic, Teaching and Creative Contexts. You'll find links to books and white papers from my friends at the Center for Media & Social Impact at American University, so you can educate yourself about Fair Use and make a decision about whether and how you want to use these kinds of materials in your product.
Other types of Pattern Interrupts include throwing in a quote, a surprising image, book or screenshot reference just to switch up the format a bit and speak to a different part of the brain…
The fastest way to find quotes is to simply search online something like "quotes about momentum" -- and you'll find a ton to choose from!
BrainyQuote.com is another great resource for this!
Then, of course, there's simply turning on your radar as you're out and about in the world -- experiencing things, watching movies or TV shows, and being inspired to include these references in your product.
For example, in our Start With You program, I talk about watching the Theory of Everything about the physicist Steven Hawking and relate it to a training on finding your "super power". Let me share what I say, so you can see how you can reference movies or pop culture, even without using video clips:
There’s a scene in the movie where Steven’s Cambridge physics professor assigns 10 problem sets to the class, each one more impregnable than the last. And everybody else is just sweating bullets… they’re thinking: “oh snap, this is impossible.”
Steven on the other hand shoves the questions in his pocket and goes on with his life. He’s the cocksin on his rowing team, he gets drunk at the bar, he does everything but work on the problems. He doesn’t even look at them.
Then the day comes when the problems are actually due. His classmate walks into his room and finds him passed out with a hangover… the same classmate who had been working night and day on the problem sets without making much progress. His friend takes one look at Steven and says, “You haven’t even looked at them, right?” Steven shrugs his shoulders, unconcerned, gets out of bed, pulls out the problem set and spills water all over it…
The movie flashes forward to a few hours later. Steven walks into the classroom late just as the teacher rejects the last student’s exams. He asks Steven, did you even bother?
Steven pulls an old train schedule out of his pocket. The professor picks it up, turns it over and on the back of that train schedule is a bunch of scribbled math.
Steven had quickly solved 9 out of 10 questions -- the 10th question was unsolvable of course… and everyone. Was. Floored. His professor realizes that Steven is a prodigy. He’s that once in a generation mind that comes along and revolutionizes everything… still, to Steven, it’s no big deal. He’s just hard-wired that way…
For most people their gifts are a bit like that… so much so that they often take them for granted, they don’t take them seriously, they think it’s no big deal. Anyone can do that...
But anyone can’t do that.
You’re amazing… you have a unique ability that can help a LOT of people… and turn your business -- and your life -- from average to extraordinary…
The challenge is that it can be hard to see your gift clearly.
A fish doesn’t know it’s in water… it’s always there, they’re surrounded by it, it’s all they know… so for them it’s as natural and automatic as air…
Sometimes our unique gifts and abilities are like water, it’s so natural for us, that we don’t even see it, we don’t see it’s value, we take it for granted, it’s so easy for us that we think it has no worth... surely everybody can do what we do in this area. But everybody can't.
Can you see how you can use other people's stories and movies to add another level to your own Sessions?
I like to think about crafting Sessions as if I were weaving a tapestry of meaning and experience. And instead of speaking to one dimension -- people’s heads -- I try to speak to their heads, hearts, bodies and desires all at the same time. To speak to the part of them that longs for growth and meaning… in addition to the part that wants to get to Mission Accomplished -- NOW. Maybe even yesterday.
Let me give you another example from Module 1 Video 8: Right Product, Right Market, Right Time... because I know that my students often feel resistance to proving their idea using the 1:1 Business Model, before scaling to 1:Many, I go beyond TELLING you to start small and SHOW you why this is essential:
You'll create several products and offers over the lifespan of your business. Whether this is your first product or offer, your second, your third, or you’re a seasoned product creator, the question I’d like to pose for you in this video is...
What's the best type of Experience Product for you RIGHT NOW, at this particular point in your business?
What's the best type of Experience Product for you RIGHT NOW, at this particular point in your business?
And based on the amount of time, energy and resources you have at your disposal over the next 12-weeks?
Because that’s very often NOT about starting with a 1:Many product. A 1:Many product is where most people end, not where they start.
And here’s why… a 1:Many product often requires you to either ALREADY have a large audience or be able to put together complex marketing strategies that attract a LOT of people.
A 1:Many Business Model also typically requires more of an upfront financial investment, more time, more technology, more team, more moving parts.
And that’s a smart move when you have a PROVEN idea and the experience and expertise to offer your product at scale.
That’s what’s happening here in EPM. Literally THOUSANDS of students have taken this program since we first launched in 2016, and we’re making a global impact, with students joining us from all over the world!
But it’s not where I started. And it’s not where MOST people start -- not even those people who are touting the 1:Many products they're selling!
The 1:Many approach is really the opposite of an MVP, which is all about getting to market FAST, with a lost cost, low tech solution to PROVE your idea and make some early sales that help pay the bills and build your confidence and experience as you Iterate Your Way to Awesome.
Here, we're all about creating “proof of concept.” Putting together that MINIMUM Viable Product that proves your idea and gets you some early traction and results.
I get that this may not be what you want to hear. I totally understand. I have students tell me all the time “But, Marisa, I see this idea reaching the MASSES.” And I am ALL IN -- 1000% -- to helping you reach those masses. Just like I've helped literally thousands of other students.
But here’s what you need to know -- those gurus who have those enticing marketing campaigns saying how you can make a million dollars overnight with their simple 3-step process that will have hundreds of clients flocking to your program -- are very rarely able to deliver on that promise for their customers, except for a few who were ALREADY experienced, who ALREADY had a scaled business or who just got lucky.
But -- for me -- that’s not enough. I don’t want to leave this to chance. I want to give you THE BEST Flight Plan for success.
Because I imagine you have some big grand plans for your business… and I honor those big grand plans and want to help you realize them… one step at a time.
If you want to have a big business where you're serving thousands of people, I can help you get there. I have MANY students who have reached that goal.
Or if you’re saying, Marisa, I just want to create a great income keeping it simple and having a reliable, repeatable way to get a steady stream of a small number of clients… I can help you with that as well, and have done so for thousands of others.
But you will get THERE… by taking smart, incremental steps HERE.
And that’s a smart move when you have a PROVEN idea and the experience and expertise to offer your product at scale.
That’s what’s happening here in EPM. Literally THOUSANDS of students have taken this program since we first launched in 2016, and we’re making a global impact, with students joining us from all over the world!
But it’s not where I started. And it’s not where MOST people start -- not even those people who are touting the 1:Many products they're selling!
The 1:Many approach is really the opposite of an MVP, which is all about getting to market FAST, with a lost cost, low tech solution to PROVE your idea and make some early sales that help pay the bills and build your confidence and experience as you Iterate Your Way to Awesome.
Here, we're all about creating “proof of concept.” Putting together that MINIMUM Viable Product that proves your idea and gets you some early traction and results.
I get that this may not be what you want to hear. I totally understand. I have students tell me all the time “But, Marisa, I see this idea reaching the MASSES.” And I am ALL IN -- 1000% -- to helping you reach those masses. Just like I've helped literally thousands of other students.
But here’s what you need to know -- those gurus who have those enticing marketing campaigns saying how you can make a million dollars overnight with their simple 3-step process that will have hundreds of clients flocking to your program -- are very rarely able to deliver on that promise for their customers, except for a few who were ALREADY experienced, who ALREADY had a scaled business or who just got lucky.
But -- for me -- that’s not enough. I don’t want to leave this to chance. I want to give you THE BEST Flight Plan for success.
Because I imagine you have some big grand plans for your business… and I honor those big grand plans and want to help you realize them… one step at a time.
If you want to have a big business where you're serving thousands of people, I can help you get there. I have MANY students who have reached that goal.
Or if you’re saying, Marisa, I just want to create a great income keeping it simple and having a reliable, repeatable way to get a steady stream of a small number of clients… I can help you with that as well, and have done so for thousands of others.
But you will get THERE… by taking smart, incremental steps HERE.
Let me tell you this story my husband and business partner, Murray, told me about a group of Japanese tourists who wanted to make it to… the top of Mount Everest… and they thought they were really clever…
They wanted to skip the months of training, they wanted to skip climbing from base camp to base camp to base camp and working their way slowly up the mountain… I mean, who has time for that?
So they hired a helicopter to take them up to the last possible base camp that helicopters can go to… so they could see the beautiful views and take their selfies on the mountain. The helicopter landed, they got off the plane and instead of thriving and having a great time enjoying the view, here’s what happened... they immediately collapsed.
You see, their bodies weren’t accustomed to that high-altitude. They hadn’t acclimatized like they would have if they’d made the journey in stages, staying at base camps at various altitudes along the way.
Instead of breathing in the experience, they weren’t able to breathe… at all!
That’s the problem with starting BIG before you have the experience and, in many cases, the resources.
When you haven’t acclimatized, the mistakes, mis-steps and delays can be BIG. AND expensive too!
That’s why we’re taking a “proof of concept” approach here in this Masterclass -- to demonstrate that you HAVE a marketable idea, a profitable idea, by beta testing that idea... before you go big.
This gives you base camps along the way to acclimatize.
And that’s where the other two types of Business Models come into play.
So, can you see how, instead of coming right out and giving you the answer, the solution, or the how to, I often leverage Story, First-Hand Experiences, Multisensory Language, and Pattern Interrupts to build up to the answer or how to.
In a sense, this is about creating a journey of realization, so you can feel the excitement of discovering the solution for yourself -- that way you have a more embodied, emotional connection with the meaning of what you’re learning, rather than just an intellectual understanding of the content.
You can also do this by leveraging the element of Curiosity & Surprise.
It's scientifically proven that the Pleasure Center in the brain reacts more strongly to unexpected pleasures...
According to a groundbreaking study by Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine, "This means that the brain finds unexpected pleasures more rewarding than expected ones, and it may have little to do with what people say they like."
Personally I've been shocked by the power of unexpected bonuses or rewards.
Let me give you an example. If you did the Optional Supercharge Session on Supplementing Your Offer With the Right Bonuses in Module 2, you heard me talk about the power of creating Urgency with a Fast Action Bonus. This is particularly important on webinars. In the past, I've used Fast Action Bonuses such as a Mission Possible Workshop where I coach everyone on their Product Mission Statements, which -- as you know -- is SUPER valuable.
But when I switched to a more surprising bonus that has less real-world value, people got even more excited and my webinar conversion rates skyrocketed.
So what was the Surprising Bonus I used?
Well let me just share how I introduced it in a surprising way.
I use this element as a Webinar Bonus in our annual EPM Launch, when I give new students a Golden Ticket to the program.
Here's how I introduce this bonus in a way that adds to this feeling of Curiosity & Surprise:
Let me know in the chat if you've seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
And you remember how they hid 5 golden tickets in chocolate bars that got the winners insider's access to the famous chocolate factory? And the whole country was buying chocolate and hoping for a ticket?
Well, when you sign up today you're going to become a Golden Ticket Holder and get insider's access to EPM...
That means you'll be first in line for coach assignments and we'll give you first dibs on coaching times.
Remember we do calls between 5am and 8:30pm PT on Wednesdays and we'll make sure you get your first or at least second choice of coaching times, so these calls will be super convenient for you...
You're also going to get first dibs on laser coaching spots with me during our 4 break week laser coachathons, which means more opportunity for in-depth coaching with me.
And you're going to get first dibs on getting your done-for-you membership built by the Xperiencify team... we're going to open this up for you BEFORE everyone else in the program so you're first in line!
So as you can see your Golden Ticket is your insider's pass to EPM...
And to up the stakes a bit and make this even more fun because this is the Experience Product Masterclass, I'm even going to mail you your very own golden ticket chocolate bar... and when you unwrap that chocolate bar you're going to want to look for a piece of golden paper inside the bar... and if you get the golden paper that means that you've won the Grand Prize!
A spot in an exclusive, half-day small group laser coachathon with me... people pay $30K a day for my time and you have 5 chances to win a half day small group session with me... this Grand Prize is worth at least $5,000 if you win it! And there are 5 Golden Tickets!
Here are last year's winners -- and, let me tell you, they were thrilled! So good luck...
Now the fun thing about this Bonus is that it continues to play out during the live co-hort I run once a year.
First we post this Charlie & the Chocolate Factory video spoof... to tease the chocolate bars are coming on the FB group...
Then, once we ship them all, we post this ridiculous little video and invite people to share photos of themselves with their chocolate bar -- as soon as they receive it...
This starts to build the suspense and we start getting hundreds of comments and photos... culminating with the Grand Prize Golden Ticket winners posting their winning tickets...
Like this post from Nick Amaro who says: "Can't believe it!!! I am beside myself at this amazing opportunity!!! Thank you so much Marisa!! Looking forward to this once in a lifetime event and am beyond grateful!! #momentum"
And it's just a lot of fun!
I also like to leverage the element of Curiosity & Surprise in my live events and Accelerators by sending my students DO NOT OPEN until... messages and gifts that we reveal at key moments during the event...
People love opening envelopes and boxes... and just putting a DO NOT OPEN UNTIL... sticker creates a huge amount of curiosity!
I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I can't wait for you to get your $100 Live Your Message LIVE Box in the mail... so you can check out all the goodies we have in store for you, both things you get to open and enjoy right away and thanks that will get your curiosity going...
So don't forget to claim your bonus tuition waiver and order your $100 Box now at LiveYourMessageLive.com/EPM
You can also create Curiosity & Surprise with language...
In Module 2, I talk about the dick pic to friend zone spectrum and that always gets a few raised eyebrows.
So much so that the 2021 Class even started a thread about it on the FB group...
Jay writes: “Who else is LOVING the content in Module 2? OMG I nearly spat my drink out when Marisa said... "So Jane came to the conclusion that when you jump straight to the 'tell me more' details -- the features and details of your product -- you’re making the grab and sending the marketing equivalent of a dick pic... and who wants to do THAT?!?!?"
And that got 34 comments... from people who posted things like:
“omg I was literally in TEARS!! BRILLIANT!!!
“I had to rewind it because I was like did she just say what I thought she said?!?! I was cracking up. But the cray-cray thing about it is how did she say that with a straight face? This woman is legit!”
“I know!! And then she kept saying it!! I was cracking up!!”
Now, you better believe these students are going to remember this!
Here's the thing -- I don't curse or use terms like "dick pick" for the sake of it... I use it to make challenging points.
This particular example is about finding the right balance in marketing -- of not trying to make the grab too fast and also not playing it so safe you never make an offer... and this is something my students really struggle with.
Now another place this happens in the program is in Module 4, when I talk about the Marketing Mindfuck... again, I don't use this term lightly. But there is literally no other word that describes this feeling when you're in the middle of a launch and it's not going as well as you wanted or you're worried about how people are going to respond or whether they're going to buy, and you start questioning and second guessing everything...
This still happens to me and I've done several multi-dollar launches!
So I use surprising language, because I want my students to remember it, so when they're feeling this way, they're able to say -- "Oh, this is what Marisa was talking about. I'm in the Marketing Mindfuck. This is normal... I just need to keep going!"
Otherwise, they run the risk of being unprepared... and giving up, right at the moment when it's time to push forward…
So you want to take some time to think about what that surprising language might be in YOUR market and related to YOUR product.
Another strategy you’ve seen me use that creates curiosity and surprise (and also acts as a Pattern Interrupt) is when I DRESS UP in different costumes or use unusual props.
For example -- so far you’ve seen me dress up…
- As a Top Gun pilot in the Welcome Video
- And a jogger in the Marketing Mindfuck video
And when you join us in the Momentum Coaching program… I’m just sayin’ you might see me in full astronaut mode!
Plus you’ve seen me…
- Wrangle a protractor to illustrate the 15 degree pivot
- Shower thousands of dollars from the sky to demonstrate bringing in the bucks
- Toss coins
- Ding Tibetan Bells
- Unpack Russian Dolls
- Break open Kinder surprises
- And so much more!
And WHY am I doing that?
That’s right -- I want to keep you engaged and curious about what the heck I’m gonna do next.
Or to snap your attention back to what you REALLY need to know -- just when I think your mind might be starting to wander.
For example, I deliberately decided to wear something different in the Marketing Mindfuck video to be surprising...
I wanted to break the pattern of my normal outfit style for that particular session...
What you will find is that your surprise elements can also serve as pattern interrupts. These two ways of creating Peak Experiences go hand in hand.
And can you guess why I wanted to dress differently for that particular Session?
That’s right -- it’s one of THE most important sessions in Module 4...
I was already going out on a limb with what I called that phenomenon -- the surprising language of the Marketing Mindfuck. And I wanted to go all in to help you embrace that concept.
Now -- I LOVE dressing up and I have a Prop closet that rivals a TV studio. That’s something that’s part of my style and my approach.
My team knows I'm first to jump online and find a costume or prop -- even if we’re just tossing the idea around! I really don’t need an excuse to create some magic and fun around what I’m wearing, or doing, or even what the set looks like.
As you can see from some of these pics showing the fun we’ve had over the years dressing up, creating pattern interrupts and surprising and delighting -- all in YOUR best interest… to keep you curious and to create Experience ESCALATION.
Now, I’m not saying YOU have to dress up. It’s really about finding the ideas that work for YOU and your personal style, brand and approach.
But I WILL encourage you to get out of your comfort zone on this.
Remember -- it’s about creating Curiosity and Surprise! And to do that it’s about zigging just when everyone is expecting you to zag! And that might mean doing some things that at first feel a little uncomfortable or different. But trust me -- those surprising things you do are going to be the things your customers RAVE about, post in your group about and tell their friends about!
So those are a few ways to create Curiosity & Surprise...
And everything I've been talking about so far culminates in what I like to call Multidimensional Teaching -- where I try to immerse you in the learning process, any way I possibly can.
For example, in the annual Flowmapping & Roadmapping Immersion for our Momentum students, we do something called the Land of Plenty.
It's a visualization process that allows you to tune in to what abundance really looks like to you -- in a more non-verbal way.
So in addition to setting the Minimum, Target & Stretch Goals for your business for the year, and writing your business vision, you're also tuning in to what realizing this looks like and feels like in a more symbolic way that's highly inspiring.
The whole process takes about 90-minutes and our students LOVE IT.
Experiences like this also have the benefit of expanding your capacity to be in the unknown, which is critical to your success.
If the brain feels like it’s 100% in control or knows exactly where it’s going 100% of the time, there often isn’t any space for new insights, discovery or lateral thinking. There isn’t space for Peak Experiences.
You’ve got to let go and be in the moment or be in the unknown in order to have a Peak Experience. That's why Peak Experiences help you have new insights and skyrocket your retention.
If it's appropriate, you can also use high-intensity “shock-and-awe” techniques to overwhelm your customers with a huge realization, insight or piece of value. Most people think that overwhelm is a bad thing, but the actual definition of the word overwhelm is to “give too much of a thing to someone”.
The interesting psychology here is that as humans, we're constantly saying that we want MORE. We want MORE love, MORE clients, MORE recognition, MORE how-to training, then the moment we get what we want we feel overwhelmed and we can’t take it in, because we haven’t built the mindset and the muscle to hold for more. So we say that we want it, then we shut down when we actually get it.
But what if you could practice expanding when you receive more rather than contracting?
The truth is that if you truly want to be more, do more, feel more, receive more, overcome more and achieve more, you need to grow your capacity for more.
In The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss teaches people how to become experts fast. And his secret to becoming a fast expert is to learn how to be with the feeling of resistance and overwhelm.
Most people are programmed to do things that give them the least resistance and quit the moment they feel resistance. They associate the feeling of resistance that comes from being at the edge of your comfort zone as a negative emotion, so they give up, shut down or walk away right when they’re about to experience growth.
Now imagine you’re at a gym lifting weights. What do you feel each time you lift the weight?
Resistance, right?
And what happens on the other side of your resistance?
You develop muscle and strength.
True, you may feel sore for a while after. It might hurt like a bi-atch. But you grow your capacity to lift heavier and heavier weights.
So it’s not a bad thing to overwhelm your clients and provide a lot of value quickly through shock-and-awe, as long as you’re able to normalize the overwhelm as part of the learning and growth process… and lovingly expose them to more in the pursuit of getting what they want.
The truth is, if it were easy to build an Experience Product, you wouldn't be in this program. If it were easy to design a profitable product, you would have done it already. So whatever overwhelm, frustration or anxiety you may be feeling around this process, is a reflection of the natural resistance that comes from doing and learning new things -- from getting out of your comfort zone and changing your life in a meaningful way.
Chip Conley in his book Emotional Equations says that Anxiety = Uncertainty x Powerlessness. If you’re able to reclaim your sense of power in the face of uncertainty, you won’t feel anxiety. You only feel anxiety when you allow yourself to feel powerless.
People feel powerless when they point to something or someone outside of themselves as the reason WHY they can’t get what they want or WHY they can't act in alignment with their intentions. But the truth is that YOU are the only thing that can stop you from getting what you want. If you find yourself blaming, complaining, judging, criticizing, or excuse-making you’re giving away your power while creating stress and anxiety.
Here’s the thing: You are as powerful as you allow yourself to be and when you shift your focus to what you can do, rather than what you can’t, you’ll keep moving forward.
When you shift your focus from everything that’s wrong to what’s working and what’s right, you’ll keep moving forward.
When you shift your focus from blame to gratitude, you’ll keep moving forward.
As they say, what you focus on expands, and you’ll find evidence of whatever it is you’re looking for. If you’re looking for ways you’re failing, you’ll find evidence of failure. If you’re looking for ways you’re winning, you’ll find evidence of winning.
So with this program as with anything else in life: If you’re looking for ways you’re not getting the support you need, you’ll find evidence of what you’re NOT getting. And if you’re looking for ALL the ways you ARE receiving support and abundance, you’ll find evidence of THAT.
When you use shock-and-awe to overwhelm people with value and possibility -- in a good way -- you allow them to expand their capacity to receive more, so they can do more, be more, have more, overcome more and achieve more… you support your tribe in building more self-trust, confidence and resilience. Rather than keeping them in their comfort zones.
Challenge is one of the key elements of growth. Without challenge there is no growth.
Let me share a comment about this from EPMer Pam McDonald:
Biggest Insight: That I don't have much patience with not knowing in advance. We're getting this EXPERIENCE instead of being spoon-fed information, which means we're in the dark sometimes about how and what we should be doing. This is quite uncomfortable at times, but so is any and all change. The experience of staying in the process, trusting it, and getting used to that feeling is invaluable!
This is what it looks like to help your customers create the attitudes, beliefs and conditions they need to achieve the goals they desire...
Shock-and-awe techniques are especially common in live or virtual events or retreats where you have a group of customers for a lot of time over just 2-3 days, so you can deep fast and really change people's lives.
For example, Tony Robbins is notorious for facilitating events for 12-18 hours a day for up to 6 days and really pushing his audience to the limits of their capacity.
I also design the occasional uncomfortable but profound exercise in our Momentum Accelerators -- such as my famous "so what?" exercise. Where students are paired together and invited to share the benefits of what they do for 3 minutes straight -- while the other person says, "So what, what does that matter?" Regardless of how awesome what they say actually is... and after a few cycles of sharing, and being questioned like that, they drop below the superficial level of what they do and really get to the juicy stuff...
Of course, getting there isn't easy, and my students hate me for a moment, but they come out the other side, with huge clarity.
That's an example of a "shock and awe" technique.
Now I get that many of the techniques for creating Peak Emotional Experiences that I've covered in this training may feel like they require a lot of creativity... and if you're more left-brained, you may be thinking, "I'm not sure how I can do this."
So I wanted to introduce one more technique that's a little more plug-and-play -- and that is Celebrations!
In our last Session, I talked about using Constant Wins to reward the bigger milestones in your program -- such as Goal Achievement and Module Completion -- and I mentioned that you could use points in conjunction with animations to create a more multi-dimensional experience.
Well inside of Xperiencify we have the world's first Celebration Builder. Our Celebration Builder allows you to layer royalty-free animations, with text and sound effects to celebrate your students when they've achieved a Bigger Milestone.
You can go in there and quickly build your own Celebrations pulling from the tens of thousands of royalty-free animations available to you in the Celebration Builder... or get fancy, like we did, and hire an animator to design your own.
For example, in EPM when you complete Module 1 -- Your Profitable Product Idea -- after you collect your points for the final Session, we show a full-screen animation of a lightbulb with some audio.
Then in Module 2 -- we show an animation of drawing a blueprint of a plane on a scroll of paper...
Then in Module 3 we show an animation of flying that paper airplane.
Then in Module 4 the storyline changes a bit because it's the Supercharge Track... this animation showed a burst of fire...
And onwards and upwards. Of course I can't tell you what happens at the end of Module 5 or I'll spoil the surprise... :)
Now I do similar things at Live Your Message LIVE and in our Momentum Accelerators by anchoring a symbol or exercise early on in the event that then resurfaces later or in the Closing Celebration, but I'll share that with you in the Session on Mission Accomplished because -- as you're starting to see -- these 10 Core Experiences stack together to create even more meaning and momentum on the path from Mission to Mission Accomplished.
That's the magic of Experience Escalation.
So let me quickly recap the 7 ways you can create Peak Emotional Experiences for your customers through your product.
- You can share Stories & Firsthand Experiences
- You can also use Multisensory Language
- Curiosity & Surprise
- Multidimensional Teaching
- Pattern Interrupts
- Shock-and-Awe
- And Celebrations
It’s totally possible to support your customers to get into an almost childlike state of wonder, curiosity and delight as they learn.
Which is completely different from the mental paralysis you get into with most info products that just batter you with more and more info presented in the same way until you tune out… :)
The great American designer Milton Glaser writes, “If you can sustain your interest in what you’re doing you’re an extremely fortunate person. What you see very frequently in people’s professional lives, and perhaps in their emotional lives as well, is that they lose interest in the third act. You sort of get tired, and indifferent, and, sometimes, defensive. And you kind of lose your capacity for astonishment — and that’s a great loss, because the world is a very astonishing place.”
One way to help your customers maintain their interest, astonishment and retention is by bringing a little magic and artistry into your product through Peak Emotional Experiences...
So your next Mission -- should you choose to accept it -- is to start embedding Peak Emotional Experiences in 1 or more Elements of your Experience Product, while avoiding the Anti-Experience of Mental Paralysis, and tracking those Experiences & Anti-Experiences in your Experience Escalation Checklist.
And to help you do that -- you guessed it! We have a Worksheet for you!
Each of the steps are summarized HERE in the Peak Emotional Experiences Checklist.
Starting with Step 1 -- accepting and confirming your Mission for this Session!
Once you’ve done that -- Step 2 is brainstorming at least 3 ideas for each of the 7 ways to add Peak Emotional Experiences to your Experience Product. That means you’ll end up with at least 21 Peak Experience ideas that you could possibly work with.
- Stories & Firsthand Experiences
- Multisensory Language
- Curiosity & Surprise
- Multidimensional Teaching
- Pattern Interrupts
- Shock-and-Awe
- And Celebrations
This is just about getting the ideas down -- don’t worry too much right now about vetting those ideas. Just capture what thoughts you have and get them down on paper. Step 3 is to choose at least one of the ideas you’ve put in EACH of the 7 sections that you'll consider integrating into your product.
As you choose the idea, you can add it into this EXTRA area under each section. And this is where you can make a few notes about exactly where and how you might implement this idea -- remembering you can decide to implement something on either a Macro or Micro Level.
For example -- in the Pattern Interrupts section -- you may have a brilliant idea for a way to do a pattern interrupt for your audience that involves you recording a Session of your Training Program in your car.
So, if that’s the idea you're considering focusing on in that section -- you would add that idea HERE to the space below “Doing the Session from my car.” And then you’d make some additional notes here around whether that’s a one-off Pattern Interrupt that you’re going to do in a specific session -- for example -- it might be ideal for Module 1, Session 3 in your Experience Product. OR if you think this might be something you do more often -- for example you may decide you’re going to cover the final wrap up or Mission for each Session from your car.
Just remember that this Core Experience is more art than science. The majority of your ideas will come out when you’re actually in the middle of writing or delivering your product, as you start to develop your unique delivery style. So it also helps to use the Experience Escalation Checklist as you go, so you can track how often you're using this magical Core Experience.
Which is why Step 4 is updating the Experience Escalation Checklist and you do that by adding the number of instances of Peak Emotional Experiences in that Element. And you add that number to the relevant cell for any of the Interactions or Sessions you’ve nominated in Step 3, so you can get a sense for how well you’ve integrated this Core Experience throughout your product.
And that’s your Worksheet for this Session DONE!
So you know what that means -- it’s time to collect some XP!
You get 1 XXP for watching his Session and 2 XXP for completing the Worksheet...
So go get 'em!
And there you have it! The first 5 Core Experiences in The Experience Formula. And each one of these core Experiences is helping your customers build Unstoppable Momentum on their way to Mission Accomplished…
I’ve been modelling this for you in the delivery of the Experience Product Masterclass and opening the kimono on exactly what we’ve done to create the huge engagement you’ve been seeing on the Facebook Group, the 90%+ participation rates we see in this program and the 50%+ success rates -- all of which are completely unheard of in the online education industry…
So I'm stoked to confirm just how well this model works to support your customers in getting what THEY want…
Cause remember, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
