How Does NLP Impact on Marketing Practices?
08 September 2010
There are numerous techniques out there to employ when launching a business, whether it's on the web or elsewhere. A lot of these techniques can be easily misconstrued, as they're not always business-building applications but more of the soul-searching, character-building variety like NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming). NLP is often considered controversial in its approach. While it seems nonintrusive in one of its main goals, providing a system of therapy which enables a person to practice self-awareness and effective communication and to change patterns of mental behavior, part of the implication is that it creates too much of a monkey-see, monkey-do mentality that's bad for business.Neuro-linguistic programming wasn't always used for business. In fact, it started as straight therapy and evolved into a business tactic in the 1970s when Bandler and Grinder claimed the NLP methods could be used for business. The pitch was simple: if one person can do something, you can do it too. That's basically what NLP teaches at its core.
Looking at NLP as a whole, it can be described as the exploration of how people think (you and/or your competitors), communicate and evolve within and to surroundings. By exploring your own self-awareness and the patterns of others, you can then replicate and improve performance with NLP.NLP in business is all about positive attitudes that achieve results, modeling a business or business mind after a working model, implementing preexisting and working techniques, and focusing on personal development. The sort of impact NLP has on
marketing practices all depends on how much of someone else you put into your business.There is an ethical dilemma for some. NLP essentially teaches that it's okay to model your behavior after a successful person's behavior. And while that's a common sense thing that's certainly on the up-and-up, it has the potential to create plagiarism, when individuals have a mind to copy more than attitude and outright steal business ideas.This is when NLP crosses the line. The theft of
intellectual property used for another's gain is criminal, no matter how you slice it. As long as you're a person with a strong moral code, however, NLP can be a great way to promote your self-awareness and to model your business thinking after someone else who's successful in the market.The impact on your business marketing can be huge if you give NLP a chance to help you shape your attitude and thinking. In terms of marketing practices, the method could help you achieve personal success by following a working formula of success.NLP does bring with it the threat of watering down the market with countless imitation. However, this is always a threat in business and not necessarily something that would diminish in a market bereft of NLP techniques. All in all, NLP remains a good tactic to use when trying to reach success in the business world.
