You ever read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown?
Me neither.
But I did see the movie.
While the literary critics might not be fans, anything that can make church seem THAT cool has to be worth something right?
But that’s not the point of this email.
This is:
Hidden within the Da Vinci Code is one of the most powerful “proofing mechanisms” that I know of.
And typical of the story itself, in order to find out what it is you have to peel back a few layers.
The movie claims that numbers have certain mystical powers.
Numerology is great for hacks, charlatans, and false prophets, but not entirely without foundation.
Sidenote: All Lies That Catch On Start With A Central Truth.
Human beings do in fact find certain “clusters” or “numbered groupings” to be more desirable than others.
For example, the Fibonacci Sequence can be seen throughout architecture, art, and even in nature. When our brains subconsciously recognize the familiar structure, we think “Oh wow, that is beautiful”.
When the distance between someone’s eyes and nose reach a certain proportion, we think “They are attractive”.
It’s all numbers.
But those aren’t the only “clusters” or “numbered groupings” humans love.
Our brains LOVE when things come in 3s.
The Trinity.
Olympic winner’s podiums.
Trilogies.
The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The Hanson Brothers?
Our brains love things grouped in 3s so much that we have a name for it:
Rule Of Three. (or “omne trium perfectum” for all you latin-ites out there)
The point is, our brains love that number.
There is something primordial, something biological about our brains reaction to the number 3.
And copywriters know that.
Gene Schwartz was FAMOUS for grouping benefits by 3s.
Why?
Because when you group benefits by 3s you:
1. Trigger a deep psychological need to feel “wholeness” so that the statement of fact becomes an emotional feeling (Read: You close more sales)
2. Hit the sweet spot of “not too hot”, “not too cold”, “but just right” which allows you to zero in on the EXACT prospect you are targeting your message to (Read: Greater response)
3. Can repeat something you already said with a new twist and it feels just “different” enough to cause a biological reaction within the reader… one they can’t help but listen to (Read: Consistent positive affirmations about your product or service)
+ And much, much, much more…
So, the next time you are about to sit down and start writing bullets, try grouping them in threes and play around with how you might be able to use that grouping to increase the strength of each bullet.
To your success,
Mike
P.S. Be sure to open tomorrow’s email because I will be sending out another video where I show you a bunch of other awesome proofing mechanisms you can use to close more sales with your sales letter.