21 Comments
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Hala Saleh's avatar

This is brilliant. I'm so glad I found your substack!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

thank you ♥️

Katheryn Gronauer's avatar

Omg what did I just read!? 🤭 I get it but I need more of the how-tos now.

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

You know what? That is actually a very good idea. I may write something 🫶

Katheryn Gronauer's avatar

Please do! I’m already wondering how it ties to marketing sequences and sales pages - rather than a mix of education, desires, case studies, deadlines etc I feel like each piece or section needs to speak to the different personas

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

OK, been writing on this in the background. a new post with details is coming on April 21! Thank you for gentle nudge and inspiration

Katheryn Gronauer's avatar

Yay, looking forward to it!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

Wrote a follow-up. If the first essay was about who your customer is, this new one is about how they experience everything you build, not as a rational player, but as a nervous system navigating states they didn't choose. Feels like the more important half, honestly. https://kimasargsyan.substack.com/p/the-nervous-system-is-the-customer

Katheryn Gronauer's avatar

Thank you SO much for writing this, it has so many mic drop moments I don’t even know where to begin quoting. I honestly think this is the best thing I’ve ever read about marketing. It makes me think about ethical sales not from whether you’re a good salesperson or a slimey one, but whether you’re willing to make your customer feel safe and the transaction easy or if you want to negatively influence their nervous system. It also reminds me how when I first joined Substack, the first publication I instantly subscribed to was one that made me feel safe and seen - hitting the paid subscription was a no brainer. Also, I recognize myself in your words in two ways: when I’m ready to buy, I hate searching all over the place or scrolling through a long sales page for the payment link. And when I reflect on past marketing I’ve created, I think the sequences where I’ve injected things like scarcity not only make my customer in a nervous system state I don’t want them to feel, but I too am emotionally charged because I’m banking on my conversion rate to increase because of it even thought it doesn’t feel good. Thanks again, I’ll have to reread it a few times!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

thank you so much! this means a lot

Anita Shannon's avatar

Okay this is genius!! I need more to consume and think about - fantastic work!!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

yay! thank you 🤍

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

Hi Anita! Wrote a follow-up. If the first essay was about who your customer is, this new one is about how they experience everything you build, not as a rational player, but as a nervous system navigating states they didn't choose. https://kimasargsyan.substack.com/p/the-nervous-system-is-the-customer

Maya Seshadri's avatar

This is SUCH an interesting idea to apply to brand experiences and experiential marketing (my world).

We talk about building brand worlds for identities and transformations, without accounting for the different versions of self that are building trust with that brand.

Brand environments should create a place where someone can briefly step into the identity they’re reaching for, even if they’re not fully there yet.

Great piece. Thanks for writing!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

glad it resonated! thanks for all the kind words ♥️

Sarah Phillips's avatar

Loved reading this, Kima. Hit home on a number of levels and is something I was trying to articulate (less articulately) in a client meeting recently where I brought up that marathon runner (name escapes me) who stops for a smoke break along the way. People are full of contradictions. That’s what makes us interesting.

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

thank you Sarah! glad it resonated. it means a lot coming from a fellow strategist

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

Hi Sarah, your example here is actually such a good one. I think the follow-up I just wrote covers this as well. If the first essay was about who your customer is, this new one is about how they experience everything you build, not as a rational player, but as a nervous system navigating states they didn't choose. https://kimasargsyan.substack.com/p/the-nervous-system-is-the-customer

Lara Wahl's avatar

Incredibly well analyzed, and your descriptions of the three types and examples are very well presented! Thank you so much for the insights; this will definitely help me better understand the target group when I launch my campaign pitch on Monday!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

Lara! Thank you so much. All the best luck with the pitch!

Kima Sargsyan's avatar

How did the pitch go? Wrote a follow-up on this one btw. If the first essay was about who your customer is, this new one is about how they experience everything you build, not as a rational player, but as a nervous system navigating states they didn't choose. Feels like the more important half, honestly. https://kimasargsyan.substack.com/p/the-nervous-system-is-the-customer