Change is always part of the equation when it comes to advising clients. You're asking your clients to do something they've never done before. You might be asking them to sign a check they've never signed before, or to increase the size of it. Or, you could be asking them to adopt a perspective they've never had before.

When it comes to change, the first thing we feel is anxious. Eventually, when the pressure subsides, we tend to revert back to the way we used to do things. When clients are asked to make a decision, you absolutely have to keep the gentle pressure on to remind them why you're moving in a new direction, why you're asking them to do something different. So change is always in play.

Inspiring change becomes easier when we understand the role our brains play in this process.

The first part of the brain is the neocortex, the thinking brain. This is where logic, analysis, rational thought and language exist. This is also where skepticism and judgment lie. Our high-functioning thinking part of the brain is where we start judging information that comes at us. We start being skeptical about facts and figures.
The middle part of the brain, the limbic system, is known as the feeling brain. This is where memory, sociability, feelings and emotions lie. It's where trust is established, and it’s where we visualize.
The third part is the instinctive brain. This is what happens without thinking. Breathing, hunger, balance, avoidance, survival and safety.

If we start asking our clients to change by communicating facts and figures, it hits the neocortex first and has to go through skepticism and judgment. If you communicate in a way that you address and reach the limbic system first, then it will justify it rationally. You've heard that: People buy emotionally and justify it rationally.

Your best chance is to trigger the limbic system first. Appeal to the feeling brain by tapping into the client’s emotions. Help them visualize the change, and show them the difference between what they have now and what you’re recommending. Make sure your message is simple, and make it egocentric — it should be all about them. What’s the benefit to them? The best way to do that is something you're all very good at already. It's called a story.

I would challenge you that anytime you have anything that needs to be impactful, always do it in a story. Use a narrative to trigger that limbic system. And by the way, there's no judgment in the limbic system. Think of a 5-year-old listening to a good story. They don't ask their parents if it’s true or not. They just are in that youthful belief.

The last piece from a neuro scientific standpoint is what we call the intensity urgency. We want to get people to make a decision. Here's the thing — the intensity of one's belief drives the urgency of behavior. This is how the brain works: An event happens out in the market. The brain goes back into its memory banks and finds a memory that approximates what just happened. Every single memory that you have has an emotion attached to it. The emotion is what drives behavior. The higher the emotion, the higher the behavior.

So when we look at communicating, these are the components that you've got to take your clients through. You've got to create connection. They've got to understand that you're real, that there's a little bit of vulnerability, that there's a little bit of imperfection, but that you're passionate about what you believe in. Then you've got to define the gap. And more importantly, you want to quantify the gap in staying where you are. What are you giving up to actually stay where you are? What's the consequence of not doing what you're supposed to do? And you do this so well with “what if” stories.

Make sure you quantify the gap of not making the change, and then bridge that gap. You want to bring that inspiration. Create the buy-in. Now they see how it affects them, the benefit it has to them, and then finally you gain that commitment.

Following these tips ensures you can inspire your clients to make changes. This brings all the proper neurochemistry in place and assigns meaning. And more importantly, you're communicating through that limbic system that has no judgment. That's the key piece.

Franc Godri is the founder and chief transformation officer of Cirrus, a firm focused on neuroscience and its application through sales training, leadership development and executive coaching. Through some simple tools and techniques, Godri helps leaders build trust, create consensus and apply the science of action.