One pair of running shoes. Four ways to sell it.
The fastest way to get more people to act on what you say isn’t a better line. It’s knowing who you’re talking to – and adapting how you say it to match how their brain is wired.
Nike doesn’t really sell shoes. Nike sells winning. “Just Do It.” Gritted teeth, personal bests, athletes mid-stride. It’s one of the best brand voices ever built. But it only speaks loudly to part of the audience.
That’s where NeuroColor comes in. The framework, built on neuroscience research, looks at the four brain systems linked to personality – dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and estrogen. Each of us has all four. We just express them to varying degrees – which is why the same message can grab one person and barely register with another.
Nike’s pitch is built for the testosterone-linked system (Red): tough, competitive, results-driven, status-aware. For the part of us wired this way, it’s not a shoe. It’s proof you’re someone who wins.
Here’s how the same pair could be sold to the other three:
We’re not sorting people into four boxes. Everyone has all four brain systems. You just display more traits from some than others. The version that resonates with you is the one that speaks to those traits.
Nike’s voice isn’t wrong. It’s a masterclass – in speaking to one system. That focus is exactly why it works.
It’s also why Hoka, On, Allbirds, and Brooks all exist and all thrive. They’re not making better shoes. They’re speaking to systems Nike isn’t.
Stop assuming everyone hears your message the way you do. Pay attention to who’s in front of you – what they care about, what they trust, what motivates them – and adjust how you make your case. Same point. Different delivery. Far more people on board.
And while you’re at it, notice your own pull. Which of those four shoe pitches resonated most strongly with you? Which one almost made you roll your eyes? That’s a clue to the systems you lead with – and the default lens through which you tend to communicate your ideas. Once you see it in yourself, you start seeing it in everyone around you.
Self-awareness is the first step. Understanding the people around you is the next. A NeuroColor workshop gives your team both. Each person takes the assessment, learns how to read the four systems in themselves and others, and walks away knowing how to adapt their approach to anyone in the room. Reach out to us at NeuroColor to set one up.
How do I spot which traits someone leads with?
Listen for what they push on. The one asking for proof and track record? High serotonin (Blue). The one chasing the new idea? High dopamine (Yellow). The one bringing it back to the team? High estrogen (Green). The one cutting to the result? High testosterone (Red). People tell you who they are in the questions they ask.
Do I really need to write four versions of every message?
No. You just need to know who you’re talking to and adjust accordingly – which examples you lead with, what you emphasize, what you leave out. The framework isn’t more work. It’s better aim.
What if my audience is mixed?
Most are. Strong communicators weave in all four – proof for those high in Blue, possibility for those high in Yellow, people impact for those high in Green, results for those high in Red. They make it look effortless. NeuroColor makes it deliberate.
How do I figure out which traits I lead with?
Notice which of the four shoe pitches in this article pulled you in – and which one made you roll your eyes. That’s your starting point. The assessment fills in the full picture.
Can a team actually learn to do this?
Yes – and faster than you’d think. A NeuroColor workshop gives every person their own report, teaches them to read the patterns in their colleagues, and turns “why doesn’t anyone listen to me?” into “I know exactly how to reach this person.”
The fastest way to get more people to act on what you say isn’t a better line. It’s knowing who you’re talking to – and adapting how you say it to match how their brain is wired. Nike is one of the best brand voices ever built. But it only speaks loudly to part of the audience.
Are your team meetings built for the loudest processors…or for the actual mix of introverts and extroverts you have? Most leaders don’t know. And until you do, you may be unintentionally leaving your best thinking on the table.
If your team keeps getting stuck between “let’s go bigger” and “let’s take the sure win,” there’s a biological reason. And a simple fix!
Remember Goldilocks testing porridge, chairs, and beds? Teams have their own version of “too hot,” “too cold,” and “just right.” Some sprint ahead without enough structure. Others pile on so much process they can barely move. The healthiest teams find the Goldilocks Zone – where structure supports, but doesn’t suffocate.
Some teams move fast, decide faster and push through obstacles like a freight train.
If your team thrives on action, control, and clear logic, you might be seeing the effects of what NeuroColor calls Tough-Minded/Direct Red – a brain system shaped by testosterone that fuels decisiveness, directness and drive.
Our brains are wired to prioritize information shared by people we like. But, we often like folks who think similarly. Great for happy hour, bad for groundbreaking ideas!
Ever wonder what gets your team truly motivated? Recent research by Ingo Willuhn and his colleagues at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience sheds light on the brain’s reward system and its role in driving action.
You may be well past “Hello, my name is” but how well do you really know your team? Building a truly connected team requires understanding each other’s thinking and communication styles, strengths, and even quirks.
Take the following three action steps to dive deeper than “Hello.”
NeuroColor is proud to be a returning sponsor of the Aspirnaut program, a summer research internship program that provides students from rural and diverse backgrounds with STEM opportunities and research experience at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
In her just-released Harvard Business Review article (“5 Ways Managers Can Support Neurosignature Diversity at Work”), NeuroColor Advisory Board Member Friederike Fabritius references NeuroColor co-founders Dr. Helen Fisher and David Labno – and encapsulates their concepts of neurosignature and diversity of thought in her hands-on advice for leaders.