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Overview
Most small business owners think that neuromarketing and behavioral science are tools reserved for big brands with big budgets. In this episode, John Jantsch talks with Roger Dooley, author of three books on the intersection of brain science and business, about his latest release, The Persuasion Engine. Dooley explains why AI has successfully democratized decades of behavioral science research, giving entrepreneurs and freelancers access to the same persuasive principles when they’re locked away in corporate units.
The discussion covers how AI models like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini can work as cost-effective consultants, using frameworks from Robert Cialdini, BJ Fogg, and Dale Carnegie for everyday marketing tasks like landing pages, emails, and competitive audits. Dooley also shares research that shows AI scores higher than humans on emotional intelligence tests, and explains what that means for writing effective customer communications.
This episode is for small business owners, marketing consultants, and agency owners looking for an effective, cost-effective way to apply behavioral science to their marketing without hiring a team of researchers. Dooley closes with a simple framework for running the first behavioral test using AI in less than an hour.
Guest Bio
Roger Dooley is the author of three books exploring the intersection of brain science and business, including his latest, The Persuasion Engine, which shows entrepreneurs and small business owners how to use neuromarketing with AI to understand and win customers. Dooley has spent two decades studying neuromarketing and behavioral science, and is known for his work on reducing friction in the customer experience. He regularly shares his profile on LinkedIn, where he is very active on social media.
Key Takeaways
- Neuromarketing tools once reserved for big brands, like eye tracking and behavioral testing, are now affordable enough for any small business to use.
- AI models can serve as a low-cost substitute for a team of behavioral science consultants, using frameworks from experts like Cialdini, Fogg, and Carnegie for a given project.
- A 2025 Swiss study found AI models scored higher than humans on emotional intelligence tests, with top models reaching around 89 percent compared to an average human score of around 60 percent.
- The most common mistake business owners make with AI is failing to provide enough context about their company, customers, and market before asking for a product.
- Treating AI as a conversation, rather than a single prompt and response, produces better understanding. Stepping back and asking the following questions is important.
- Testing the same information across multiple AI models (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT) can yield better results than relying on one.
- AI can be used to conduct competitive assessments, analyze competitor websites, reviews, and messaging to identify gaps and placement opportunities.
- Before sending important customer communications, especially those that deliver bad news, using AI to test empathy and clarity can avoid costly missteps.
- Adding the phrase “ask any questions that will help you answer” to the prompt often improves the quality of the AI’s output significantly.
- An initial ethical assessment can begin by adding company context, sharing existing marketing materials, and asking AI to identify points of conflict and missing ethics.
Good times
[00:01] – John presents the episode with guest Roger Dooley, author of The Persuasion Engine
[01:27] – Dooley explains why we’ve entered “neuromarketing 2.0” as tools are democratized
[03:17] – How AI can use the frameworks of Cialdini and Kahneman without needing a thousand pages of study
[05:19] – Research showing AI models outperform humans in emotional intelligence tests
[06:45] – Building an AI-powered “expert team” using models like Claude or Gemini
[09:11] – A real example: using AI to evaluate competitors of a pool service company
[11:12] – How to give AI context to reflect your brand voice rather than a standard tone
[16:09] – Why AI is incredibly successful at predicting how people will react emotionally to a message
[17:45] – An example from the Duolingo CEO book and how good intentions can still go wrong
[19:45] – Dooley’s outline for conducting an initial behavioral assessment in less than an hour
Memorable Quotes
“AI is surprisingly good at predicting how people will feel about a message, even though it can’t feel anything itself.” — Dooley
“It’s much better to do that as a conversation where you search and backtrack, because the AI wants to please you and will give you answers you don’t like.” — Dooley
“It usually doesn’t give enough context, one, about the company, the customers, the market.” — Dooley
“You can build, using an AI model like Claude or Gemini, a team of your top experts, whoever you think is most important to your particular project.” — Dooley