Are You Being Conned Into Stealing From People?
By Anna Johnson on November 11th, 2008Today I reproduce an email sent to me by a Kikabink News subscriber (published with his permission).
WARNING: if you are easily offended, don’t read on.
If, on the other hand, you’re ready for a rather confronting article, go ahead. It’s controversial… I don’t necessarily agree… and it’s definitely food for thought (if you think deeply about the underlying ideas)…
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“Websites that Hypnotize Your Prospects… and COMMAND them to buy! Hypnotic Websites, Hypnotic Email Messages, Hypnotic PR… We’ll show you step-by-step how to create marketing that literally tricks your prospects into obeying your every command…
“Steal this”
“Murder your job”…
and the list goes on.
Can you show me any reason other than greed, as to why anyone would tell you they have a way to MAKE people buy your items? Can you tell me why we have to “steal” this or that to make it on the Internet?
What is wrong with the old fashioned way of selling?
Do a sales page and whatever else it takes to bring prospects to you, and if they want, they will buy. Hell, do a 33 page sales page as some do, but do it right and honestly. Would you want someone to sell you something you do not need just because they found a way to MAKE you like it or think you want it?
Here is an example for you and a crude one at that: would you want someone to put a drug in a drink and take advantage of you, against your wishes? Now you may ask, “what has that to do with Internet marketing?” The reason is that in both cases someone is taking advantage of you in a way you would not normally want.
In your right mind you would not want to go anywhere with someone who spiked your drink, just as in your right mind you would not buy something you really don’t need.
And what about the people who tell you to “steal this” from someone.
Why should I have to “steal” anything? I know it’s a gimmick, and the idea is not really to steal anything. But the use of “stealing” still leads people to believe they’re getting something for a cheaper price. And, if you think about it, such language is appealing to that part of people that is negative and greedy.
I don’t need to steal anything and I don’t need to cheat or dupe people into thinking they need to buy from me. This Internet marketing business should be honest, but it is getting worse every day. Why not call it the “IM419 Marketing”. If you don’t know what a “419er” is, go to Google and search on it. You will find out what I am talking about.
Why should anyone have to “trick” “steal, “kill”, “hypnotize”, “lie” and so one to sell a product? All of those words are negative and appeal to the base side of all of us. Do we need to be criminals to participate in the Internet marketing arena?
If a product is good and serves our purposes then we can buy it. We do not need to be browbeaten and lied to. Nor should we be told how to cheat others to sell. A good sales letter of a few pages to a few dozen should do the job. I don’t think anyone should advertise for a company that advocates what these people are saying.
Besides… what happens when someone wakes up and realizes they have been screwed? Refund time and a host of other problems they wouldn’t have experienced had they been honest. If your product is good, then sell it proudly and with honor. If it is bad, then redo it and try again. How much more simple can it be?
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What do you think? Agree? Disagree?
November 11th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I agree with the writer’s distaste for the overuse of emotional triggers in marketing. Every good copywriter knows that in order to induce/persuade the reader to act, it’s helpful to bring his/her emotions into play. However, like any stimulant, the more of it a person receives, the more of it is needed to get the same effect the next time. It’s become a contest of which marketer can out-stimulate the rest.
The real question is: what is the purpose of the marketing piece? Is it to sell something or to provide value for the customer? In many cases, it’s the former. Businesses built on selling things will eventually fail. Businesses built on providing value to the customer will thrive.
One really interesting trend of late has been the offering of a “free” CD/book/whatever in exchange only for a “shipping and handling” fee. Contained in the fine print on the site is the disclosure that accepting this “free” item automatically enrolls the recipient in a monthly program costing $29.95, or whatever. I admit to being burned three times on deals like this. The marketers got my money for the first month, but lost my trust forever. Apparently, a lot of other people have expressed displeasure with this tactic so now the notice of the monthly charge is more prominently displayed on the offers I’ve seen lately, but it’s too little too late, in my opinion.
Selling is an art form and when done right provides value for both the seller and the buyer. Tactics like those discussed are what give “selling” a bad reputation.
John The Geek
November 11th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I read the original post and the comment with interest. I get a bit tired of the hard sell myself. But it has ever been so. Remember the stories of the Fuller Brush salesman and the old time used car salesman. Or the original snake oil salesman. Their business was to make sale by whatever means they could. I have my own business. It makes money by offering a service. I have to maintain that service over time. Today, I am looking at offering a new service. So I have the opportunity to adopt a more subtle approach to getting more sales. Today on the Internet, the “salesman” often only has a few seconds to make a pitch.
I recently saw a sales page that, if i had decided to print it (had I wanted to, of course) would have used up 110 sheets of my paper. I can buy books with less paper in them.
These days, I check the sales page headline. If I have any interest at all I quickly scroll down to the bottom and check the price. Noting particularly if there is any form of monthly subscription involved. If there is, I am out of there. If I still have any interest, I quickly scan the opening couple of paragraphs. And I never look a the (generally useless) bonuses
Cheers