As some of you know, I’ve been a marketer for a number of years now and run an online copywriter business. One of the pet peeves I get in this line of work is, I come across a product or service that just isn’t that great.
They’re not exactly terrible, but they’re by no means the best in the market.
But, when the business owner comes to me, they’re expecting some form of miracle work. That suddenly, after a single consultation, their product will start selling like hotcakes, this despite them not having a strong positioning, a good differentiation, or a unique proposition.
By this point, I would cool them down and lay down the facts… without a reasonable offer, tricking consumers to buy is no different from manipulative selling.
In essence, they’re not getting an equal or greater value than what they’re paying for.
This often brings up the dilemma of any ethical salesman or marketer…
When it is persuasion and at which point does it become manipulation?
Understanding Sales – The Secret Agent in the Shadow
Truthfully, there is no clear indication. The line is so grey that there’s no way any regulative body or individual could outrightly determine whether a sales tactic is considered persuasion or manipulation.
The next best thing would be to ban sales or selling altogether.
But that idea is ridiculous, not to mention impossible.
After all, if the world stopped allowing people to sell, the entire economy will cease to exist.
Banks won’t have borrowers. Businesses won’t have revenue. Governments will collapse, while freelancers can’t find projects. Employees will lose their jobs, and consumer spending will disappear.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the art of sales must continue and grow.
And to do that effectively, a salesperson must know or have some basic level of persuasiveness.
In fact, as an introvert, I’ve never been a person who would openly approach people on the street. (Though I’ve done street canvassing, door knocking, and cold calling before) Yet proactiveness is a critical aspect of salespeople who rely on the numbers game.
So, by that count alone, I would make a terrible salesperson.
The only way I could “survive” in my business was to improve my closing rate.
And that means I have no choice but to improve my sales skills or in other words… my persuasive abilities.
Persuasive ≠ Charismatic
A common misconception many people have is that being persuasive means being charismatic.
Can’t blame them. After all, most charismatic people are also very persuasive. Just take a look at any popular church pastor standing on a stage and observe how they sway the masses with their words.
Going by those examples, we can easily conclude that being charismatic is being persuasive.
Yet the reverse doesn’t hold true.
I’ve met many people and successful sales individuals who aren’t the least charismatic, yet they’re highly persuasive.
During that search, I noticed similar trends, in the way they move, the way they speak, and the way they communicate their ideas.
My years of copywriting training also lent a hand as I could pick out the “sales tactics” these individuals deployed in their speech.
Best part?
Many of them were unaware they were even using these tactics as it came so naturally to them.
Up to this point, I think you would agree with me that their approach is considered ethical and therefore, they’re persuasive individuals.
Entering the Dark Side
It’s strange when you stop to think about it.
Everything they’ve done is to get their customers or consumers to make a purchase…
To spend their hard earn money!
Yet, we don’t find anything wrong with it.
After all, they’re just persuasive individuals with the ability to sell ice to an Eskimo.
And in most cases, what they’re selling is useful or beneficial for the person buying it.
The problem arises when the “usefulness” part of the equation disappears.
In other words, when a salesperson uses their persuasive skills to influence the sale of something “harmful” to another person.
To put it bluntly, a con job or a scam.
This could be a highly inferior product, or worse…
There’s no product at all!
Back to the Money Game Scheme
A few months back, I wrote an article about my experience in a quiet city in Nanning, China.
Interestingly, that simple article attracted a whole lot of attention from others who were either invited to visit the same city, or had already gone there.
Why would a Chinese city be on the minds of so many people despite it being a relatively unknown destination?
Well, that’s because there is, in my opinion, a money game scheme going on there and these people aren’t sure what to make of it.
I explained more about my visit in my previous post, but one of the comment had requested that I talk or share my opinions about their selling techniques.
Which led me to write this post.
I generally have no qualms about multi-level marketing, after all, the Ministry of Trade and Industry approves of MLM.
In this case, however, I personally feel it is closer to a pyramid scheme, and more specifically, the thing about their sales tactic.
You see, we’ve been talking about how persuasion is useful for businesses, individuals, and the entire country per se.
But what happens when the product that the salesperson is selling doesn’t exist?
To make it more interesting, what happens when the organisation selling this “product” doesn’t exist either?
(On a side note, some would say the same about religion, but that’s a different debate altogether. And yes I’m a practising Catholic)
It begs the question, whether this is manipulative selling and if so, why are so many people standing by the system?
More than a Group
Having been in the field of persuasion for so long, it is easier to spot and identify the various techniques as they’re executed.
And unfortunately, in my experience, there are signs of cult-like activities going on.
The problem with such a situation is that most people in a cult would never agree to that statement.
Ironically, by approaching them and saying they’re in a cult, it further intensifies their beliefs… that they are a “selected” group of individuals and they will face persecutions for their ideas.
(Again this sounds like religion, but I’ll bridge the difference soon)
There are many more manipulative techniques to induce a cult, but the general point is isolation.
Isolation from the rest of “society” to strengthen the bond within the group.
And they do this by encouraging regular visits back to China. Renting or buying a house, so you start to belong there. One-to-one sessions with others in the group to share your experience. An “insider” method of communication among members; in this instance, there is a specific message written in Chinese to ask for an invitation.
Plus a few more which I’ve forgotten now.
The Motive
Ultimately, manipulative activities will always exist.
And the truth is…
There’s almost no way to separate it from approved persuasive selling. Even more so in the marketing industry, I’ve seen prospects who approach my company requesting us to use our copywriting services to trick people into thinking their inferior product is legitimate.
I’ve had to spend time teaching them the difference between persuasion and manipulation, but when the motive is the only factor that separates the two, there’s hardly any clear directive left to stop one and not the other.
Instead, the best thing for anyone to do is to educate yourself on these practices.
So, you’re in power to make your conclusion and decide for yourself whether to get involve or to make a purchase.
Unfortunately, this is not a common practice as most people don’t want to bother with learning this skill.
Only to fall victim to the tactics and crying foul after the deed has been committed.
And sad to say, when there is no organisation to go after, there’s almost no avenue to recover the lost money.
Especially when you sign an agreement that you got into this scheme willingly and were not coerced into joining. (Unfortunately, personal greed is never an excellent argumentative point)
With that said, what makes a salesperson manipulative?
I want to think that the motive behind the act is the root identifier.
With other groups like religion, the individual is sharing a personal experience with their creator, and they’re recounting various instances where they felt and believe it to be true. It’s only when they start to force the ideas and beliefs on to another unwilling party that questions should be raised.
That’s when it gets manipulative.
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