A while back I was talking to a friend about religion and religious cults (don’t ask, we have some really weird conversations).
We discussed how cult leaders play on people’s insecurities (usually the fear of death/what will happen after death) and use that fear to exploit the person into spending often huge sums of money in the pursuit of eternal salvation.
The Psychology of Marketing
It occurred to me that marketing often works on pretty much the same process. A good marketer looks for the weakness or insecurity and plays on it to get you to part with money.
Now this isn’t necessarily a scam or an awful thing – it can be something as simple as:
The insecurity – I’m paying too much for X brand of product.
The play – Y brand is just as good and cheaper.
You see what I mean yet?
Where it gets bad is when the person selling something to you is a con artist rather than an ad executive.
They identify the weakness (and the really good ones find a perceived weakness and slowly chip away at you with their charm until you believe that you have it) and then sell you something to “fix” it. Except the something doesn’t work, and you’re left out of pocket and no further forward.
How Not To Be a Sucker
So how do avoid falling for these tricks? Don’t be a sucker.
If something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because it is.
Here are some things to stop and consider before parting with your money:
Do I Really Need Help With X?
Consider whether or not you even need to change whatever it is the person is trying to convince you needs changing. 
Often, when you really think about it, you realise that actually, you’re perfectly happy without the product you’re being sold.
Move on. Don’t buy it.
Will This Actually Help?
If you decide that you do actually need something to deal with whatever problem you identified above, then ask yourself if the product in question will really help. Is it even possible? See the example below that illustrates what I mean.
Is It Too Good To Be True?
If you’re convinced the product will help, ask yourself is it too good to be true? Will it really do what it claims to? Will it really help? Or do you just really want it to?
Are There Any Guarantees?
If you have still reached the conclusion that you do need this fabulous new product, check to see if the company selling it offer any guarantees. Do they sound justifiable?
Also check the small print, and if you’re going to be parting with a large sum of money, research the company to make sure they are legit.
An Example of How the Above Works
I read about a case online that may or may not be an urban legend, but which highlights the examples above perfectly so I’m going to use it anyway.
Point One – Do I Need This?
A man receives an email offering penis enlarging pills. He deletes it with a laugh and goes about his day. But the words keep on coming back to him. He finds himself examining himself and wondering if he falls short (pun intended). By the time the follow up email arrives, he’s convinced himself he needs a bigger penis.
Point Two – Will This Help?
I don’t know for sure, but I’d be willing to bet that penis enlarging pills aren’t a scientifically proven thing. In other words, they are unlikely to work. By now though, the man in our example is so convinced he needs those pills, he over looks this point.
Point Three – Is It Too Good To Be True?
The man should have took a moment to really think about this being possible for such a cheap price (yes, I get spam email trying to sell me these wonder pills and they’re pretty cheap).
He doesn’t question this and he buys them anyway.
Point Four – Are There Any Guarantees
Now according to what I read, there was a money back guarantee – if the pills don’t work, you can get a full refund. Sounds good right?
It sure did to the man in question. But he failed to read the small print.
When the pills failed to work (shocker), he asked for a refund. He was told he could have a full refund as long as he provided a signed doctor’s note to say his penis hadn’t grown.
Think about that for a second. There’s no false advertising. They will refund you if you meet what sounds like a reasonable condition which is to prove the product didn’t work.
But they now know the man has insecurities about his penis. Is he really going to go to a doctor and admit that not only did he buy an unknown substance from the internet and consume it blindly, but he also now thinks his penis is too small?
How many would? 1 in a 100? 1 in a 1000?
The odd few that do will be far outweighed by those who don’t and the scam artist has made his or her fortune.
Have you ever fallen for a scam or even found yourself buying things you don’t want or need due to clever marketing? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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Is it too good to be true is stuck a good base point. I reckon once a month or so my dad asks me if done random email or text is a scam. Get a free Dyson, style ones. I’ll always ask if he gave anyone offering the freebie his details, which of course he hasn’t, and then point out the old if it’s too good to be true motto #bloggerclubuk
Yes – it goes a long way to working out if something is for real!
I actually wrote a blog post on how easy it would be to become the leader of a cult. Obviously, it was intended to be humorous but it does highlight that some people are just programmed to be easier to manipulate. Salesman are great at identifying them and pushing hard. #BloggerClubUK
Haha, it really would! All you need is enough charisma and self-confidence that people buy the BS you’re selling them!
It’s amazing what people believe. I work in marketing so have studied a lot around the psychology. I try and always make my marketing ethical but there’s a lot of people out there who don’t. And it’s very naughty!
The psychology behind it fascinates me – like how people will put their faith in someone just because they have the gift of the gab.
It really is naughty. I think if companies are selling something that genuinely does what it claims to do, then they don’t need to exaggerate and scam people and if they’re not – well that doesn’t say much about them!
I’ve been a bit of a sucker and bought things like “how to be happy” books… I’m not too bad on actual items though, although saying that i was going to buy this really expensive wrinkle cream once… I didnt go through with it in the end but it was close!
#BloggerClubUK
I think we’ve all fell for the self help books at some point – although in fairness some of the better ones actually do have good techniques.
I fell for a scam once a long time ago when my oldest was a baby. My ex and I were really strapped for money and we had gotten one of those checks with a letter that says a do-gooder out there has sent you money. Desperate as we were we blindly accepted and cashed the check. Next thing we know we are negative $2000 in our account. We had no idea that it was a bad check. Thankfully our bank was very understanding and told us that now these scammers have our checking account number because when checks are run through the system, somehow the scammers now know our account number. I don’t know how that works but it was really scary. A month ago I was on Facebook and liked a page network for women. Next thing I know I’m getting phone calls from them. They made a great sales pitch how they would love for me to be a part of their major network that spans the whole United States. Yeah, except the catch is they want you to send them your credit/debit card number and charge you $1000 just to join. I know better than to give my account number to anyone. No thanks. Great post Debbie! Thanks for sharing and hosting #bloggerclubuk
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear this. They play on the vulnerable and that’s why it’s so damn annoying. I’m glad you learned from it though and said no to the other offer. Of course they’d love to have you of they’re charging you $1000!
Yes, definitely. marketing is so interesting, I actually did a few classes on it in university, and it really makes you think about how we perceive things in popular culture. #bloggerclubUK
Yes, when you’ve been on the other side and learn the techniques, it’s really eye opening!
I question everything but it depends on how desperate the person is and it’s when someone is vulnerable that this normally happens. Which is disgraceful. #BloggersClubUK
Yes, I agree completely!
I have fallen for a few- but mostly because that is I never read fine print when buying things on the internet. Agree- if it sounds like the deal of a century- you are in for it,
#bloggerclubuk
That’s so me and it’s not even just the small print. I once ordered a book off Amazon and it arrived written in German. I went to contact the seller, and right in the title in huge letters it said “German edition”. Oops!
Oh I definitely agree with asking yourself ‘is this too good to be true’, if you have to ask this then it usually is too good to be true! x
#BloggerClubUK
Yes, that’s a good point! x
Good points here Debbie. It can be tough when everyone else is going for something, it seems like a better idea then doesn’t it? I’ve been caught out with a few things blog related that it turns out I totally wasted my money. But you live & learn!! 🙂
Definitely because the FOMO kicks in lol
We all have something that we would like to change or improve in our life so I guess we will always be susceptible to a piece of good marketing literature. My weakness is face cream. I spend a small fortune on creams to stave off the lines and wrinkles. Does it work? It makes me feel better about myself so I suppose it does. Interesting post Debbie. #bloggerclubuk
It’s not quite so bad when the stuff actually works. Thank you 🙂
Playing on a person’s securities is horrid. #BloggerClubUK
My first degree is in marketing, and I realised about halfway through it that it was basically just a course on how to brainwash people. It didn’t sit well with me at all. Needless to say, I didn’t look for a career in marketing when I graduated! This is a great post.
#bloggerclubuk
I think that sums it up pretty well – it’s not quite as bad if you’re selling something that is genuinely useful and does what it says like.
I never trust whatever I read and always like to research things for myself to get a more balanced view #bloggerclubuk
Best way!
I don’t think I’ve ever been conned as such or fallen for scams but I can definitely be a softie when it comes to people coming knocking at my door and giving deals. I almost signed up for wine delivery the other day but glad my husband intervened otherwise I’d be drinking way more than is like. Also with charity donations – which is absolutely worthwhile – although they still prey on people insecurities to an extent. It’s life. We live and learn and get tougher. Interesting post #bloggerclubuk
I generally don’t let the door to door salespeople get enough of a word in to be tempted by their offers lol.
When something is too good to be true then the alarm bells start ringing. I am pretty cautious and never believe sales people, or sales blurb and always ask for recommendations/testimonials etc. Good points raised! #bloggerclubuk
I tend to believe things at first but I’m yet to encounter a salesperson that doesn’t oversell to the point where I see through it
I sell things for a living but for a genuine need and only to a third party and not the end client. Its very much b2b so there is no hard sale required and its a lot more about relationships and business consultancy. Thankfully as I don’t like cut throat. My hubby buys for a living so as you can imagine we have some interesting conversations! #BloggerClubUK x
I worked in sales a while ago and I hated it but it very much a hard sell. Oh yes, I can imagine those conversations x