Topic of using psychological tricks to make people buy products or services has been on my plate for a long time. I understand marketing and I understand contemporary creative business but this one has been on my mind a lot lately. Where is the morality in using psychological tricks to sell?, I ask myself. The more you sell the more people you help, they say. However, not without an agenda. The agenda is to make more. Which, basically, is what businesses are about - to grow and expand. But, at what cost? This is what I will be exploring today.
Being Seduced by Promise of Transformation
If you know a bit about my history, you might have heard me saying how I hated marketing in my twenties. One of the reasons was exactly what I mentioned in the introduction - morality of persuasion. My points of views changed when I became passionate about creative online businesses and when I stepped into the world of digital marketing. This is where I understood that there was something called bad marketing and something called good marketing and that there is a thin line between those two.
In marketing, trends are changing up very often. The more advanced marketers either develop trends or adapt to the serendipity of accidental viral trends. The less advanced marketers or beginners in creative business learn from them through their free or paid content, often very low quality, which is made not for the sake of education itself, but for attracting followers and making them their customers. Because, this is the way it is being done. A strategy used by many. Too many. The saying that ‘you don’t need to be too far ahead to educate others but only 10% more advanced’ is now becoming our reality. We are watching absolute beginners practising the theory and building themselves ‘experts’ as we are becoming hooked, subscribed and - possibly brainwashed through extremely low quality entertainment marketing.
Psychological Tricks in Marketing
Many, many people are without questioning believing in what those more advanced are saying and for the very simple reason of wanting to be where they are (the promise of success), they follow what the advanced ones are telling them to do. Social media marketing is becoming a repetitive cycle of the same content copied and chewed endlessly. It does work for some, it does work for a while. But for whom and for how long?
If you have been online for a while you might have seen the physiological tricks in action. Fear of missing out for example. Join 500 others who have already joined. Only 2 spots left. Cart closes in 10 hours. Early bird pricing ends tonight. Last chance to join before the prices increase. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Can you afford NOT to invest? I know you have heard these.
Using psychological approach to market your business is not bad by itself. A good quality product (or service) should be put in front of as many people and bring a desired change. A transformation it is promising. But, is the transformation really going to happen? And more importantly, what is actually required for the transformation to happen?
Reality Check
We all want it. The success. The money. The talk. The walk. Expansion of our potential. The final overcoming of fears, limiting beliefs, own patterns, all the other things keeping us small, down and invisible. Empty pocketed. So we try our best and listen to others who have gone there before us. At the very core of our human beings lives the desire to belong. To be accepted. To be seen, heard and appreciated. The idea of worldly success in our minds often brings the idea of belonging to our subconscious minds. The arrival.
So, we go for it. We have been listening and reading for far too long. We have been inspired to take action by those who have been there, perhaps only 10 months ago. And we finally do it. So we buy that course. The promise is tempting. And the course? It doesn’t apply to you. You went through it and learned a few new things. You see a bit of a different approach and draw your own conclusions. However, even months later, you still don’t have that 10k month or a six figure launch. So why is that?
Because there is either wrong choice of mentor/teacher or a gap between motivation and implementation. We can be motivated to cook a sourdough focaccia, but if we have never grown sourdough yeast, it might take a bit longer than envisioned. Guess what? It might not work the first time we try. Nor the second one. Or the third. Like in my case, when sourdough starter just didn’t work out. I wasn’t focused enough, I lost my sense of motivation over time of feeding the yeast, I didn’t have a clear vision of where that was leading me, and I probably didn’t set a clear goal on what I wanted to do - and most importantly - why it mattered. I was just trying it out and playing a little bit. Are you seeing a red thread between a sourdough bread and your business?
Why it didn’t work?
I might have had different reasons for not making it happen. Perhaps I had other plans I forgot about. I didn’t think it would take that long, so I started new projects with clients or friends and put the yeast into a second drawer of my brain. Maybe I had a baby or a small child and the phase they were in was more demanding than anticipated. Maybe I was sick, or someone from my family. Perhaps I had a lot of client work which was bringing me money and I just had to shift priorities to maintaining the household instead of paying attention to the yeast. Perhaps I was brainwashed into thinking it is really just a piece of cake by someone who has had their own sourdough starter for 15 years and baked thousands of loafs over that time. It is easy once you get a grip on it. But how long does it take?
For me and for you, most definitely a different amount of time. This is where the gap is. From my own opinion as someone who has bought courses, created educational content and a course, and who has been observing this for years, here’s the thing. Most people who buy courses buy them not because they are ready to fully implement the materials and theory - because you don’t really know what is inside and whether it is what you actually need. Mostly, people buy courses because they were persuaded into buying seduced by the promise of getting what they think they want. This is the harsh reality.
Genuine Success Has Some Hidden Prerequisites
Online education is rising more day by day and I dare to say that the future of global education is digital. Despite our human need for connection and human touch and the fact that digital will never be able to replace what is only possible in real life interaction (thank the Lord), opportunities that we have today to learn and educate ourselves are astonishing. However, there are a few catches, and implementation readiness is one of them.
Promises of transformation sound magnificent. It seems so easy to change your life in 6 months from now. Especially when you see testimonials of others who have done it. Have you ever been there? I certainly have.
I remember buying a 2000$ business course by one of the very, very popular women in online education. She is one of the few at the top. It was only available for purchase once in a year. So I didn’t want to skip because I felt like I was ready for that big leap - investing that much money into myself and my business. I was thinking, if someone knew about business, it was her. And I wanted to learn from the best. But that time, it didn’t work. The course was beautiful and worth the investment (every investment in yourself is a good investment), but I kinda already knew most of what she was teaching. I have spent a few years absorbing content on business, branding and marketing. She was giving her own perspective on things, which was valuable. So what was wrong? I was scattered all over the place, blinded by all the possibilities, excited on implementing but still hooked on consuming more than willing to create. I had it all, but didn’t know what to do with it.
Why Some Succeed While Others Stall After Finishing Online Courses?
There are many reasons to why that has happened and let me briefly touch on some of the reasons. Mindset is the first one. Your mindset cannot change after a course - only ideas and perspective. Implementation of what you have learned and got inspired by takes time. You need to know why you want what you want, what you have to give, what are you selling in the first place and why it matters. These questions are best solved with mentors and coaches. Once you are clear on the inner questions, you can solve the outer.
Time itself is another crucial point. Or better yet, timing. People who have succeeded and whose stories are used to promote our content are the ones who were in a good place and time in their life to implement the teaching or they have had willingness and dedication of a ram. For whatever reason. We all have our own timing, our own pace and phases in life that cannot be compared to others.
Furthermore, we do not have all the same resources. Be it education, finances, equipment, time, skills, connections, support… We just don’t. And all these are resources and all of these are important. Sometimes you might find yourself comparing to a single woman in her twenties with no kids while you’re battling three little ones under 5 while your husbands works 12 hour shifts. Sometimes you compare yourself with a mother whose in-laws live 5 minutes away, bring them dinner three times a week and help them with kids and laundry. Sometimes you compare yourself with a woman whose husband is understanding and supporting while yours is not, and this might be hard and triggering. But there is a reason why you are exactly where you are and you cannot know what other people carry on their backs and within their hearts. And still, comparison happens so very often. Instead of using it as a fuel for own growth we use it as a self-sabotage weapon.
Also, where are you at in your business? Beginning? Ideation? 3 years? 10 years? You see, it is not the same. Do you have a business background? Have you worked in marketing, management or PR before? Have you had started businesses before? Have you been surrounded by business owning parents or relatives? That all matters! If you’re jumping from being a preschool teacher to wedding photography never ever having business people around, it will take time before you are ready to implement what you learn and take your business to a level where you want it to be. And I haven’t even touched on communication skills, imposter syndrome, being shy, introvert, lacking eloquence, any other insecurity that is not business related.
Finding Your Own and True Learning Path
If I could give you only one advice on business, that is to trust your own timing and your own pace. Yes, mindset can change. Habits can change. Beliefs can change. You can do whatever you want and dream about. Your dream is not too big and it is achievable. There is no only one thing your success depends on. You came here on Earth as a soul wanting to go through certain experiences to grow and expand. When you came here you already brought something with yourself. You didn’t come empty. Call it karma, astrology, numerology or something else. Listening to your soul desires and aligning yourself with your heart requires time, learning, understanding, accepting and releasing. Just as learning skills required for a business to grow.
Online courses are an amazing way of learning, expanding and connecting with likeminded people. They are a very affordable way of learning from people that have been through what you are going through and they can often help you understand things from a different perspective. Can they help you skip steps? Some, probably. But you know what? I really think that we all have our own steps we need to take, in a certain order, and there is no skipping. That is why I emphasise the importance of tuning in and embracing your own way, your own timing and your own pace. There is always something going on beyond us, in the invisible realm and you cannot always know what it is and why it is important. Have faith that what is meant to be yours will be yours and that your dream was planted within your mind and your heart with a reason.
What is Real Business Growth All About
Creative business is not and should not be only about making more. Business is meant to expand, but not for the profit itself, but for making impact and allowing your creativity, art and identity to expand. Instead of thinking how you can make more money, think about what lies within that wants to be expressed. Think about the ways you can be of service to others and how can you make a change in your own life and in the life of those around you.
More than relying sole on free and paid content, try finding yourself a mentor. It might not be the first one that makes the difference. Or the second. Keep going forward. Attune with your vision often, make space for introspection and calming your thoughts and nerves. Allow yourself free space, empty space that will become a well of abundance for your further progress. Business growth is deeply connected and intertwined with your personal growth and that is why we’re here. To expand our potential. To nurture the seeds that were given to us upon coming to this earth.
Before Buying an Online Course Do This
Here’s how you can approach your online education and buying courses and other products and services to learn. Before buying - ask people if they have bought, check out testimonials, make sure you are introduced and informed, not seduced and brainwashed into buying. Ask questions to the person selling - them or their team should be ready and willing to answer. Double check if you really need the product or service.
Buy courses to learn and expand on what you already know, to connect with likeminded peers, to get into the circle of the course creator and to invest in yourself having long term vision in front of you. Don’t buy courses only for the promise, because the promise applies only to a very, very small percentage of people. Don’t be blinded by the success, for success is within you. Your good and quality work will pay out eventually. Learning about business, strategy, marketing and the craft itself is very important, but it goes hand in hand with your own life path, your soul path, your own personal growth and expansion. Take your time, give yourself some gentleness and allow your path to unfold as you go. Everything is already within you. Learn about business, but focus on the things, people and work that really matters to you. This is how you will thrive. In life and in business.
If you are looking for a coach or a mentor, feel free to check my coaching services or contact me directly with your questions or to book an introduction zoom call.
Thank you for reading.
Shine your light. :)
Marina
p.s. If you enjoyed this article, you might check this one too:
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