5 Shady Sales Tactics That Are Making You Spend
Spot them and stay away to save your money.
Picture this.
You browse for something online and give your email in exchange for some freebie. This happened to me last week when I was looking for Lightroom presets (to edit photos).
You get them. It’s good, it’s fun.
Then you get a link to buy the entire package. You know it’ll give value, but you don’t want it right now. I’m no Instagram influencer. I simply stumbled on them while procrastinating.
The next day, the offer comes with a 24-hour countdown.
After that, it gets extended to 12 hours.
And then five more ‘last chance’ emails.
When you hop back to the first mail, the 24-hour timer still exists. Sounds familiar?
Then here are a few shady tactics you should save yourself (and your wallet) from.
Creating Urgency
The above is a BS strategy to create urgency.
This also happened to me last year by two writing courses. A year later, their timers are still on.
Listen, creating urgency isn’t bad.
An author I know launched his mentoring program in a week-long window. And it worked well. It’s because he wasn’t using shady techniques which were obvious lies of the limited time.
It truly was a limited period.
But those timers? They’re used to scare you.
Making People Feel Terrible About Their Lives
The only winner here is the one making money by telling others to make money.
I run a course too and I’m yet to copywrite a mail which explains to people that they’ll 100% fail if they don’t take my course.
Please don’t do that. You can create a need without hitting people where it hurts.
It’s the reason people fall for expensive ‘make money quick’ courses on which they spend their hard-earned money. The only winner here is the one making money by telling others to make money.
There’s a way to tell people where their problems lie and how you can help them. Empathy helps.
Hitting Their Insecurities
“You’re not successful, and that's on you. You aren’t willing to take control of your life. Taking my course will be the first step towards it. And if you don’t do that, that's another opportunity you’re missing. Like always.”
No.
I’m not spending $499 on your course because I don’t think it's for me.
I probably would if it addressed my needs. But it doesn’t, and that's fine. The entire world isn’t your audience, right?
Don’t demean people and hit their insecurities in the name of powerful copywriting.
We can use power for good or bad. Choose your side.
All Noise and No Results.
If you can’t deliver something, be honest. If you can, show me how.
While researching for this, I saw a $997 course that has ‘proven success’ for everybody who enrolled but has zero client testimonials.
When I started a course, I ran the first round free to see if what was in my head really works. And since it did, I got all social proof in numbers and testimonials to put on my page.
Don’t just say it works, but show your results.
My colleague told me they enrolled in a course where the other person was completely unresponsive. They then asked for a refund, no response again.
Don’t be that person.
Words Are Important
Inspire people instead of instilling fear.
Use your words wisely.
I try as much as I can to make nobody feel inadequate.
This is because when I was an influencer on Instagram, even though others saw me travelling the world and living a perfect life, I felt inadequate looking at others’ life.
What a downward spiral to be caught in!
Since then, I’ve decided to be more empathetic in my content and business. Only shitty people make others feel shitty.
Some emails use words like:
- irresponsible
- poor
- failure
Try to propose your offer by using better words instead. Inspire people instead of instilling fear.
Last
In a time when you can use cruel copywriting, use compassion.
In a time when you can use your words for so much, use them for the good. Use them to inspire and to genuinely bring a change.
Because you can.
Hitting others where it hurts or calling out their negative traits will only take you so far. It may get you sales but not respect. It’ll get you conversions but not love.
In a time when you can use cruel copywriting, use compassion.
