What Happens When Your Lock Won’t Open At The Gym?

And A Lesson In Humiliation Marketing

I finished up a quick workout at the gym and ran to the locker room. I had ten minutes to get home. It was just enough time to grab my stuff and bolt out of there.

I turned the dial on my lock to the correct combination and pulled.

Nothing. It didn’t open.

I tried a second time. I tried a third time. Still nothing. I had the combination saved in my phone. I double checked. It was the right combination.

What now?

I tried again and it still failed to open.

I noticed a few guys in the locker room peeking at me. One of them flashed a subtle smirk. I could feel beads of sweat form above my brow.

Embarrassment swept over me. I knew what they were all thinking.

“Look at this loser. He can’t open his lock.”

I tried to play it off. I pretended I just put my stuff away, preparing for my workout. It was a shameful attempt.

I strolled into the gym area, pulled out my phone and turned to Google for help.

I found a popular answer. To fix a stuck lock, turn it to the right a bunch of times. If that doesn’t work, you’re out of luck.

I went back to the locker room. I turned it to the right at least seven or eight times.

Success. Whew!

The embarrassment of not opening my lock evaporated.

The Double-Edged Sword

I like to think at my age I don’t embarrass as easily as I did twenty years ago. My skin may be a bit thicker but I still feel it. We all do. The triggers that set it off might be different for you. We all have our moments, right?

Let’s start with the obvious.

If you feel it, you want to eliminate it as fast as possible. Compared to other intense emotions, embarrassment provides no comfort, no positive spin.

That makes it a double edge sword for a marketer.

If your prospect suffers from something embarrassing, it lowers the bar for you. They’re desperate for a solution.

That’s the good. Here’s the bad.

They may not be willing to recognize they suffer from the problem in the first place.

It’s hard to predict who might shy away from your solution due to embarrassment. Plus, it’s hard to predict what triggers it.

Even something as mundane as coding, cooking or using spreadsheets can set it off. Suppose your prospect represents himself as an expert coder. If he needs help, he may feel too embarrassed to admit it.

What do you do about it?

This Might Save You

Ask yourself these questions.

What are the potential embarrassments are for my product?
Why would someone feel embarrassed to admit they need help?

Reassurance and discretion assuage their fears. Knowing that others suffer from the same pain softens the sting.

Show The End State

Once you gain their attention, you can turn it to your advantage. Connect how your product removes any embarrassment or indignity.

Show them the end state. What will life be like when the threat is gone forever?

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