Evil Marketing and Psychology Lessons

Evil Marketing and Psychology Lessons

If you ever find yourself questioning the actions of others…

Their decisions.

Actions.

Motives.

What occupies their time.

How they spend money and what they spend it on.

Read this…

In my days as a martial arts school owner I must have had at least one set of parents each month who came to me with the bad news… “We’re taking him out because we can no longer afford it.” After an attempt to “save” them failed, I couldn’t help but reflect…

As I thought about the time they spent with us, I’d remember them coming to class with a purchased cup of coffee two times per week. If they only bought coffee on those two days a week, that’s $2 cup or $16 per month. OH, yea – they’d also be the ones who often stepped outside to catch a smoke. A pack a day, that adds up. I remembered them scratching lottery tickets or checking numbers at times as well. I couldn’t help but do the math in my head… “If only they scaled back on those meaningless purchases – they could easily afford the $149 per month we were charging for lessons! I mean come on! Self-confidence, fitness, focus – these are priceless to a kid. How could a parent NOT want this?”

Sadly – It was a losing battle most of the time.

Why?

People spend money on things and activities that are important to them. You have to remember – what’s important to you – might not be important to someone else. I read an article in the USA Today about how the most notorious terrorist of our time, Osama Bin Laden, spent his money. Most news reports tell us he came from a wealthy family. Yet, he lived an existence that favored minimal things so he could spend his money on terrorist activities. He often ate only bread and vegetables – saving the spending on meat to entertain those who can help him with his plots. He once spent all the money he was in possession of at the time to carry out an attack. Hypothetically speaking of course… If you were selling things related to his activities he’d never question your price! But if you were selling flat-screen TV’s he would not be a good prospect!

Find the ones who want it…

As a business owner – it’s your mission to attract the right prospects. To understand the common traits of your best clients and customers. To match your message to what they value. It’s about tapping in to their interests, likes and priorities. If they smoked, played the lottery and spent money on Dunkin Donuts each day it was my job to keep them out. You might consider repelling the prospects that are not good fit. You only have to look as far as understanding what they value.