Whoda’ thunk it?

Yesterday’s John Caples email about misleading ads hit a nerve.

And so today I want to tell you another story about how marketing deceit hurts (and not helps) sales.

Here’s the scoop:

A while back, I read a goo-roo’s account of how someone got swindled by some convenience store owner out of something like 30 cents.

It was by one of those loaded choices like:

“Buy one for 30 cents or 3 for a dollar.”

And like most people, the “mark” grabbed the 3 for a dollar option without thinking about it.

Okay, so what?

Well, this goo-roo thought that was pretty cool since it wasn’t lying, just playing into peoples’ lack of thinking (something like that).

And hey, it worked, right?

The store got 10 cents richer, and probably made a lot more than that when you multiplied this by thousands of others falling for the same gag.

But you know what I think?

I think it literally robs stores like that of sales.

Why?

Because (and this is the case with a LOT of people), later on, the sucker who got taken realized he’d been “had.”

No… 10 cents isn’t going to break anyone.

But it made him kind of mad when he thought about it.

And that means, he probably NEVER went back. Which means he probably never spent money there again. And for all we know, he may have even told other people not to go there, too — potentially taking away future sales from other potential customers.

Who knows how much one angry customer costs?

Which is why smart selling is not about tricks and gimmicks.

It’s about serving customers — finding out what they want and need, and then offering it to them in a way that gives them a good, warm, positive experience so they:

1. Eagerly WANT to come back again.

2. Enthusiastically TELL everyone else they know about you.

Not exactly “sexy”, is it?

Mayhaps not.

But in the end, you will make far more sales if you concentrate on “serving” people… instead of “tricking” them.

Ben Settle

P.S. Speaking of selling without tricks…

My Crackerjack Selling Secrets book reveals 101 ways to sell more products and services without selling your soul to some goo-roo.

It should be ready for re-release next week.