015 - Influence vs. Manipulation

What would you say is the difference between influence and manipulation?

Honestly, that is kind of a trick question.

Why?

Manipulation is influence, but on a negative scale. It's all about getting people to buy whether it's the right thing for them or not.

Influence on the positive side is compassion. It's all about empowering people to make a good choice whether they buy or not.

In a little bit, we'll dig into SEVEN manipulative tactics that should be avoided at all costs.

But first, a story...

The other day, I hopped on a webinar done by a well known Christian entrepreneur.

And, I felt a bit "icky" afterwards.

He toed the line between manipulation and compassion, then stepped straight into manipulation.

The first real signs of it were in the pitch of the product.

He used what I would consider a slightly 'unethical' approach to displaying the value of the different parts of his offer.

You see, if you tell people that something is a specific value, you should have a WAY to justify that value.

There was no justification.

It was simply pulling a number out of thin air to inflate the perceived value of the product.

Don't do this.

It's unethical.

Where it really went into manipulation was when he started taking care of objections that people had at the end of the webinar.

One of the questions was something like this, "What if I don't really have an expertise that I can turn into an online course?"

His answer was along the lines of, "No matter where you are, you can make this work. You don't need an expertise to get started. Sign up today."

You see, his goal was to get people to buy, whether it was really the right thing for them or not.

Instead, our goal should BE to give people the absolute best thing for them in that moment... helping them make the RIGHT decision for themselves.

A better, more truthful answer would have been, "I understand if you feel like you don't have a skill or expertise that you can turn into an online course.

"Chances are there are some skills that you have that you take for granted. And there are some skills that you may have a leaning toward that you could become an expert in with some focus over the next couple months.

"Whichever boat you're in, you simply need an expertise or skill that is slightly ahead of the people you want to serve.

"When you join this program, we can help you find and develop an expertise. But, you will have to make it an intention. And it won't necessarily be easy.

"The simple reality is, starting without an expertise you know of is a bit more of a risk, but not impossible. If you're willing to take the chance and do something different, we will help you do it. It's your choice."

This brings about the reality that if you don't have an expertise, IT WILL be harder, but isn't impossible.

Then, it gives them the choice, instead of only making your offer the solution.

It's more human.

People will leave feeling cared for whether they buy or not.

Manipulation will burn relationships (it'll enslave them or have them avoid you).

Compassion will build relationships, leaving people empowered.

Here are 7 things to avoid if you want to stay in compassion, instead of manipulation...

#1 - Greed

Greed will have you getting people to buy things they shouldn't be buying. Compassion only invites them to buy if it is the right thing. Let's keep our heart intention in the right place of compassion instead of greed.

#2 - Control 

At the core, manipulation is trying to control the people. It's where you don't give people a choice. We want to empower people to make a right choice, not control them.

#3 - White Lies

Manipulation won't tell the full story. It'll only tell the bits that make it sound the best. This sets people up to fail because as soon as they hit the roadblocks that nobody told them about, they'll give up.

#4 - Exaggerated Claims

Don't make claims or tell stories that you can't back up. Manipulation will sometimes make up claims or exaggerate them to make their offer look better. Only share claims you can back up.

#5 - Hyperbole

Hyperbole is when you make statements about your product or process that simply aren't able to be proven like, "This is the best system in the marketplace." If there is no statistic or proof, don't make the statement!

#6 - False Scarcity

The fear of missing out (FOMO) gets people to make decisions, but usually not the best decisions for them. Don't EVER fake it or manufacture it simply for the sale. People see through that and it breaks trust. However, you must define it if it's true scarcity.

#7 - Made-up Value

Manipulation will inflate the perceived value by making up numbers for the value they claim it has. Only use real value that you can justify. At the lowest level, tell people that, "If I were to sell this as a stand-alone product, I'd strongly consider $xxx." (Make $xxx actually what you'd consider.)

Conclusion

We can't expect to build a long-term Christ-centered business if we stoop to manipulation in our marketing.

At the core, keep your heart pure and don't lie about anything, even a bit.

Simply learn how to tell the truth in an empowering way.

If you do this, with a simple desire to help people live better lives, you will become influential.

And, when you keep your heart pure, you'll have an incredible positive impact on the lives of many people.

Make that your goal.

If you need help building a profitable system that is built around compassion instead of manipulation, schedule a Gameplan call with me here.