Be Aware of this new age of Virtual Salemen with the old but progressive tactics that cater to the now short attention span generations. While anyone can be manipulated, expert manipulators tend to target people with and take advantage of certain personality traits. These traits include: The desire to be liked or to please; these people are more likely to take extraordinary measures to gain favor. Low self-esteem people, which our society has plenty of these days.
Deception Is When You Make a Claim That Isn’t True “Delicious meals in under 30 minutes—with no processed ingredients!" The only meal that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare is cereal (or something you’ve defrosted...and it definitely has processed ingredients). The point is: People feel uncomfortable with sales because it’s “manipulative,” but manipulation isn’t the problem. Deception is. Deception is when you are consciously deceiving someone. It’s when you promise something you can’t deliver, offer a result that isn’t possible, or sell someone something you told them was great, when it’s definitely not great.
The key difference is that deception has to do with the offer. You find deception in the claims you make and the benefits you promise—not in how you close the sale (that’s manipulation). If you’re selling something that does not do what you say it does, then you’re being deceptive. If you’re nudging someone to buy something they already want (and will add value to their lives), that’s manipulation. Deception is a lie, manipulation is a tool, when used with righteous intentions to serve your prospective customer well and ethically. How to Tell the Difference A general rule of thumb is if you have to ask, the answer is probably “yes, this is deception.” The good news is, there is no need to violate ethical boundaries if you want to sell effectively. Sales works best when you’re telling the truth.
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