I Call B.S. on This…

A provocative question I spotted on a discussion board for marketers this morning:

“Do brands really need to make customers feel inadequate to retain them?”

The guy who posted the question explained: “A lot of marketing basically works by telling you something is wrong with you first… Do you think retention built without insecurity marketing actually works long term? Or does aspiration/fear still sell better?”

And the discussion board crowd went wild…

…posting preachy comments about the evils of “fear-based” marketing and manipulation…

…claiming you might make the short-term sale but undermine customer retention and long-term growth.

My response: Bullshit! (Pardon my English).

In my 25+ years as a marketing consultant, thousands of business owners have sought my help.

And EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM sought help because something wasn’t working in their marketing.

No one says, “Help! Everything is going great!”

Those who reach out to me have problems.

Not enough leads. Not enough appointments. Not enough sales. Not enough retention.

I didn’t make them feel inadequate. They already felt something was wrong, and they wanted help.

As marketers, our first job is to meet prospects where they are. Recognize the problems that hold them back. Acknowledge those problems.

That’s not making them feel inadequate. That’s not manipulation.

That’s saying, “I know what you’re going through. I know how you feel.”

That’s empathy.

Then offer a path to a better way — a product or service that moves the prospect from a problematic before to a better after.

One Einstein in the discussion board said, “Customers stick around because the product genuinely makes their life better, not because it points out what’s wrong.”

Riddle me this, Einstein: “Better” than what?!?

How can you say, “I’ll make your life better” without acknowledging what’s worse?

I know. I’m getting fired up here. Foul language. Snark. All that stuff.

But this is important.

Do not listen to the gurus and wannabes who say you’re an evil manipulator if you reference prospects’ problems or fears.

They toss around the phrase “fear-based marketing” as if it’s more evil than Hannibal Lecter.

You are not a liver-munching cannibal.

You’re an ethical business person who wants to serve your clients.

If you want to serve more and better clients, you have to build a marketing strategy around their stories.

When you meet them where they are…

…when you understand their problems…

…when you point out — with empathy and compassion — what’s wrong…

…prospects won’t view you as a rotten manipulator.

They’ll think, “Wow! You really get it. You get me!”

And when prospects trust that you get them, they’re eager to hear how you can get them from their problematic before to the better after.

They’re open to hear about your products and services.

They’re more likely to buy.

Does any of this sound familiar for you and your business:

Not enough leads? Not enough appointments? Not enough sales? Not enough retention?

If yes, I’d like to help you design a marketing blueprint to discover your prospects’ stories — so they’ll know you get them and be more likely to hire you.

Book a complimentary Plan and Prosper Blueprint Session.

In this 1:1 session, I’ll review your business, identify your highest-leverage opportunities, and hand you a personalized “Plan to Prosper” Blueprint — a clear roadmap combining the right strategy, the right tech, and the right team to simplify and accelerate your growth.

This is not a cookie-cutter solution based on generic assumptions about you and your business. This is a tailored plan, based on the facts we unearth when we meet.

Click here to book now.