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The Deception Perception: Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Author: Caroline Jordan

The Deception Perception

Without a doubt, people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust. Credibility is critical. This is especially true conducting business on the internet where people never actually meet face to face. Building a sense of trust with your customers takes time. And, it's one of your most valuable assets.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

I recently had the opportunity to hear a well known internet marketer speak. It was a great presentation, chock full of all sorts of useful tips. I was very impressed with all he had to say so I went to his website and signed up for his newsletter.

He sent me an email (by autoresponder, of course)saying he had set up a special call for his newest subscribers to give us more great tips. All we had to do was dial in at a certain time for a teleseminar. He sent me a followup email reminding me and saying again how much he appreciated having me on his list. He looked forward to having me on the call.

So Far, So Good.

Last night, I dialed in at the scheduled time (after rearranging my schedule to do so). The gentleman came on and said he'd be with us in just a few moments, he was gathering up his notes. Then, he came back on, told us because of the number of people on the call, he had us all muted and there wouldn't be time for any questions. He went on to deliver some great information followed by a sales pitch.

The Problem.

One small, tiny, little problem. He wasn't really there. It was a recording. Now, if I had known it would be a recording, it wouldn't have bothered me a bit because the information was good. But, being led to believe it was live, being given a bit of a smoke and mirror show, changed my perception of the man and his products. If this teleseminar was smoke and mirrors, are his products smoke and mirrors, too? Is it all just a slick manipulation to sell products that don't work?

I certainly don't want to spend money on a product that teaches me how to be slick and deceptive.

The Moral of the Story

Seemingly harmless deceptions create a lack of trust for customers who are quick to look elsewhere for more trustworthy solutions.

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