Does Aggressive Marketing Work?

July 30th, 2007 by Cristina Favreau

This message was posted to members of a networking forum I belong to:

A recent study done by Internet Marketer Sheila Scofield has revealed some amazing information as to people don’t buy from her websites.If you are wondering why people don’t buy from your website, then click here to find out more details.

She also has a pretty cool solution to the problem on her site, which is not like anything I’ve ever seen before. If you’re already making as many sales from your website as you want to, then I wouldn’t bother with this.

Otherwise, it’s pretty much a must-read.

It piqued my interest, so, keeping an open mind, I clicked the link and attempted to read through the entire copy (10 scrolls, ouch). The story was interesting, but some of the text sounded alarms in my head.

The most blatant was the headline:

“This Secret Web Browser “Trick” Will Grab Your Visitors Back Right As They Try To Leave Your Web Site, Boosting Sales By 327%!”

And the very 1st paragraph:

“a devilishly tricky way to make our products sell like crazy.”

These statements, and a few others, raised serious issues for me on 3 levels:

  1. The word trick tells me this product is somewhat deceptive or delusive.
  2. Do I want people visiting my site to go through the aggressive, self-proclaimed, experience of being grabbed?
  3. If I’m shopping (in an actual store) and a salesperson attempts a pitch (read grab ) me as I’m trying to leave, or worse, if I’m just window shopping… watch out, ’cause I’m gonna make your life a whole lot more difficult than it was 2 minutes ago!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for finding ways of encouraging visitors to stay on my website longer, as well as increasing subscriber rates and purchases, but not at any cost.

If someone’s looking for a solution and is ready to take action, but my site hasn’t succeeded in showing them I’m the best person to help solve their problems, no amount of persuasion or delaying the inevitable will make them change their mind. In fact any attempts to do so will likely turn them off even more. What’s more, if I’m creating a negative experience for my visitors, I can’t expect to see them again or give precious referrals.

This software goes against everything I teach about marketing.

Marketing is about getting your audience to know, like and trust you — it’s about building relationships, it’s about giving and sharing first, it’s about being unattached to the outcome, it’s about having a conversation.

It’s NOT about using pushy, intrusive, annoying, gimmicky campaigns to boost sales and lure one-time customers.

Do I think this software works? Yeah, I’m sure it works fine for those who are focused on a one-time sale or a product-driven site.

This software won’t help you make clients for life, it doesn’t encourage repeat business, it doesn’t incite referrals, and it certainly won’t help increase your credibility.

But hey, that’s just my stubborn opinion!! Tell me what you think. I’ve posted the link above. Read as much as of the copy as you can, see what the software looks like. Am I wrong? Does this work for you? Is this something that could work for your business? Or do you agree with me?

If you liked this post, consider treating me to a Tim Hortons' French Vanilla coffee.

Category Credibility, General Marketing, Resources |

Viewing 2 Comments

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    I actually saw this and read the page too, Cristina.

    I couldn't bring myself to read the whole thing, actually - it sort of disgusted me about half-way through. And I was actually surprised that someone I knew was helping to promote such a thing...

    Anyway - this goes against everything I teach with marketing as well. Now, I agree - if there is a particular product or type of business that this is suited for, I'd love to be enlightened.

    However, it is my feeling that if you have to trick someone into purchasing from you - what does that say about your business and the products you offer?

    I would rather have potential clients come to my web site, really resonate with me, and then continue to want to build a relationship with me. I love what you say about building "clients for life." That articulates my idea of marketing so well.

    Ads like this are the exact reason people shy away from marketing, or think marketing is a bad word.

    People don't want to resort to these tactics - they feel un-natural to most people. And, you risk losing really wonderful potential customers because they get a snake oil salesman feel from your page - ick!
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    Jenn, I knew you'd get what I'm talking about.

    It made me smile when you said "they get a snake oil salesman feel from your page - ick!" It made me think of a newsletter I got last week, describing where the term 'quack' comes from, which is basically someone who boasts about his salves and has no merit!!

    I'll have to find the link with the graphic and post it here.

    As usual, thanks for keeping the conversation going!!

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