Did a 3 Hour Sales Pitch Get Me to Open My Wallet?
I went to a 3 hour seminar this weekend for a school. It’s an online self paced program. I’m not going to mention the topic since I’m not ready to say it out loud yet.
Anywho… last week I was researching a new area of possibility for me and I came across this seminar that I thought would answer a lot of questions. I’ve literally been thinking about this for just a few days. I knew they were going to try to sell me stuff but I’m a strong minded person. I can resist a few sales techniques.
Right?
When I sat down I saw all the materials they had displayed and thought “oh boy, they are going to try to get me to buy that stuff. But they don’t know me. I’m too smart for that!”
For the next 3 hours they said all the right things. Their program was what I had been I was hoping for. It really was. It was quick. It was easy. It was helpful. It was profitable. Yes! I could start making money in just a few weeks! No experience needed. Plus it comes with a full money back guarantee. Sold!
Over the course of the 3 hours I went from ”no way, they are never going to sell me anything” to “well it is pretty cool” to “I bet someone could do well with this” to “I wonder what the price is” to “I’ll sign right now if it’s under $1,000″.
The price? $5,000 if you sign up today. $7,000 if you go home to think about it.
Oh man! I better sign up today. It’s such a cool program and I’m sure if I spend time thinking about I’ll want it and then it will cost me an extra $2,000. People all around me were signing up.
Honestly, one of the few things that stopped me from signing on the dotted line right then was how stupid I was going to feel when I got home. I’d have to explain to my husband that I had spent $5,000 without even talking to him.
So I stepped outside and gave my husband a call. I knew I was being dumb so I basically asked him to talk some sense into me. He reminded me that 1) if I called the school later and asked I could probably get the “in seminar” price and 2) there will be another seminar in the future I could always wait until then and attend the seminar again.
Duh.
Better to go home and research the whole thing a lot more than to spend $5,000 right now on something I’ve only been thinking about for a few days. I still have a lot of thinking to do before jumping in with both feet and pockets full of cash. I could find some reviews online, talk to people who have been through the program, spend some time verifying the claims made in the seminar, see what other options there are available. Yes, that’s a much better way to decide if I should spend such a large sum of money.
I may still decide to do it. I haven’t made up my mind yet. But whatever I decide it will come from a place of power and certainty and not from a sales pitch. Thank goodness for an accountability partner!
Ashley
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Comments
Now you’ve got me curious what it is! Knowing you, it must be something pretty impressive if you considered plopping down $5k right then and there.
I’ve seen people fall for this “today-only” price tactic so many times, and I really think it’s sad. I was at a seminar once where they convinced almost the entire room to sign up for a 1-800 number to answer calls for e-commerce websites that the members of the audience hadn’t even built yet. I guess that’s the power of a good salesperson!
What a great comment from your husband about there being another seminar in the future. Things always sound so good in the “hard sell” seminars; it’s like they short-circuit our brain.
It’s funny how stepping back and thinking for a bit, or bouncing it off another person can open up so many more possible actions.
Glad you bought yourself that time, whether you ultimately buy it or not.
I’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear which seminar it was. My guess – Rich Dad, Poor Dad?
I know a number of people who joined programs after attending seminars using similar sales tactics. Sadly, none of them had good experiences. And they were then convinced by the company it was their own fault for not following the system properly!
Personally I think good products/services/deals shouldn’t need high pressure sales tactics. How many people buy a time share only to discover had they truly decided it was the right product for them, they could have bought one for a fraction of the price from those trying to unload theirs online.
Good for you! There’s nothing wrong with using a support system to help with impulse control. You should feel very proud of yourself!