07 Jul How Businesses Manipulate You

I’m going to tell you a secret. As a person who has been in business for 20+ years, I hate business. Not because I don’t like doing it; I actually have a knack for it and enjoy doing the work. I hate business because of what it requires to be successful. It requires you to manipulate people into supporting your brand and buying your product (that they probably don’t need) all for the purpose of making more money. Its job is to use you for its own gain; nothing else. My experience in business and marketing taught me the true nature of how business works, so let me share this with you.

Business Has Only One Goal

Many people have a misconception of how business works. In fact, most people do not understand the reality of what business requires. Let’s start with the entire point of business. A business’s only goal is to make money. I make this statement so boldly because of the obvious truth that a business does not exist without making money. They have bills to pay, shareholders to be accountable to, and quarterly earnings goals to hit. That is the basis of their purpose.

People often confuse the purpose of a business with fighting for a social cause, providing community support, fostering well being within its workers, and supporting your ability to live as an employee. All decent things that get used by businesses on a daily basis to get you to support their brand and buy their product, but the reality is that is not their true focus and nor do they actually care. You can see this when a public opinion or position on a topic changes. What do the businesses do? Do they stick with their position because they truly believe in it? No, they change directions as swiftly as the wind to match the new expectations of what people want. They aren’t there to actually support your viewpoints, they only want to seem that way to make money.

Marketing Manipulation

My job requires me to consult for businesses in multiple industries. It is my job to understand the true psychology of people in reality, how they operate, and get them to take a desired action. I know that using pain points (insecurities) and desires are the best way to get someone to move in the direction you wish them to go in. You may think this is hard to do; it is not. It only requires one thing, an accurate understanding of how people work (and not how people say they work as this is often inaccurate).

A sample approach for a business is to learn how a particular group communicates and mimic that to seem like you’re part of that community (brand personality and brand tone). You position yourself as an entity that understands their needs and struggles and offer some type of support in that regard (brand positioning). You then put out messages touching on their pain points (brand messaging). Then state how your unique product or service elevates those pain points and solves their problem (unique value proposition). All these tactics to say, “We get you”. “We understand your problem”. “We’re here to help”. “We support you”. Ironic because the actual intention is more like a mugger in a dark alley, “Give me your money”.

Fear Is The Most Powerful Motivator

Another example is using your insecurities to pressure you into buying something by amplifying your fears. This is particularly easy in teens, young adults, and children (sadly). Say a new phone comes out and the business wants your teen or young adult to buy it (or whine to their parents until they buy it for them). You make a video (that target demographics preferred way of engaging) showing a lavish lifestyle of traveling, dining in exotic places, and attending a music festival all while shooting their experience on their new phone. The video isn’t about the features or benefits of that phone, but instead about your insecurities of missing out on that lifestyle.

It makes you wish you had the life of travel, luxury, and excitement. It uses the fear of not being successful, not being good enough, and missing out on life to make you subconsciously think that buying that product will provide you that lifestyle. Seems like a far fetched reach, but millions of businesses use this tactic every second of every day because it works.

Taking A Note From Politicians

The messaging that a business puts out is similar to a politician in that they are going to tell you what you want to hear so they can get what they want. They may not care or even believe in what they say, but they know they must say it if they wish to have your support and your wallet. You saw this in a huge push from corporations for inclusion only to be shedding DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) executives years later like a bad virus. It is only convenient to them when it is relevant, desired by the people, and above all else; profitable. After that, it is cast aside for the next belief of the people.

Lose The Emotional Attachment

So why am I writing this even though I work in consulting for businesses? I already told you that, because I hate its main purpose of manipulating and using people. I’m not a fan of using someone’s fears and insecurities to get them to fork over money that they can’t really afford to buy sh-t they don’t really need. It’s like the unspoken American way these days and everyone buys into it hook, line, and sinker. I think there is a solution though; and that’s to focus on buying things you need. You’re far less susceptible to manipulation when it’s a logical need rather than an emotional desire. Without the emotional attachment, they really don’t have much power over you. This is the way my friends.

The purpose of this GI SAID IT blog is simple, to provide perspective. GI delivers this unique perspective in a style that is unapologetically honest, straight to the point, and at times a bit brutal. GI SAID IT: Brutally honest, no BS. Click for more GI SAID IT shows and articles.