18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

False Scarcity

by no1golfpro
13 replies
I am curious about other WF experts about the use of false scarcity. I have watched a couple of webinars for different products this week by 2 very well known marketers. In each case, it becomes obvious that they are not really limiting the number of sales. My question is would this automatically mean you wouldn't buy? I am concerned that if you started a relationship based on a lie, how much of the rest of the presentation is a lie? Thanks in advance.
#false #false scarcity #scarcity
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Originally Posted by no1golfpro View Post

    I am concerned that if you started a relationship based on a lie, how much of the rest of the presentation is a lie?
    This is also how I feel. This is related but not really false scarcity. Sometimes when I get "the only time you'll see this" exit popup that offers something one time for a reduced price, I open a new window and bring up the same page and then click away. If I get that message again I leave and never return.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8212867].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Scarcity alone works well. But for all scarcity there needs to be a logical reason 'why'. If there is no logical reason 'why' and/or you don't follow through with your scarcity it will damage your reputation and people won't trust your word in the future.

    For example if I went to a salespage and decided not to buy and as I left it triggered a popup offering me an instant $10 off if I buy now, that is false scarcity. There is no logical reason to be offering me that discount and so I kind of feel cheated because had I not decided to leave the page, I might have paid full price for that product. So now I can't trust these guys and I'm not going to buy their product.

    Now imagine you were on a webinar and they offered a special coaching package and said it is limited to only the first 50 people because they need to spend time with each person and can therefore only take on so many students. All of a sudden that scarcity has a logical reason 'why' and provided they follow through with that promise, you'll likely believe any scarcity they use in the future.

    So when using scarcity always make sure you have a reason 'why'. Too many times I see salespages that just say the price goes up in 48 hours. Why? Why is the price going up? Unless you can give me a logical reason as to why that price is going to go up, I don't believe you and that scarcity is lost on me. Even if you say it's just a special reduced price for the first 48 hours after launch, that's fine. There's a logical reason for that discount and so I will believe that scarcity and if I want the product I will be more inclined to buy it now.
    Signature

    .


    .

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8212868].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author no1golfpro
      Thank you very much Will. I respect your opinion and am a big fan. The webinars both said x amount of spots open then did a countdown during the webiner. It was very obvious that they would have sold out and shut it down but the offer is still open. (I checked with their customer support) These are 2 very well known marketers and I had my credit card out but something made me stop. Very disappointing that they would resort to this.

      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      Scarcity alone works well. But for all scarcity there needs to be a logical reason 'why'. If there is no logical reason 'why' and/or you don't follow through with your scarcity it will damage your reputation and people won't trust your word in the future.

      For example if I went to a salespage and decided not to buy and as I left it triggered a popup offering me an instant $10 off if I buy now, that is false scarcity. There is no logical reason to be offering me that discount and so I kind of feel cheated because had I not decided to leave the page, I might have paid full price for that product. So now I can't trust these guys and I'm not going to buy their product.

      Now imagine you were on a webinar and they offered a special coaching package and said it is limited to only the first 50 people because they need to spend time with each person and can therefore only take on so many students. All of a sudden that scarcity has a logical reason 'why' and provided they follow through with that promise, you'll likely believe any scarcity they use in the future.

      So when using scarcity always make sure you have a reason 'why'. Too many times I see salespages that just say the price goes up in 48 hours. Why? Why is the price going up? Unless you can give me a logical reason as to why that price is going to go up, I don't believe you and that scarcity is lost on me. Even if you say it's just a special reduced price for the first 48 hours after launch, that's fine. There's a logical reason for that discount and so I will believe that scarcity and if I want the product I will be more inclined to buy it now.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8212879].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by no1golfpro View Post

        Thank you very much Will. I respect your opinion and am a big fan. The webinars both said x amount of spots open then did a countdown during the webiner. It was very obvious that they would have sold out and shut it down but the offer is still open. (I checked with their customer support) These are 2 very well known marketers and I had my credit card out but something made me stop. Very disappointing that they would resort to this.
        Yes, it does get used and abused quite a bit.

        But they end up damaging their own reputation because next time they try and use scarcity on you, you won't fall for it.
        Signature

        .


        .

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8213230].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Plugin Profits
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      For example if I went to a salespage and decided not to buy and as I left it triggered a popup offering me an instant $10 off if I buy now, that is false scarcity. There is no logical reason to be offering me that discount and so I kind of feel cheated because had I not decided to leave the page, I might have paid full price for that product. So now I can't trust these guys and I'm not going to buy their product.
      That's sort of how I felt today when I checked out a gym to join. After telling her I wanted to think about the options and which package suited me best and also take a look at one other gym, she then started with the high pressure sales of saying they could only offer some specials that day and asked me what I'd be happy with paying. Then she said she'd go back to her manager and see what she could offer me. Came out and all of a sudden the weekly rate was reduced by 33% and the join fee by 75% plus first 3 weeks would be free. Great deal, and it's good you can negotiate things. Though it still leaves me feeling like, oh so if I didn't hesitate or need to think about it first I would of had to pay so much more of what she first said the rates were. And other people are paying those higher rates unless they are not an easy close? Simply seems unfair to me to try to get the most out of people if you can and will go lower on the price and then to charge different rates for the same membership to different people based on that. Should just be a set going special for the limited time they have it for and offer that special upfront. And the place didn't need any help or high pressure, it was the best gym in the city.

      I feel the same way about sites that do that tactic. It's one thing to offer a lower price for a lesser slimmed down version of the offer for those who are more price conscious or don't need the full package. Though to only give a discount to those who didn't buy at the higher rate is such an unfair insult to those who paid full price. What suckers!


      So when using scarcity always make sure you have a reason 'why'. Too many times I see salespages that just say the price goes up in 48 hours. Why? Why is the price going up? Unless you can give me a logical reason as to why that price is going to go up, I don't believe you and that scarcity is lost on me. Even if you say it's just a special reduced price for the first 48 hours after launch, that's fine. There's a logical reason for that discount and so I will believe that scarcity and if I want the product I will be more inclined to buy it now.
      Most of the time the reason for scarcity is to increase sales, nothing more. That is why companies constantly have some type of new limited time special and sales going on. They limit them to make the deal scarce and to make it 'special'. Doesn't mean they won't have another sale or special as soon as that one ends, though it'll be different or for different products.

      That's logical enough to me as their reason. Everyone knows that's why they do it all the time. The important thing is that they are honest about the 'rules' and 'limits' of that special and don't lie about it! That they follow through on it.

      It makes me sick how often people selling digital products have lied about their specials and scarcity.

      Of course the most obvious fake scam ones are the most annoying. "Only 3 left!" and then you check the page the next week and it says "only 10 left!" so either they suck and got a bunch of refunds to be able to offer to others again, or they can't sell anything. Doesn't make it seem very special if they say they only have so many available to sell and then they continue to have that many left to sell 'supposedly'. Cause then they just make it look like no one wants their junk! Lol

      I have also been very skeptical of the high ticket items the 'gurus' sell and then they say they are sold out. Then they say you can get on the waiting list if any spots open up from others dropping out or canceling. Then of course you always get an email that a few spots only have opened up if you hurry to grab one. And of course they likely didn't have any cancellations at all. And they probably had accepted as many new orders as came in after mailing that to their 'waiting list', not only the "3 open spots" that are available and won't last! Right!

      While that tactic technically 'could' be real and honest, I just don't believe them! The reputation is not good. One might ruin their own rep if they get caught in doing that stuff, though they also make everyone distrustful of everyone else!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8215263].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by no1golfpro View Post

    My question is would this automatically mean you wouldn't buy?
    Yes.

    I don't buy from people who I think are trying to deceive me.

    Huge numbers of people don't buy from people they think are trying to deceive them.

    This is also among the reasons why, as an affiliate, I won't send any of my traffic to such sales pages.

    This false scarcity trick, much copied by people pretending to be copywriters and by vendors producing their own home-made sales copy, in the mistaken belief that "it 'must' work, otherwise all these people wouldn't be using it, and other people 'must' have tested it" is a real conversion-reducer.

    The ones that make me laugh most (or despair most, depending on my mood at the time) are the squeeze page ones offering a "free report" called "How To Make $200 Per Day Online, Guaranteed" which proudly announce "Hurry - only 9 copies remaining!". And normally at the very bottom of the page it says something like "Make your own free website with Yola/Weebly/whatever"!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8213793].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    False scarcity = bad marketing by stupid people for stupid people.

    Think about the CONTEMPT a marketer like that has for the paying public...
    Signature
    Free Special Report on Mindset - Level Up with Positive Thinking
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8213865].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mpluto
    Author, thank you for this thread.

    Whenever I see "Hurry only 1 left at this price", or "3 left at this price", or "price will go up soon", or "limited number" (for ebooks...) - I simply leave.

    I can't recall absolutely any good product which I bought in the past where this so called scarcity is used.

    So, I use it as a filter now.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8213910].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    False scarcity is straight up lying.

    But you could ethically create scarcity by incentivizing people to "buy now". And if they leave the page they'll never see the discounted offer again. You could do this using a countdown timer plugin or something similar.

    It's artificial scarcity in the sense that a digital product has no limit on units you can sell, but it isn't false scarcity because if you leave the page and you have the plugin in place, you really WON'T be able to take advantage of that offer in the future.

    The underlying principle of scarcity is expectation management. You should never violate customer expectations and you should be meticulous in CLEARLY setting expectations, right from the beginning. Goes for any relationship, really...
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8213994].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Mensah
    Originally Posted by no1golfpro View Post

    I am curious about other WF experts about the use of false scarcity. I have watched a couple of webinars for different products this week by 2 very well known marketers. In each case, it becomes obvious that they are not really limiting the number of sales. My question is would this automatically mean you wouldn't buy? I am concerned that if you started a relationship based on a lie, how much of the rest of the presentation is a lie? Thanks in advance.
    I guess the reason it works so well especially on webinars is because sometimes you don't know whether they are bluffing or not causing people to buy now instead of tommorrow where they might miss out.

    Now does that mean I wont buy if they use scarcity no I still will if I really want that product. See, we as marketers have learned to expect it so there's no surprise when it comes so it doesn't negatively affect my buying decision.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8214862].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author CurtisSWN
      I"ve seen marketers use the scarcity tactic, and then became pretty jaded about it when offers would invoke it.

      BUT STILL, you never know if the offer really will get pulled because they do get pulled. So scarcity works, which is why we use it.
      Signature
      Simple Two Step Formula
      Earns Me Over $146.72 in 12 Hours. This is Weird, But it Works!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8214916].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    false scarcity just ruins it for everyone else, eventually people become wary and jaded. Look at how the scam telemarketing has made it incredibly tough to even have a decent conversation over the phone. I guess that could be considered a barrier to entry for those clever persistent telemarketers these days who do have success.
    Signature

    In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8214931].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FlamingWolf
    Originally Posted by no1golfpro View Post

    I am curious about other WF experts about the use of false scarcity. I have watched a couple of webinars for different products this week by 2 very well known marketers. In each case, it becomes obvious that they are not really limiting the number of sales. My question is would this automatically mean you wouldn't buy? I am concerned that if you started a relationship based on a lie, how much of the rest of the presentation is a lie? Thanks in advance.
    Personally I stopped a long time ago to use scarcity tactics. It's true, you get more sales. But you also get more complaints ( and more refunds ).

    Plus, in my experience, I trust less someone who uses fake scarcity ( and, when you know how these tricks work, you can spot them quickly ).

    There are 2 ways, however, when scarcity actually helps and increase respect that people have for you:
    1. when you are launching a product and you set a lower price for review copies - or when you make a fire sale for a short time.
    2. when you want to keep a product on the market for a limited time

    In both cases choose a date, say that date in your copy or webinar and stick to it. After that date, change price or close the doors for real. And NO exceptions after the time has passed.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8215039].message }}

Trending Topics