Fear Is The Great Motivator.

by Aaron Doud

Posted: 10 years ago 13 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

The Fear of Missing Out is Why People Buy Cars | Dealer Communications

Fear of loss or missing out that is. Check out this article on how different businesses use the fear of loss to drive sales.

#fear #great #motivator

Huskerdarren

10 years ago

I've had that happen to me once that I can remember. Couldn't agree on price for a brand new Honda CRV with the color and options I wanted.
Salesman thought he had be backed into a corner because we were doing some serious negotiating and the vehicle was in stock. He thought we had purchased it psychologically. I just stood up and said, I'm going over to the other Honda dealership and see if they'll take my offer. Suddenly, I had put the fear of loss onto the salesman and that was all that I needed to get my offer accepted. (I still think the dealership did well enough though)

Thanks
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Henney

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Huskerdarren

Hah, nice story

And yes, that true that fear of loss is very powerful if you don't know how to control it

Thanks

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Ron Lafuddy 10 years ago

Good find, Aaron.

Nothing like a little "auction fever" to
get people to pay more than they normally
would and to do it now.

Getting caught up in that emotional pull
is bad juju.
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misterme

10 years ago

Fear is the true motivator behind every. single. motivation.

Thanks
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Huskerdarren 10 years ago

People act to move toward pleasure or to avoid pain. Fear and pain tend to win out more often than not. Avoiding pain can be as simple as achieving the status quo, the bare minimum to thwart it. But being motivated by pleasure is growth and excelling.
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ewenmack

10 years ago

Originally Posted by misterme

Fear is the true motivator behind every. single. motivation.

In the dating niche, what is commonly used by the
info gurus, is fear of being single.

Well this week, a copywriter I mentored, put
that to the test and used positive approaches.

The stats showed on numerous emails sent out that the
positive lead always beat the fear approach.

He gets to see the stats on every approach, every day.

You gotta test all assumptions.

Different markets and amount of marketing to them,
react differently.

Best,
Ewen

[ 2 ] Thanks
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Greg guitar

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

I agree; assumptions like "fear always beats pleasure" are far too general and simplistic; very few things can be proven as absolute psychological truths, given the complexity of humans, and how little we really know for sure about our own species. For all the spouting off most people do about "human nature", the body of actual knowledge (by which I mean that which can be proven to never vary from one individual to the next) about it is tiny compared to the vast body of theory masquerading as fact.

Thanks
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Aaron Doud 10 years ago

Agreed I think you have to match your message to your audience and your product.

You may even find that you need both a positive message and a negative one to capture those who seek pleasure and those who avoid pain.
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Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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misterme

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

The stats showed on numerous emails sent out that the
positive lead always beat the fear approach.

When I say fear is the motivator behind every motivation, that includes when the motivation appears to be positive. It's not the message I'm referring to. It's the motivator behind the message.

Here's an example of what I mean by that:

Let's say in that dating niche the positive is how the guy will enjoy attracting hot women and having sexual fun. That appears positive.

But what really fuels wanting that outcome?

Could it be fear of not getting sex? Could it be fear of not attracting women and so, fear of feeling inadequate? Fear of having no ability to attract gorgeous women which in turn is a fear of settling for less than you desire? Could it be?

Does it tap into our natural aversions to being lonely? To escape not feeling good about who we are? To avert feeling worthless? Inadequate? Not desirable? Not needed? Not wanted? Fear of ostracization? Fear of not being accepted into the group? Does it perhaps?

Is there the slightest chance that the primal amygdala, the reptilian brain, is at work in us here looking to fight against anxiety, dread and fear perceived by not attaining the desired outcome? Is there the slightest chance?

So maybe what's really happening with the positive messages is that coated in positivity, the message is easier for the recipient to swallow, where if it were presented as a negative the recipient would shun it because he wouldn't want to dwell on the feared outcome. Like people who shut their eyes and plug their ears when a horror movie scene turns gross.

So maybe at work here perhaps, even coated with positivity, is the message unconsciously motivates because of the recipient's feared outcome.

Thanks
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ewenmack

10 years ago

Originally Posted by misterme

So maybe at work here perhaps, even coated with positivity, is the message unconsciously motivates because of the recipient's feared outcome.

How would our dating guru example use that knowledge
to get more of his audience to take the desired action he is after?

Best,
Ewen

Thanks
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misterme

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

How would our dating guru example use that knowledge to get more of his audience to take the desired action he is after?

I'm afraid I don't know.

Ha, ha. Made a joke.

Well, off the top of my head, I'd say he'd want to tap into what the average frustrated male wants to avoid. I have to go on hearsay but from what I understand...

Say the situation is about approaching women in a social setting.

The guy feels intimidated by good looking women. Feels they're "out of his league." Fears approaching them because he wants to avoid the pain of rejection. He feels nervous in those situations. Not confident. Uncertain. Doesn't want to look foolish in front of others even if they're strangers.

These are among the feelings he wants to avoid. What other dislikes may there be?

None of these concerns, fears and dislikes will actually will be about the situation or the woman, though he may think so, because they all originate from within the guy himself. And the reason they're within him is probably because these are his learned experiences in these situations.

They also happen because he's been told that he's a geek, a nerd, bad with women, women have laughed at him, ignored him, used him, etc so he believes it's just the way it is.

He's also been told the unhelpful "just be yourself" advice by well meaning friends and relatives but being "himself" is why he strikes out.

So in effect your dating guru needs to be like a therapist. Because what needs to change is the guy himself. So how do you signal to that guy that what this dating guru offers can lead to that change, in a way that gets the guy to raise his hand... that's what you're asking me.

Well, you know that people are apt to go for miracle pills. So guys in those situations want a pick up line or technique. Thing is, pick up lines aren't effective. But that's not to say you can't learn something that'll make a good first step...

I think Frank Kern has a great method for that. He calls it "Results in Advance." That is, you give a little something step by step you know works. The idea is it takes the prospect one step closer to their goal and gives them the realistic expectation of "hey I think I can do this."

Eben Pagan who makes millions annually selling dating advice has the "kiss test" for instance. His little method for finding out if the girl wants to be kissed so that you don't go in for the kiss only to have egg on your face (and end up with the pain of rejection and feeling foolish - all fears).

And when you think about it, this isn't that far off from what a therapist might have someone do.

Obviously the kiss test isn't needed if you're not getting phone numbers and you're not getting phone numbers unless you know how to approach, or know how to write a compelling dating site profile, know how to handle meeting a woman the first time, know what to look for, know what to say, know what to do, know how to evaluate the situation without the male ego getting in the way as so often happens.

So what your dating guru should put out to get opt ins should be a technique that gets whatever the needed next step is for the market or markets he wants. Basically it's getting the guy something he can do which instills confidence, battling his fear of insecurity. But in the long run, it's not about techniques. It's about fixing the guy himself.

Is that the answer you were looking for?

Thanks
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Eddie Spangler

10 years ago

Was in Lowes tonite and saw this display.
It got my attention and if we had a septic tank I would have bought this immediately.

1.Strong headline to grab my attention
2. Picture of disgusting mess and a professional looking guy holding large bill
3. Tells me I can avoid this problem by using this $6 product once a month.(the price shown is for 2 months worth)