Marketing Strategies That Stink

An advise to the marketing arms of certain companies – Teach the word HONESTY to your marketing and sales people.

I understand that marketers are trained to develop strategies to persuade buyers or customers to BUY, aside from educating them and enhancing their satisfaction to the product. I understand, too, that marketing together with its sales promotion are tools to spur sales volume. But they should do it with HONESTY. Once a buyer or a customer smells trickery and deception, he can’t be persuaded to buy.

Papsie and I became victims of the marketing strategy of a pre-need company. The free umbrella and a chance to win Honda Jazz, or consolation prizes of cash money from P 500 to P 5000 pesos lured us. It would only take 30-45 minutes for us to listen to their product intro, so they say. We were so enamored with the idea of a Honda Jazz (Foolish Dan and Bing? Ah, yes, anyway it comes only once in a while) so off we go to their venue which we thought was just nearby. It was not and it ate the 10 minutes of going upstairs (I couldn’t even remember if it is 2nd or 3rd floor of SM department store). The moment we landed on their office, I was not feeling okay because waiting for both of us to be called inside was eating up again our time. Another 10 minutes. We were served a glass of tea each.

It turned out to be a direct selling of a pre-need plan (in the form of savings), not a product intro. In fairness, the sales person was adept and knows her way out to every clever question Papsie tossed. But she ate away our time and the persuasion lasted until almost an hour contrary to the statement the first marketer told us that it would only last 30-45 minutes. I could have given in to the sweetness of the offer (because it was SO AFFORDABLE) but exasperation overcame my interest. She had repeatedly mentioned that she was not forcing us to buy but she could not help herself repeating the whole marketing and persuading Papsie to sit and stay for a minute more. I felt Papsie’s irritation when the salesperson desperately told us that “E, paano naman kung masunog ang mga paupahan nyo? Na ‘wag naman sana. Saan kayo pupunta? While if you have savings, meron pa kayong mapupuntahan kahit pa’no.” Papsie knocked on the table very hard as if opposing the evil wishful thinking of that person.
I was not talking anymore, nor conceiving anything from what she’s saying. My mind was hovering and Papsie’s head was like bloating (and he even told that salesperson). He called up Kay and told her not to worry because we will be home soon. It is a good thing that my kids have that presence of mind to choose tuna in can as their viand for the evening.

The persuasion ended (thank God!). We got two umbrellas and not a Honda Jazz or any from the consolation prizes. But we got two raffle stubs which will be drawn (I don’t know when) and the winner will get a house-and-lot. We couldn’t care less anymore. We want to go home. We were laughing at ourselves how we got entangled with the mess of being there and tricked. Anyway, they did not succeed. We went home with the umbrellas and a very nice photo of Dan and Bing. I did ask that sales person to give me the photo. With a riled gesture, she consented. That was the only time she made sense.