Top 5 Scary Tactics:
The Ghostbusting of Marketing Past

By Cyndy Bolton

Shhhhhhht! Be quiet. Listen. Can you hear them? Quick! Duck under the sofa, or they'll get you.

That was yesterday, right? Now we're a smarter, more witty generation of consumers. We don't so hastily jump at the chance to spend our hard earned dollars as a result of poor marketing tactics. Most of these methods are transparent in nature to us. We hear their loud voices from the marketing depths commanding us to buy things because they tell us we need them. Sure enough, some of us fall prey to these commercial zombies, morphing us into a life sentence of eternal forced consumerism.

There still remain a few of these ghosts. Travelling through cable networks, radio stations and the internet. Scaring innocent people into trying and buying.

In order to dispel their presence and eradicate their existence on the planet, we must educate ourselves. Recognizing their presence is the first step, ignoring their beck and call is the second.

Below is a list of 5 top poor marketing tactics.
A: Recognize the Ghost and His Tactics and B: Bust it!

1A - Manipulation
Try and avoid adopting the belief that you will not survive without purchasing from the supplier. Understand that you will wake up in the morning after NOT buying the item in question.

1B - Bust it!
DO NOT allow the seller to taunt you with self-defeating psychology. Remember, the dictionary states that manipulation is "Shrewd or devious management, especially for one's own advantage." Don't fall for the spell.

2A - Cold Calls
People don't like you showing up on their door step or on the phone without you being unannounced, it's just downright rude.

2B - Bust it!
Take a direct approach to this haunting and tell the caller that you do not have time for their call. Ask them to book an appointment to do so in the future. If they do not wish to do so, ask them to call at your preferred time, or not at all.

3A - Hype
What are their voices telling you? Will their product make you thinner, faster, or even smarter? If you were smarter, would you be buying what they're selling? It's all geared towards hitting the nerve that motivates your need for what they have.

3B - Bust it!
Come on, your self esteem is in check, right? Don't let them in. I guarantee if you do, you will be thinner only by the weight of money you invested in their scam.

4A Quick-Sell
These little beggars are fast. They pop in from nowhere, take your cash and disappear before you can say "BOO!". Not time to consider consequences. In and out.

4B - Bust it!
Recognize them by their limited time offers. Some even come with a wind-down clock right on the site, counting down your days to doom. If you don't take advantage of this offer, it will fade into eternity. Right!

5A - High Pressure
You can tell these ghosts apart from the rest. Their distinct howling and wiry emotion overwhelm you with fright. They are angry and hungry for the sale. When you turn away from the ugliness, they ravage you with their persistence and moodiness.

5B - Bust it!
Find out where these guys are from. Walk away, hang up the phone and check out the BBB before you give them a cent.

The more we are able to recognize these ghosts, the more power we have to dwindle their numbers. The less of a market share they have, the less power they will have to haunt us in the future. Be savvy, be smart, and beware...Beware...BEWARE!