Business Growth Strategies » con man

Make Your Prospect Feel Special

Ryan M. Healy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:54:11 +0000

For experienced marketers, this may be old news, but the Harvard Business Review found that people who were made to feel special were three times more likely to want to buy a specific item.

How, exactly, was this conclusion reached?

In an experiment that provided participants with an opportunity to buy a discounted coffee mug, those who were told they had been randomly selected to get the discount were 3 times more likely to want to buy than people who believed everyone got the discount. Researchers Jerry M. Burger and David F. Caldwell of Santa Clara University say such “special” opportunities may be appealing because people’s self-esteem is tied to factors that distinguish them from the crowd.

Naturally, prospects are more responsive when they feel special, singled out, part of a distinct group.

This is why so many successful sales pitches appeal to vanity.

Making prospects feel special is just good business. But do not be deceptive and do not cross the line into flattery.

I’ve found that flattery is the mark of a con man and nearly always precedes an effort to defraud.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

A Brief Guide to Psychopaths, Scam Artists & Con Men

Ryan M. Healy — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:20:15 +0000

What do psychopaths, scam artists, and con men all have in common?

They’ve all been featured on this blog!

In fact, I’ve written individual posts about each of these types of individuals and how to know when you’re dealing with one.

Trouble is, these three articles were published over the course of three years (the first post was in June 2008), so they’re quite spread out in the archives of this site.

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to do a “round up” of these three posts so they’re all in one place, easy to find and easy to reference.

Read all three of these posts and you’ll be able to quickly and easily spot scam artists and con men at work, while the average guy will never see what’s coming.

How to Spot a Con Man

“Con man” is short for “confidence man”… a guy who will go to extreme lengths to gain your confidence so that you’ll be easier to scam.

First he gains your trust; then he takes your money.

Discover 3 sneaky ways con men build trust here

7 Traits Scam Artists Have in Common

A scam happens when you’re promised a certain product, service, or outcome that is never delivered. In other words, a scam is a fraudulent way of conducting business.

A scam artist is a person who specializes in scams to defraud people of money. (A scam artist often uses confidence tricks to perpetuate his scams. See “con man” above.)

Discover 7 traits scam artists have in common here

How to Spot a Psychopath

While con men and scam artists are defined by their actions, psychopaths are defined by their personalities. There are 20 different “markers” that determine whether a person is a psychopath or not.

Surprisingly, there is much evidence that a disproportionate number of psychopaths rise to and hold positions of power — proof that psychopathy manifests in many different ways.

Discover the 20 “markers” that define a psychopath here

Have I overlooked any traits, behaviors, or information that would help people spot psychopaths, scam artists, and con men? Leave a comment below and let me know…

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

7 Traits Scam Artists Have in Common

Ryan M. Healy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:04:40 +0000

Scam artists aren’t always easy to spot at first glance, but once you know what to look for, they are much easier to identify.

Here are 7 traits most scam artists have in common:

1. Likable, Confident Personality

Most scam artists are actually very easy to like. This is one way they build trust with their “marks.” Scam artists are often overly confident in their own abilities — and potential customers are drawn to this confidence because they’re looking for answers.

2. Exorbitantly Expensive Coaching Programs

Most scam artists charge five-figure fees for coaching programs. The fees can be $20,000 or more. And the coaching programs are usually sold by promising future wealth because it’s the only way to justify such high prices.

3. Lots of Outspoken and Unhappy Clients

Scam artists are good at getting paid, but nearly always fail to deliver on their promises. Do some research and you will probably find dozens of unhappy clients who’ve posted complaints online.

4. Selling One Solution While Using Another

Most scam artists sell one solution while using another. For example: Using a product launch to sell an Adwords course. The disconnect is obvious once you know to look for it.

5. Failure to Deliver

In case after case, the scam artist’s basic operation looks like this. Step 1: He or she takes your money. Step 2: There is no step two. Some scam artists actually do deliver something for their fee, but it’s always far short of the outlandish promises.

6. Highly Polished Marketing Combined with Unpolished or Non-Existent Products

Most scam artists spend nearly all of their time marketing and almost none of their time delivering on their promises. Products are not delivered and services are not rendered. Hence, the term “scam artist.”

7. Stage Selling at Big Events

Many scam artists pitch their programs via seminars and other live events. They may speak dozens of times a year because of their ability to sell from the stage. This builds their credibility and helps them perpetuate their scams without being detected.

Do Your Due Diligence!

Anytime you’re considering making a hefty investment with any kind of “guru,” make sure you do your due diligence — especially if it’s a high-priced coaching program. You may even want to use this blog post as a check list to make sure you don’t get ripped off.

Please also remember this: Scam artists do not think of themselves as scam artists. They are often delusional and think they are doing the world a favor. This is another reason so many people get taken in. I hope this list of common traits will help you see through the deception.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy this one: How to Spot a Con Man.Similar Posts:

How to Spot a Con Man

Ryan M. Healy — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:46:42 +0000

During my career as a freelance copywriter, I’ve encountered a few exceptional negotiators and a handful of con men.

How do you spot a con man? First, it helps to know the definition.

According to Princeton’s WordNet, con man is short for “Confidence Man: a swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim.”

With that in mind, here are three traits to watch out for.

Flattery

This is the first and foremost thing to look out for. A compliment is normal. Flattery is not.

Whenever somebody flatters me, I watch my wallet. Flattery is normally a prelude to an unusual or out-of-the-ordinary request.

The psychology works like this:

Flattery makes you feel all puffed up and great about yourself. But this is a set up so you’ll agree more easily to whatever request comes next.

You are more likely to make a bad decision when you are feeling overconfident. Flattery is an easy way to build your confidence.

“…a flattering mouth works ruin.” Proverbs 26:28

Bragging

A person who brags is not necessarily a con man; he could just be insecure.

It’s the type of bragging that matters.

Some people brag about how good they are at a specific skill. This is your garden variety braggart, relatively harmless.

Others brag about their good character or how much money they give to their church, poor people, etc. This is your con man variety of braggart.

It is designed to get you to lower your guard… to get you thinking about what a good person it is you’re dealing with. Next thing you know, the con-man lowers the boom.

Watch out for people who brag about their good character.

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” Matthew 6:3,4

Unrealistic Promises

A common negotiating tactic is to build neediness in the other party.

For instance, a potential client might tell you that there’s “huge” potential, and that you could make “tens of thousands of dollars.”

He’s building your confidence to the point where you believe this future pay-off will really happen.

The next thing he’ll do is ask you to work for free for an indeterminate amount of time. If you believe the vision he’s painted, you might agree to unreasonable terms, work hard for months… then never see a single cent.

“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.” Proverbs 25:14

Safeguard Yourself

A con man uses all kinds of techniques to build your confidence in yourself and in him. Once your confidence is high enough, you’re in a vulnerable position. That’s how you get conned.

Ask yourself: “Am I feeling overly confident? Why?”

Ask yourself: “Why is this person flattering me? Why is he telling me all about his good deeds? Why is he promising me a huge pay-off somewhere down the road?”

Answer these questions. Be honest with yourself. Don’t be taken in.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. The truth is finally coming out about certain marketers who do business on the Internet. Here are three posts you may be interested in:

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