I've come across several times recently in which a family member or I had been a target of what I would call predatory marketing.  Predatory, meaning to be deceitful or aggressive, so that they can sell you their goods.  Such direct attacks are really direct attacks on your personal finances.  Someone who wouldn't have been a consumer otherwise may be swayed in buying something they don't need or want, or could even have their credit dinged.   

 

Several predatory marketing examples:

 

I was running through an airport, running close for my flight and when I passed by a guy in a pilot uniform, who started shouting "Sir, wait, wait!"  I stopped and turned to him only to find that he was offering to sign me up for a credit card with sky miles.

 

My mom had a guy knock on the door to sell her something, to which she turned down.  As she was closing the door, he literally stuck his foot in the doorway to prevent her from closing it. 

 

My sister-in-law having a college kid knock on the door selling vacuum cleaners.  When she said she wasn't interested, the kid said if he could just show his manager that he made it into the house, he would meet his quota for the day, and she didn't have to buy the vacuum cleaner.  (yes, very naive, I know)  She let him in, the kid called his manager, then when he arrived they both tag-teamed trying to get her to buy a vacuum cleaner.

 

Considerations.  It does look like that some companies are coming up with some fairly ugly ways to get you to part with your money.  There are several things that you should consider when you get approached by an unscrupulous salesperson:

 

1.  Don't reward marketers for being deceitful.  If you were thinking about getting a credit card anyway, don't reward the credit card marketer who snuck up on you in a pilot uniform, pretending to be something that they are not.  If they are resorting to being shifty to sell the product, it's likely the product has it's own problems anyway.  You are much more likely to do better by spending some time looking for your own good deal.

 

2.  Don't be intimidated.  If someone is in your face trying to sell you something, politely tell them "no" and move on.  If they are preventing you from moving on, tell them that you've already made up your mind, any more aggression from them is only going to draw them into an argument.  Keep in mind that while they may have sold their soul in selling the product, if they find very quickly that you won't add to their bottom line, they will look elsewhere to make their money.

 

3.  Keep up with family and friends on this issue.  Unfortunately, the elderly are often targeted by this kind of marketing.  Talk to them about phone calls and e-mails that are scams, phishing for information that they shouldn't give out.  Have their phone number added to the Do Not Call Registry.  You may even look into no soliciting signs for their front door, to keep salespeople to a minimum.

 

Now I realize that marketing in most cases is a very good thing.  Legitimate companies can use it to highlight their products, provide stability to their companies, and gives other companies a source of income running ads.  In the end people need to make sure that they are buying a product for the right reasons, and not because they were somehow tricked. 

 

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