The Fear Factor
“(A) weird thing about human psychology that you just need to accept for what it is and not complain that you wish it were different, is that people are motivated more by avoiding loss than by gaining benefit.”
I heard Brian Clark of Copyblogger say that. It seems such a simple, stupid truth; something all grownup people have to swallow. No sense pretending we’re essentially noble as a species. Our reflexes are defensive, not compassionate, not productive.
So. Get over it. If you are in the business of persuasion of any sort, your tactics must center on your target’s fears, not on their hopes.
This is why social services are usually non-profits; they don’t sell protection, the way for-profit businesses do. Good Samaritan kinds of concerns are the opposite of protection. They expose you to risks and dangers.
Any enterprise that seeks to earn a profit must minister to some commonly-held fear. As VAs, for instance, we must say we ensure that you won’t drown in a sea of overwork. Or we help present your brand so you will be seen in the best light, avoiding embarrassment and mistakes. Or we make your travel plans so you won’t agonize over the confusing schedules for hours.
We help to keep your fear at bay.
It would be more pleasant if we could say that as VAs we help make you successful; or we give you extra time in your day; or we make social media marketing a breeze. I have a whole string of such hopeful messages revolving on one page of this very site.
But that is going to change now. Time to stop wishing things were different. Time to get real and start selling to the gut. The pretty pictures I’ve been painting may satisfy some aesthetic; but it’s actually stark, repugnant need that’s called for, the dark mementos of terror.
Maybe I don’t have to feel slimy about it. Assuaging fear is a good thing to do. And business can be a building block for future altruisms. So, as they correctly claim, it’s all good.
