Why Are You Advertising Exceptional Rather Than Average Results?
Disclaimers – When Did That Start To Become A ‘Thing’ in B2B Marketing?
dis·claim·er noun
1. a statement that denies something, especially responsibility.
In my decades of selling and marketing to corporates and government organizations, I do not remember seeing disclaimers on websites unless it was for diet ads or some other scam.
When I see something like this on a B2B website:
Client Examples on our website are exceptional results, do not reflect the typical purchaser’s experience, DO NOT apply to the average person and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
OR this:
EARNINGS DISCLAIMER: Any income examples of others on our website are exceptional results, do not apply to the average purchaser and are not intended to represent that anyone will achieve similar results.
It makes me wonder – WHY?
If you’re not trying to be misleading, then why are you highlighting these examples?
FYI: most disclaimers are only found at the bottom of a website in a small font and can be disguised as terms and conditions.
When I just searched for the Earnings Disclaimer paragraph, I got millions of hits. When did this become so common in B2B marketing and why?
It’s now my standard procedure to go to the bottom to see if that sales pitch site has a disclaimer attached to it.
I understand that you need to set expectations on what a potential client can and maybe cannot achieve – to state that there are no guarantees. But then why are you advertising exceptional rather than average or typical results? That seems misleading to me.
I did some research, looking at the websites of my trusted Sales Experts and not one has any disclaimers on their site. But the people who I see touting unbelievable extraordinary results – they have disclaimers. Funny that.
Misleading advertising has been illegal for over a 100 years but this was mainly print advertising.
What gets me is when you sign up for some high-ticket packages (I hate that phrase) as they’re called, you’re tempted by numerous supposedly high-ticket bonus offers that are supposedly worth tens of thousands of dollars. I would suggest, that those bonuses have NEVER been sold at that price. That’s false advertising isn’t it? Just because you say it’s worth $5,000 doesn’t mean anything if you’ve never sold it at that price.
Buyer Beware is the name of the game, especially when it comes to diet ads (B2C) but when did that start being a thing to look out for in B2B sales and marketing?
What can we do to get rid of it?
Just stop falling for the get rich quick promises! It’s that easy. My saying of ‘plod your way to profits’ is not highly motivating but it’s true. It generally takes 3-5 years to get established in your own business, if not longer. Most overnight successes take
And if you’re tempted, then ask to speak to their clients from 2-3 years ago to get a truly honest perspective, as current clients tend to not want to admit that they might have made a mistake. They’re still in the infatuation stage (I know, I was once there too).
NEVER be pressured into signing on the spot!
The too-good-to-be-true-offers ARE too good to be true AND that’s not how legitimate businesses generally work.
Think about it – you receive an offer to ONLY pay $2,000 for a package of coaching and training supposed worth $18,000. The fee is non-refundable under any circumstances. Legit businesses generally don’t operate this way.
I know I would never force a client to continue with me if they were not getting value and I don’t do contracts in any case. But not having a cancelation clause is something that should make you be EXTRA cautious.
Remember – there are no guarantees, they’re touting exceptional results, there’s no cancelation, no cooling off period ……. It all screams: DON’T DO IT!
The reason I get so upset is that they perpetuate the sleazy salesperson myth. To me, being in sales is being of service to others. It’s a respected highly skilled profession. That most business schools do not make learning how to sell mandatory is a crime!
However, there is a core group of business schools who have seen the light and it’s expanding each year.
Thanks to the Sales Education Foundation, we know that there are now close to 170 universities worldwide grant degrees in B2B professional selling, up from only 20 a decade ago. There are now 22 American Universities where you can now get a PhD in Sales! Professional sales IS becoming a respected profession.
Don’t fall for anyone who pressures you into a sale! That is just NOT how business is done with integrity.
Remember those painful timeshare presentations? Most businesses shouldn’t work that way.
