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| Salespeople and retailers make money when they sell something to you. So they use many different methods to try to get you to buy. Here are some of the most common: |
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Sale prices
Question whether they are really bargains. They may be leftover stock, which isn't always bad. |
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Coupons
Coupons may not always save you money, especially if they're part of a coupon book you must buy, or if the products are higher priced than your normal purchase. |
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Rebates
Rebates only work if you remember to send in the rebate coupon. |
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Package deals
Check to see if you really need everything in the package or if you're paying for items you wouldn't normally buy. |
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Loss-leaders
Sometimes you're lured into a store for a 15 percent discount to find yourself buying other items you hadn't intended to purchase. |
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Premium
Sometimes a free 'gift' is offered with the purchase of a certain dollar amount or more. But if you spend more than you need to get the 'gift', it isn't really free. |
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Contests
What are the chances of you winning? Decide if it is worth the time it takes to enter and the cost of the entry. |
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Claiming to be 'the best'
Sometimes it doesn't matter if it's the best. It's more important that it works for you. |
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Obvious exaggerations
A company may claim that 'everyone loves' their product. Did they ask everyone? |
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An excited salesperson
Excitement is contagious. But the salesperson might just be excited to make money from you. |
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Deadlines
One day only, once in a lifetime! From 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. These are sales techniques that work to entice you to buy now. |
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Limited offers
Only while supplies last! (They may have more than enough to go around.) Only two left! (No one mentioned they only started with two.) |
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Inside groups and clubs
Appeals to 'the selected few'. How much will you pay for a sense of belonging? |
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Guarantees
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! It can be the mark of a quality product, or a dubious product attempting to hide its problems. |
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Beautiful people
If a model says that he or she uses a product, others might buy the products because they want to be just like the beautiful people. |
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Editing out the failures
If six out of ten used a health product and got better, what happened to the other four? |
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Fear
This is a strong motivator. Are you really safe without it? Are you more protected if you buy it? These techniques feed on your fears. |
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Pride
This technique uses your ego against you. |
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Guilt
They want you to know that if you don't buy your mother a Mother Day's card, you're a bad son or daughter. They'll save you that embarrassment by selling you one. |
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Grief
In times of hardship, some salespeople will try to get you to spend more money while your defenses are down. |
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Anger
"Are you tired of being ripped off?" is a big step toward ripping you off. |
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Children have a great ability to influence their parents. So one sales technique is to convince the kids to influence the family, including what to eat, where to eat, and what toys to buy. Advertisers also look to cultivate future customers with this approach. |
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Pros and cons
Check to see if the message is all pros and no cons. |
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Fine print
Always check the fine print. |
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Add-ons
Batteries not included. Plus shipping and handling. Make sure you know the total price of everything you need to use a product. |
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Bait and switch
A retailer may advertise a special price, but when you come in, they are sold out. Then they try to sell you a more expensive product that, of course, they do have in stock. |
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Free item
It turns out to be free only if you buy special supplies at high replacement costs, e.g. a flashlight that needs special batteries; a cleaning equipment that comes with more costly cleaning agent, etc. |
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This is when merchandise arrives automatically unless the consumer takes steps to stop the shipment and billing. |
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Offers are accompanied by certificates for 'free' or very low-cost travel. The offers only vaguely describe the service and/or accommodations, which may be much less than acceptable. |
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This includes promises of overnight medical cures and treatments. They often prey on the consumer's vanity and/or fears. Mentions 'developed after years of research' and 'proven to provide immediate positive results'. Usually these are accompanied by testimonials from 'medical experts and satisfied customers'. Check these sources carefully with a very critical eye. |
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Huge savings
Ask how they can sell it so cheap. It might actually be a great deal. But it might be a big mistake. |
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Huge return
A wise rule of thumb is the greater the gain, the higher the risk -
ALWAYS! |
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