Are You Being Scammed by Your Dreams?

Copyright (c) 2006 Michael Kay HBBReview.com Picking the wrong web business opportunity may not seem to matter much – after all most opportunities cost few dollars and may even be free. Nothing could be further from the truth. The true cost is not money, it's time and emotion. The vast bulk of web home business people are cramming their entrepreneurial activity into their free time – waste time and success passes you by. Also, working alone or in the full view of your family is emotionally draining. Poorly selected opportunities suck energy and purpose out of you, cutting your chances of success. So how do you avoid making poor decisions? It starts inside you. Let me illustrate… Some time ago, I tried to use hypnosis to help me lose weight. It didn't work as I was not able to be hypnotized. My mind was too busy to clear AND more importantly I automatically analyzed the process rather than experiencing it. This cost me a lot of money in a failed attempt. But it carries a message for you. The writers of sales letters are trying to hypnotize you! Sounds bizarre doesn't it? But, it's exactly what the snake-oil salesman did, the circus barker, even TV Evangelists; to get you floating down a path of logic or emotion (real or spurious), to eliminate your objections and fears and move your behavior from mere interest to fully-fledged intention to buy. And don't believe you are resistant, just because you are skeptical. The most likely to convert at a spiritual rally are not the ones who just came to see, they are the ones who arrive most adamantly opposed. I have never been able to find out the sex split of converts, but I do know this, men are far more likely to buy on impulse than women; far less likely to research the opportunity and far more likely to buy for reasons of dream fulfillment. So men – beware!! Let's look at a typical letter/hypnosis: The writer will try to make a connection with you. He knows you are (with a very high probability) driven by dreams of wealth and (particularly men) personal freedom and control over your life. She knows with some certainty that people tend to look at web HBB opportunities when they are in a financial bind or frustrated. This explains the overwhelming number of ‘rags-to-riches' stories on the web both in the seller and in the testimonials she uses. Once an emotional connection is in place the seller needs to show he understands your problem and she has the solution to it. This will lead to an acknowledgement of your (probable) cynicism and skepticism. That will be dismissed or reduced by embracing it "I think you should be skeptical…" The aim is to disarm you and keep you reading so you can get to the screeds of lists and restatements of benefits. The restatements are partly because people skim these letters and repetition in different forms gets the message across. Interspersed with the lists of benefits will be (1) proofs – usually in the form of bank statements – that the product has generated huge income or that the seller, being successful is entitled to pitch to you and (2) hysterical testimonials from unknown people or slightly more measured ones from better-known figures. These testimonials may be real or not. Unless they have a contact point, you have no way of knowing. By this time the pace of the letter is quickening and you are beginning to wonder how to buy it and how much it costs. But gratification is delayed. The letter goes on and on, building your frustration (withholding salvation makes it more desirable). Eventually you get to the closer, the price is lowered emotionally: either by putting in an absurdly high price and having a ‘special reduction.' Or by adding in endless ‘free bonuses.' Or by some combination. Now comes the nail in your coffin. This price/offer is LIMITED TIME. You can only get it if you buy before midnight! This prompt is highly effective in direct selling on TV. It may even be true, but usually isn't; the close-out date tomorrow will be midnight tomorrow and so on – but you cannot be absolutely sure! You're still hesitating. The wife will kill you if you buy another thing off the web! And there it is – the golden moment – the NO QUESTIONS ASKED, THREE MONTH, and ALL YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!! Click here. Go to a smooth payment process and buy. 3 months later, the product lies unread and unused and the guarantee unclaimed (70% probability.) Absolutely brilliant! I don't know about you, but I am in awe of the best of these letters. When I read them I feel a magnetic pull to my pocket. I feel almost driven to buy. Though I have been tricked over and over again, and only saved because my wife …well you can guess!! Is there an antidote? Well yes and it lies in my hypnosis story. Analysis When you read the letters, look at the opportunities yes, but also think very clearly about the process of the letter itself. Break it up into its parts as you read it. Be mindful of what is being done to you. Admire it. But, make your decision from a business perspective. Does this opportunity work for you given who you are and the skills you have? Will you act on it or are you just trying to make yourself feel better? Focus on why you are here - business. Don't be scammed by your dreams!