Yesterday was the final day of a weekend seminar entitled Millionaire Mind Intensive. Ill credit the seminar for teaching me some interesting money saving and money making tactics like the jar system, Investment Retirement Accounts, and Tax Liens. However, for the most part, the seminar was a waste of time. 1/4th of the seminar was dedicated to the useful tools stated above, 1/4th to funny or interesting stories shared by the trainers, and 1/2th was dedicated to selling you more of their courses.
The most disturbing part of the entire weekend is the way in which they marketed to a group of emotionally and financially vulnerable people. A common strategy they used to market their products to the audience was to get them riled up emotionally and ask them to purchase things impulsively based upon their emotions. I can think of three primary ways they did this, not necessarily in this order.
In the first phase, the trainers would begin by stating their backgrounds and telling some jokes and having fun with the audience. At this stage they built trust and credibility.
Next, they had people write about and share their personal financial situation. Most people in the room were undergoing some form of financial difficulty and, thus, this was a sore subject for many people. Many people were so upset with what was going
on in their personal lives that they began to cry. Thats when the selling started. At this point, they would praise their products and tell people that it would change their lives. They would ridicule people who didnt buy their products and mocking them with a whinny voice. Also, they were encouraging people not to research or think about the product, but to buy from their hearts.
The second phase of the coaxing involved the trainers telling moving, personal stories about their own lives and how the product had helped them. They all emphasized how they had paid so much more for the same products and how each would pay itself back tenfold.
These stories helped the audience relate to and trust the trainers. Then there was singing and dancing and turning to your neighbor and high fiving him, to get the group excited and motivated. And when we were all happy and gay, the selling began.
Often times they promoted group think by asking whether people liked their product and ending the question with a false choice like true or true or great or great or right or right. Even their questions were intended not to get you to think. They would then ask the crowd a question like who doesnt have a small business. These employees would be asked to stand in
front of the group, and the trainer would instruct them to go to the back and purchase something. Sometimes he would have them stand for a minute or so if they didnt buy anything, and I think many felt pressured by the fixed eyes of the group to go to the back and purchase more programs.
The third phase included an exercise where people would put a wooden arrow to their necks and would break it by stepping forward. This is somewhat of a frightening exercise, but the trainer built up peoples trust in him by encouraging people to do it
and helping them do so. Then, hypnotherapy tactics were employed, where they asked people who still hadnt bought anything
to close their eyes and imagine their ideal lives. The hypnotherapist or trainer would describe a serene and idyllic life and many people awoke from the hypnotherapy with tears in their eyes. And when the people were at their most emotional, the
selling continued. They told people how they couldnt afford not to purchase their products and how a real millionaire would do whatever it takes to purchase it (implying that the broke people should borrow money or take it out of their savings to purchase the product). They would discount their products over and over again making you think you are getting an amazing value. They would tell you that the offer is only for a limited time and for a limited number of people and if you didnt act now, you would miss out on an amazing opportunity.
In sum, I didnt learn much about making money, but I did learn a lot about mind control and brainwashing. These people should be ashamed.
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