We live in a society that constantly pushes VICTIMIZATION on people.
Flip on the TV…one minute you see a commercial for a prescription drug, accompanied by a long-ass list of side effects (including potential death!). “Talk to your doctor to see if this drug is right for you,” the narrator says in a cheery voice. George Orwell is turning in his grave.
The next minute you see a commercial advertising a law practice. A smug and half-smiling lawyer rubs his palms together and asks, “Were you the victim of so-and-so-drug? Did you get in a car accident? Did someone wrong you and destroy your life? It’s not your fault — call us now and we’ll get you million of dollars in compensation.”
It’s fucking crazy!
No where in this mess is any concept of personal responsibility, personal choice, or empowerment. It’s all about “Poor me, life screwed me over. Now someone needs to pay.”
The masses are encouraged to complain, file grievances, file lawsuits, overmedicate themselves, and ramp up their victim stories in as many ways as possible, for anyone who will dare to listen.
Flip to any TV show and you’ll find much of the same. The entertainment industry makes a killing on stories of victimization. Talk show hosts pick the most back-assward people of society to feature on their daily episodes. (Dr. Phil is a master at this!) Even the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer” is the ultimate story of victimization: an apparently innocent man is sent to life in prison, while corrupt government officials get away with planting evidence and lying in court. Who knows if the guy is really innocent or not? The story appeals to the masses’ deep obsession for victimization.
That’s why one of the greatest ways to set your COMPANY apart is simply to refuse to engage in this culture of victimization.
There are several ways you can do this:
- Refuse to put out any marketing content that encourages people to be victims.
- Use every customer success story that comes your way as a marketing piece.
- Maximize attention on the “hero” aspect of your customer testimonials — i.e., the excited words from people who used your products to change some aspect of their life for the better.
- Make every marketing piece about empowerment. You’re not here to coddle or hand-hold grown adults, or enable them to continue their bad behavior…you’re here to help people make better decisions in their lives. Perhaps one of those decisions is buying and consuming/using your products.
- Delete, block, and ban all customers who repeatedly experience problems with anything regarding your business (shipments, product quality, frequency of emails you send, etc.). Their worldview is “Life sucks — it’s all about problems,” and you don’t want these people as customers! Don’t apologize to them, don’t cater to them, and don’t give energy to their story of victimization. They’re the ones who’ve chosen to manifest problems over and over again, not you. If they truly want help, they’ll put money towards solving their problems, and they’ll be open to receiving and benefiting from the solution.
The victim culture will try to fight you on this. Be prepared for war. Be prepared for random losers telling you how selfish you are…how greedy you are…how wrong you are…or what a “quack” you are. Prepare for smear campaigns, bad reviews, fake reviews, and other craziness.
Delete all that shit.
The best way to win the war is to IGNORE the morons who insist on being victims…and instead, pour the majority of your attention on those who take personal responsibility for the outcomes in their lives. You want THOSE people as customers.
Serving them, selling and delivering products to them, and helping them improve their quality of life, will be a great joy.
But you can’t maximize that joy if you’re busy catering to the crazies.
Talk soon,
Michelle
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 