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So now here we are with a call to action. We are all Hope-Seekers to some degree or another and hopefully we will all WAKE UP and not allow Hope-Mongers to continue to take advantage of us. But then we need to do more than just WAKE UP, we need to start becoming Hope-Givers.

So let’s review some of the principles. What to look for to separate a Hope-Giver from a Hope-Monger.

When reading copy, begin to notice the “power words” and try to understand what they are after. Which hot buttons are they going for? Are you being made to feel something negative or manipulative? Are they promising “over-night riches”? Are they promising the world with no effort, no abilities needed, no skills required and most importantly guaranteeing you instant cash? Then you’ve got a pretty good idea who is talking.

The next thing to watch is the language. Make sure that they tell you not only what to do but HOW to do it. Just like the second Baker who told the Hope-Seekers what to do but none of them knew HOW to do it.

Now obviously you can’t explain the HOW in just a few words or a single promotion, but this should be explained so the Hope-Seeker knows there is more involved than just what they are reading. Also remember that a Hope-Giver does have the right to charge for information, but make sure they have given you more than promises before you start shelling out the big bucks. Also, if they have not earned your trust, WAIT before you pay. Make them prove themselves—and a 90 minute Tele-seminar with hype and fluff is not proof. Have they shown you that they do know what they are talking about AND have they told you exactly what they are offering.

Now I know this can get a bit sticky because everyone has their own standards as to what is fluff and what isn’t but I’d rather have people be more cautious than to be taken advantage of.

I’ve heard so many Hope-Mongers say, “I’ve already made my money, I’m just in this to help you.” Okay, if that’s true then set up a nonprofit organization and give your information away. If you are in business you are there to make money, if not call it a charity but don’t pretend to be something you are not.

The next technique Hope-Mongers use is intimidation saying things like, “If you are really serious you would spend the big money” or “If you don’t do what I am telling you, you’re wasting my time.” There is some truth to these statements but pay attention to exactly what they are talking about. This type of intimidation is usually said in situations where they are tying to get you to pull out the credit card or write the check.

I called into one Tele-seminar because the “ad” said I was going to learn how advance my profession by doing XYZ. I was a little late to the call, but by only 10 to 15 minutes. By the time I got on the phone, the moderator was already telling me that I was an idiot if I haven’t already signed up for this man’s $5K a seat seminar. He continued to berate me along with the rest of the listeners and when he was finished ranting we went back to a few “tips” from the guru and then, you guessed it, back to the pitch.

If you want to pitch your product that’s fine, but don’t hide behind the lie of “revealing secrets” and then accuse me of being an idiot for not rushing to you with credit card in hand.

Now I know marketers that say this is the only way you can get people to buy. Well, something is wrong with us as Hope-Seekers if this is the case.

When I go to the market to by food, I don’t have the butcher telling me I’m an idiot if I don’t buy his steak. I need food and I buy what I want BY CHOICE. If someone is pitching something in the store, it’s usually something I don’t NEED just extra non-essential stuff. Perhaps the information the guru and his pitch man had was not good enough on it own, it had to be hyped and pumped to get people to buy—and that’s what Hope-Mongers do.

Hope-Seekers so desperately want t0 believe that some Hope-Mongers are Hope-Givers that they will not stop to challenge the offers.

Putting sheep’s clothing on a wolf doesn’t make it a lamb. As I said before, make them prove themselves don’t just listen to what they say about numbers and possibilities. It’s important to see possibilities, but we also must understand reality and more often than not, the Hope-Mongers message does not translate into reality.

Don’t be so in love with your dreams that you allow Hope-Mongers to
deceive you.

This Declaration is not about naming Hope-Mongers, so don’t ask me to name anyone. This is about WAKING UP; it’s about evaluating the credibility of each offer and looking into it yourself, instead of just following the herd and chasing after big names.

Just because some big name makes a lot of money doesn’t necessarily mean their way has any credibility or that they are someone you should follow. All it says is they have found a way to get money out of people. But is it the best way?

But if you want to have the name of a Hope-Monger, or I should say FORMER Hope-Monger, I’ll give you one—me!

That’s right; there was a time when I first started out and like everyone else, I knew nothing. I followed the popular advice of the leading copywriters and methods of the moneymaking marketers I found in books and courses. So I could have very easily been viewed as a Hope-Monger. But I always had internal conflict with the concept of lying to or bullying my customer by telling half-truths.

It was commonly preached that what you said didn’t matter as long as what was said was partly true; just don’t tell them The Whole Truth. To me this is very “thin ice” marketing, because it is very easy to mislead people and still hide behind your half-truths.

How easy is it to blur the lines when thousands of dollars are at stake? Now in defense of good copywriting, let me say here that it can be difficult to reveal The Whole Truth all at once. And sometimes it needs to be revealed in stages, but that should be expressed so that the Hope-Seeker understands this as they go along.

I agree with Seth Godin in his book “Small is the New Big” where he says on page 205:
“Any marketer who believes that they are in the business of telling the complete truth about what they do is delusional. You can’t. There is not enough time, not enough attention, not enough money.”
*****

Yes, I understand that it’s impossible for me to tell someone everything I am offering and explain all the variables involved all at once. But there is a difference between not telling the whole truth all at once and intentionally using partial truths to sell your product—that in my opinion is not marketing, that’s deception.

There are some things I’ve produced which now belong to others and I have no control over them. Unfortunately, my name is on them but I have no recourse to correct what was written nor do I have any input as to how they are marketed. I’ve done my best to move on. If anyone brings up my past mistakes, the best I can do is admit them and try to make it up by following a different course.

I’ve gone back to rewrite all the website letters and promotions and designed them in light of a Hope-Giver. In learning from my own mistakes, I hope to help others avoid them or at least to shorten the learning curve. There have always been Hope-Mongers and that is not going to change unless we change. So it’s really not about them as much as it is about us.

We as Hope-Seekers need to change by seeking out those who are Hope-Givers and then becoming Hope-Givers ourselves.