Persuasive communication is the hallmark of an effective scam. The villain of cartoon or children’s books was easy to spot, the scammer however may be pleasant and professional., and even the kind of person you would like to talk to.
The burglar of today is more interested in your data than your jewels, and will get your money by offering something you want and haven’t got. People of all ages, not just teenagers, can fall for scammers. I know. I nearly did.
The scam can appeal to a range of emotions including the wish to help.
As someone who loves good communication I was a easy target for well planned persuasive communication. (And I had a boring task to sort out I didn’t want to waste much time on.)
What did I appreciate about the persuasive communication?
The call came in on my landline which is not used much these days so there was some novelty in that. The man’s voice was efficient and well spoken. He referred to the fact that I already had a connection with them. My files had got destroyed so it was possible we had spoken before.
He was cheerful, upbeat and didn’t waste any time. He also had a sense of humour which I definitely did not link to my understanding of a scam, and he was not following a word-for-word script. Qualities I appreciate in an entrepreneur.
Note: Scepticism is a normal human response. Credibility is essential to long term relationships. Connections you share or testimonials from respected influencers can build credibility.
I was offered something I knew I needed, but more easily and cheaper
My oven hob needed mending and I had already been quoted a price. I was offered a lower price on this phone call for white goods insurance. I wanted it dealt with quickly so agreed, and over rode my natural inclination to end the call.
This was a functional boring purchase I didn’t want to spend any energy on, and they offered me a quick and easy solution. If I had no need at all I would have put the phone down straight away.
:Knowing what your client wants and offering it more quickly, easily or cheaper is a way to catch attention.
Defeated my scam detection radar so looked credible
This phone call didn’t fit with my existing experience of a scam. If there is a delay before the phone is answered that can set my alarm bells going, (and there wasn’t) and he spoke fluent English with confidence. I have had calls about being wanted for tax in the UK but from an American voice which alerted me previously. Nor was it anything like the more obvious scams about being stuck in an airport and needing money, wanting to give a birthday present to someone I know, and he wasn’t working for a humanitarian cause and needed money.
So my guard gradually went down.
Your potential clients need to know you are legit. Your credibility needs to be very visible. Being a member of a respected organisation, for example, can allay fears.
They gave me a way to validate whether the call was legitimate.
He said I would get a checking call to make sure I understood what I was signing up for. And gave me the number it would come from. When the call came through five minutes later I had something to correlate with. It gave my brain a way to validate what he was saying.
The caller introduced herself as “Nicole” so moving the relationship into a more personal phase.
Of course the fact that it was from the number he said had no bearing whatsoever on whether anyone was speaking the truth.
Let customers verify what you are saying from their own experience. Give them a way to feel safe by having a cooling off period.
Objections were met with professional ease and confidence
The big objection was from my bank who wanted to verify this purchase and two others. As the others were for a total of £12 in my mind the bank were being unreasonable.
When “Nicole” rang for a second time, I already felt I knew her a bit. She calmly said that banks had a duty to perform checks and suggested I simply texted back to say it was all right. She made the banks appear to be the bad guys, but was in no way unprofessional.
Meeting objections is part of the everyday work of an entrepreneur. Never put down others but acknowledge and counter the objections with your approach.
The company name was nearly persuasive
The company name they mentioned was very like a number of websites that had trusted status. Not exactly the same as any of them. If it had been an outlandish name or obviously a “4 U” type of domain I would have had more suspicions.
So I could not find them on the web which was definitely a big NoNo. If I had found the company name, the phone number I was called from or even the names of the people who called me I would have believed they were authentic.
Look like the business you are. Have a website – and blog – that shows who you are, and the type of business you are. If you are a legal firm have a hard working name that sounds reliable and trustworthy. If you are in the creative sector you want to be individual and unusual.
The Validation Process
I got a text from my bank asking whether I had made the purchases. By now I didn’t trust any messages coming through to me. I just wanted the whole thing finished with and decided to ring the bank number on my debit card.
I decided that if the bank was slow and very procedure-based I probably would just forget about checking. But the phone was answered quickly, and the first man I spoke to was extremely helpful. He passed me on to the Fraud team, who already knew about my situation when they came on the line. They had seen a lot of this type of fraud.
After a good conversation I took their advice to cancel my bank card. When “Nicole” rang again I told her I was advised to cancel my card, but if they sent my paperwork I would process the order again.
She said Yes she would do that, and seemed extremely friendly and efficient.
Let potential clients check you out through other connections.
The Conclusion
No paperwork ever arrived.
My new bank card came through the post within the time the Bank allowed. I felt reassured about being supported by them, and it improved my perception of them as a bank.
Persuasive communication can be extremely powerful
I am fascinated by the whole process of persuasive communication. I can enjoy being sold to even if I have no intention to buy .. which can be a nightmare for the person trying to sell. Experiencing people communicating well fills me with happiness! A dash of humour always helps!
This experience gave me both – from the scammers as well as the bank. I was disposed to believe the scammers because they were purposeful, professional and a pleasure to speak to.
I am not hanging my head in shame at nearly falling for the scam. In fact I found the whole episode interesting. And of course I have not lost any money. I have a renewed respect for scammers’ professionalism, and also for the good customer service communication from the bank.
And more importantly it was a good reminder of the type of questioning that we all do when thinking about working with a new supplier.
Is there anything you check out to see whether people really are who they say they are?
How much more can we as genuine businesses improve communication to help our clients overcome their natural scepticism?