How People Market Their Product

Last night I attended a FREE Forex Seminar at the Hilton in Petaling Jaya. I came across the advertisement in The Sun and registered as instructed. 

I arrived a bit late since I left home after office and on the way stuck in the jam at the exit to Jalan Utara from Federal Highway. Then my time was again was wasted finding The Hilton. Of course I know where Hilton is but I do not know the way to it. Its a normal situation for someone new to certain areas and place. But being stuck in the jam and lost on the was was not the real problem. The actual problem was I was holding back my call of nature. I have no opportunity to escape the situation since I was on the inner lane of a jam packed exit. Then again I missed the Caltex at PJ becauese of the position I was in. At last I reached PJ Hilton and rushed to the Gents. Fuuuuu.....relieved. But that is not the main point I am going to blog about in this posting. 

Its about marketing. I see for myself how marketer market their product. The modus operandi from my perspective are same. Whether its roadside peddlars or high end promotions. If one were to walk the streets and watch the medicine man especially will always start with impressing those present the good things that his product provide. The general tagline will be his product is the best among all products in the market. Peddlars selling sexual related product especially for men, will always exhibit pictures of beautifil sexy half naked or naked women. Men will be those with six pack abdomen and well endowed sexual organ. After he succeeded capturing the mind of the onlooker then only he will market his product. Usually there will offers that he claim you will not get elsewhere.  The word FREE is a real catch and sometimes can be a trap. 

I was trapped once with the word FREE. It was during the last PC Fair. I was looking for a laptop backpack and at one of the booth selling backpacks I saw the advertisement FREE one year insurance for laptop with purchase of their backpack. I was quite impressed since I had just bought a new netbook. I bought the backpack that has a lifetime warranty. I was told that if there is any defect in manufacturing, I can send it back for repair. Good enough the holding handle split a week after that. HoweverI have not sent back the item to the company. 

Back to the FREE Insurance. After I paid for the item purchased, I inquired about the FREE Insurance. Then only I realised that the FREE Insurance is only for laptop bought during that PC Fair. So I made a silly mistake buying that backpack out of carelessness. The word FREE most of the time can be deceiving. 

Back to Hilton. I arrived about half an hour late and the FREE Seminar had already started. However I sat through till the end. The speaker, a prominent and successful Hedge Fund Manager and hadgone through the mill of hardship in life before becoming what he is now. He talk impressively about the benefits and advantages of investing in Forex market citing examples of his successful students who graduated from his seminars.  

At the end of the FREE seminar come the time to sell his product. It was a seminar cum course on how to trade in Forex. I am not sure whether the number of seats available is limited to 15 as he said that seats are limited and the first fifteen who filled up the arranged seats at the back will get a place in his nexst class. Those who rushed to the seats were being baited by the offers worth more than RM33,000. After the seats were filled up, he opened a second chance to those who are still seating in front and with another bait. This time his offer was the fee for the seminar. He said he is not charging the full amount but slashed it to the last amount of RM6,000, which he said he will not charge that amount but RM 498.00. And that bait attracted a few more. So now the figure is has bloated to more than 15. The first group had already exceeded the required number and I was asking to myself. Does the limited 15 seats is real or just a tactic to get participants. Psychologically, demand will be high if supply is low. 

Thats Theory of Economics. He is using this tactic. 

Then only he revealed that the cost for the Forex course will be RM 498 per month for 12 months. So he is right that he will not charge participants RM 6,000.00 but just RM 5976.00. Of course during trading, participants will get the returns of his investments but there is a Disclaimer in his advertisement in  The Sun; There is a risk of loss in ForexTrading. But who don't want to be rich?