If you answered yes to either, or both, of these questions, don’t feel badly. You aren’t alone. Millions of people shell out their hard earned money for programs that promise amazing results in less time than it takes you to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
It’s a sign of the times, really. We’ve been coached to accept nothing less than getting exactly what we want as quickly as we want it. Hungry and can’t wait another minute? Go to a fast food drive thru. Want new furniture and want it today? Get same day delivery.
While, certainly, there are times when it’s nice to have our wants and needs immediately satisfied, there are a lot of businesses out there that make promises that either don’t deliver or are more harmful than helpful.
So, how do you protect yourself from falling victim to a quick fix scheme? Ask yourself these four questions:
#1 – Does It Sound Too Good to Be True?
If you read the headline and your first thought is, “No way – that’s not possible,” then this should be a huge red flag to you. Headlines and sales pitches are created to do one thing, and that’s grab your attention.
You’re continuously bombarded by ads on the television, radio, internet and every other form of communication available. According to a story published in the New York Times, a market research firm by the name of Yankelovich found that the average person saw up to 5,000 ad messages a day. So, in order for a business to stand out, they sometimes make claims that are meant to stop you dead in your tracks.
Although most people should stop pursuit of the product or service after this question, it isn’t that easy. Your head fights with your heart and it becomes a battle between what you know and what you want to believe.
So, if you find yourself answering yes to the question that it does sound too good to be true, but still can’t seem to walk away, proceed to question number two.
#2 – Are the Results Likely and, if so, Are They Good for Me?
Let’s take a look at the first part of this question. Are the results likely? What are the chances that you’re going to get the same results as the person who is displayed in the ad as an extremely satisfied customer?
For instance, take an ad that promises that you’ll “Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days.” If you are 200 pounds overweight and drastically change your diet, you could easily drop a large amount of weight rather quickly. However, if you are only twenty pounds overweight, the chance that you’ll drop ten pounds that quickly is minute.
The second part of the question forces you to ask yourself if the results are good for you. Sticking with the scenario above, is it good for you to lose ten pounds in ten days? Most experts agree that it isn’t. A one to two pound weight loss weekly is healthiest. So, if you buy into the program and lose weight too quickly, are you doing yourself more harm than good?
How do you find the answer to these questions, if you don’t know them already? Research them. Educate yourself. Learn what top experts recommend so you don’t do something that will harm your body.
#3 – What Do Others Say About the Business and/or Product?
So you’ve done your research and still want to try the product or service. Now, you need to ask yourself what others are saying who have tried it. No, not the ones in the ad. Real people.
Read reviews on the product and the business. Check out forums or blogs. See what others are saying. One word of caution: just because it’s on the internet doesn’t make it true. Businesses can hire people to write reviews even if they’ve never bought or used the product.
Unethical? Maybe, but it happens all the time. Just because businesses have guidelines and can’t market false information without liability doesn’t mean that they can’t create a fake blog and write anything they want acting as if they’re a client.
So, with that in mind, take what you read as a whole and draw your own conclusion. Look at what the reviews say, good and bad, and try to sort through it.
If possible, read reviews on sites that have good reputations. And, read a lot of them. Don’t read one good review and think that it’s enough. Even if the review is valid, every business has one customer that thinks they’re amazing, even if they aren’t.
#4 – Have I Read all the Fine Print?
You’ve made it through the first three questions and you still want to give it a shot? Then, the most you can do at this point is make sure you read the fine print. Know all the outs they’re giving themselves in the event you don’t get the results you think you will.
For instance, most of the time when businesses market their products using outlandish claims, they add the statement that “Results Are Not Typical.” Or, they will draw you in saying “Lose Up To 10 Pounds in 10 Days” knowing that you’ll most likely skip over the two most important words, up to. If you lose just one pound, technically you’ve met their claim.
Usually, any hopes of their headline being for real are extinguished after you read the fine print. Reality starts to set in, you lose the glaze in your eyes and see the product or service for what it is.
Could you get results using it? Maybe. But will you get the results that they lead you to believe you’ll get? Probably not.
In the end it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do. But, hopefully by asking yourself these four questions you’ll at least make a more informed decision that will result in fewer regrets.
Did you buy into any quick-fix solutions recently? Let us know about your experiences in the comment section below.
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