New Vitality: A Skin-Crawling Case Study in Sales Mentality

By Stephen Palmer - May 24 , 2011

Last month I bought a health supplement from New Vitality. These guys are so entrenched in sales mentality they make my skin crawl.

Their first mistake was to automatically subscribe me to their email newsletter when I made my purchase. No permission.

Their next mistake was to email me 10 times in one month.

The only reason I haven’t unsubscribed is because I’ve been saving their emails to exploit them in this case study.

Speaking of which, check out the headlines of their emails since September 8th:

• Sept. 8: Two Days Left to Save on Exclusive Offers
• Sept. 9: Hurry! Your Exclusive Offers End Tonight
• Sept. 13: Our Best Omega-3 Fish Oil….YOURS FREE!
• Sept. 16: Hurry! 24 Hour Sale – $10 Off Your Order
• Sept. 20: Try Dr. Perry’s Anti-Aging Miracle FREE!
• Sept. 22: What Doctors Take to Stay Healthy – Discount Inside
• Sept. 24: Save $20 and Receive Free Shipping. Limited Time Only!
• Sept. 27: 3 Days Left – Save $20.00 & Free Shipping!
• Sept. 29: Hurry! Your Coupon Expires Tomorrow [$20.00 off + Free Shipping]
• Sept. 30: Hurry! Sale Ends Tonight – $20.00 off AND Free Shipping
• Oct. 4: Our Best Omega-3 Fish Oil….YOURS FREE!
• Oct. 9: Exclusive Online Offers For You!
• Oct. 11: Hurry! Your Exclusive Offers End Tomorrow!

What’s wrong with their approach? Let me count the ways:

1. Constant “discounts” train customers to only buy when things are on sale.
2. Constant “discounts” scream to customers that their products are priced way too high, and their discounts are simply contrived and manipulative. It’s like the classic — and embarrassingly obvious — trick of listing a high price, then slashing through that price with a red line and showing a lower price.
3. Why do I need to hurry when they offer some exclusive offer with almost every email they send me? Their fabricated scarcity is devoid of any credibility whatsoever.
4. Not to mention the fact that a constant barrage of HURRY!! BUY NOW!!! messages is agitating. It reminds me of the “cranberry man” joked about by comedian Brian Regan. Back off, New Vitality man!

How New Vitality Should Shift to Hub Mentality

New Vitality, if you’re listening, here’s your free marketing plan:

1. Permission

First and foremost, cut the crap of subscribing people automatically without asking for permission. That’s the quickest way to make enemies fast online.

Set up a confirmed opt-in process to ensure that you have permission and no one can rightfully accuse you of spamming.

2. Scale Back on Contact Frequency

In most cases, once a week is overkill. You’re suffocating your readers with 10 emails per month.

In your case, twice per month would be plenty. Even once per week would be better than what you’re doing now.

3. Replace Discounts with Educational Content

“…just as the junkie never stops to consider how the drug is destroying his physical health, the business owner never stops to consider how ‘Sale! Sale! Sale!’ undermines his business health…Successful companies don’t spend their ad dollars training their customers to wait for a sale.” -Roy H. Williams

Stop trying to shove manipulative sales down customers’ throats. Instead, produce valuable, relevant content.

Don’t offer people 20% off a heart-health supplement — invest those dollars in white papers and videos that explain what the supplement does.

Become an educational resource for your database, rather than simply a discount product provider.

Use blog articles, videos, e-books, podcasts, and social media to provide health tips and highlight research. Build a database of every health topic imaginable that anyone can access with simple search terms.

In 75% of your emails, don’t even highlight a product to sell — just provide the educational content.

Your database will come to respect and trust you as a thought leader. You’ll be the first they’ll think of when they experience health issues.

4. Cut the “Hurry!” Silliness; Build a Brand

Honestly. You just look ridiculous. Knock it off.

Calmly, plainly, consistently demonstrate why you’re relevant to my life and why you’re the superior choice.

Take the time to actually build a brand, rather than snorting the cocaine of urgency.

“Brand essence is everything a brand stands for in the heart of the customer…The best branding campaigns ripple outward from a company’s core culture and non-negotiable standards….Your brand must be anchored to core values buried deep in the heart of your customer. To what values is your brand linked?” -Roy H. Williams

What are your core values? What do you stand for? What do you adamantly oppose?

Here’s a simple one: Become known as the healthy, natural alternative to prescription drugs. Then generate tons of valuable, relevant content to build and support that brand.

Then stick to that brand relentlessly. Build your success around your brand, rather than cheesy urgency.

And that, New Vitality, is Hub Mentality. Will you make the shift? I’m not holding my breath.

Stephen Palmer is a marketing consultant and writer with KGaps Consulting. His firm uses their methodology Hub Mentality to help small businesses generate more leads, sales, and referrals while making their marketing budget more efficient.

Stephen is the co-author of as Hub Mentality: Shifting from Business Transactions to Community Interactions as well as the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths that are Destroying Your Prosperity.