Whew. Okay… It’s been two full weeks since the election here in the US, and I’ve (thankfully) had some time to get grounded in my new apartment and process some of what I learned during the last few weeks of political showmanship.
During the election cycle, I saw both parties leverage hyper-capitalist tactics to sway voters in their direction.
My skin has been crawling for weeks from all the ick.
Today, I’m sharing three business tactics that I saw in the election, that are also unfortunately common-place in the online business space.
Spoiler: They are terrible tactics.
Please Note – The following is BAD advice… DO NOT implement these in your business.
I’m sharing these to highlight how harmful and prevalent these practices are. (Don’t worry, I also offer some alternative advice for folks who want to build their businesses without all the capitalist BS.)
Okay… on to icky business tactic number one!
1. Don’t worry about substance. It’s all about optics baby.
When people focus primarily on optics, what they are saying is: “The way you are perceived matters way more than the value you actually bring to the table.”
Optics refer to the way a person or situation is presented to the public. And most often, when optics are the top priority, it all boils down to who has the most money to throw around.
The folks with the most money can pay for the fanciest branding, and the most ad space.
And when optics reigns supreme, branding and expensive ad space lead to an unearned increase in sales (or votes). The increase in sales is unearned, because it’s rooted in perception, not merit.
Why is that bad business advice?
Presidential Partisan Politics are all about optics and performance. What may not be so obvious, is that our economic system is also centered around those very same values.
When the perception of a brand is more important than the substance of the brand, the consumer/votes ends up (rightfully) disappointed.
Alternative Advice for the Anti-Capitalist Business Owner:
Commit to quality, transparency, and integrity and you will earn the trust of your community.
2. Just be slightly more appealing than the next best option.
Rather than choosing the very best person for the job, Presidential Elections seem to be about one-upping the opposing party.
The message they are sending is: “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to be a little bit better than the person you are competing with.”
In a hyper-capitalist system, there is no need to go all in and create the best product, or the best service. You just have to position yourself as slightly better than the person you are being compared too.
Why is this bad business advice?
Competition can be a good thing, but when the goal is to be just one step ahead of the next best thing, offerings fall short and the quality is diminished.
Instead of focusing on offering the very best service, businesses play the corporate/political game of ‘Keep Up with your Competitor’
Alternative Advice for the Anti-Capitalist Business Owner:
Figure out exactly what your people need, and deliver the best service that you can. Your efforts will be repaid in loyalty and 5 star reviews.
3. Trigger people to act out of fear or shame
Hyper-Capitalist Marketing says: “If you want people to take action, you have to seed fear into their souls.”
This is the worst bit of advice that saw modeled in this past election cycle. And while it does work, it’s the slimiest way to market to someone.
We see politicians and sleazy marketers using the trigger tactic to sway voters and make millions. But honestly, it’s trauma-porn and I’m not here for it.
Why is this bad business advice?
Shame, fear, and blame activate people, but not from a place of shared vision and values. It leaves people in a trauma state that can make them vulnerable to manipulation.
As coaches, healers and creative business owners, it’s NOT our role to trigger and manipulate our community. We’re here to help and inspire, not hurt.
To be clear, using fear and shame to trigger people into purchasing your offerings is harmful as fuck. Leveraging pain and shame to encourage sales is gross.
Alternative Advice for the Anti-Capitalist Business Owner:
Lead with your vision and your values. Acknowledge the challenges that your audience/community has faced without using their experience against them.
Reminder: You don’t have to subscribe to the Capitalist playbook to have a successful business.
If you know that you need some support in building/growing your business in a way that aligns with your values, click here to check out Radical Vision.
This month-long coaching container will help you get grounded in your vision for collective change so you can build a business that serves your community, centers your values, and allows you to make an income doing what you love. (Without getting caught up in the capitalist routine.)
I have three 1:1 coaching spots left in 2020. Grab one for yourself, and get the tools you need to build and grow a radical business in the new year.
Love + Liberation
Lauren Elizabeth
PS — I know a lot of folks are feeling deep relief that Biden won, I am feeling that relief too. That being said, Biden is far from ideal. His policies are centrist at best, and I think its incredibly important that we all stay focused on the bigger picture, and continue our work to create a more just and equitable culture… because the truth is the politicians will never save us.