By Bert Zethof

What seems like an innocuous marketing tactic to the business owner can have negative long term consequences.



Have you ever noticed a real estate sign that still says "new listing" months after the property went on the market? What does that make you think and feel about the listing agent?

For me, I start to feel a bit of distrust. Not a lot, but it sets the stage in a negative way for my dealings with the real estate agent. I'm more apt to put up my guard. I wonder if it is the agent's way to be intentionally misleading.

Another example comes from a time I went to a higher end restaurant in Victoria. The waiter asked if I would like plain or sparkled water. I had never had it put that way to me before and I assumed that either choice would be provided free of charge (tap water is usually free at Victoria restaurants). As the owner well knows, it is too socially awkward for most people to ask if their is a charge for the sparkled water. So I ordered sparkled water.

To my surprise, the bill included several dollars plus taxes for the sparkled water. My dining partner said that this was common, but naive neophyte that I am, I felt duped. Here too, the restaurant owner believes he or she has created a clever marketing tactic to increase revenue, but at the expense of building a trusting relationship (at least with me). I haven't returned to that restaurant since.

These two examples highlight how apparently innocuous marketing tactics can actually back fire. They may help to create an immediate sale but they can have negative long term consequences by disengaging potentially loyal customers. They squander trust.