Romance cammers send messages to lonely people. “You’re so beautiful. Can we connect?”
Once the victim responds, the caller (who is probably someone in a call center overseas) creates a romantic relationship. Everything seems cool…until it’s not. The scammer gets into trouble and needs money. Sometimes they pretend to be in jail. And the rest, as they say, is history.
So what does this have to do with business?
Right after I watched one of those videos, a message appeared in my inbox. The sender was trying to be warm and friendly. She even put a smiley emoji next to the “Dear Cathy” opening.
Then she said:
I came across some of your work on Udemy today while perusing (because I’m a personal development junkie)…
And I thought I’d reach out!
I’m really impressed by the work you’re doing and wondered if I might be able to help you reach more people with it.
I’m a heart-centered digital marketer and I work EXCLUSIVELY with people like you (and I).
People who believe in positive impact, waking people up, and encouraging personal growth.
I believe the world needs more of what you do— especially in this next wave of our world.
Would you be interested in connecting over Zoom to see if I may be able to support you in reaching more people with your work?
Looking forward to hearing back from you, Cathy! [smiley emoji here]
Chat soon.
Now, I suspect this person may be a legitimate business owner. But the message says either she’s a scammer or a raw beginner.
She hasn’t bothered to identify specific features about me. I’ve never worked in the personal growth space. Her message is 100% cookie-cutter.
But I was curious. So I went to her website. And I still have no idea what she does for her business.
Her website says she’s been in business for ten years.
She has 3 vague testimonials, signed by first names only…not even a location or indication of who the client was.
After even one year in business, most of us can get more than 3 testimonials with signatures and photos.
She refers to being an expert in funnels…but not how she’s different from the 99000 other people who are experts in funnels.
And, needless to say, not a single story could be found on the website.
I couldn’t help thinking, “If this person wanted to scam naive business owners, she’s got the formula.”
More likely she hired an astoundingly bad marketing coach…or she skipped that step and jumped in without starting with her client’s backstory. For sure she didn’t consult with a copywriter. Hopefully, she didn’t spend too much money on setting up her website.
I also don’t think anyone in my community would be this naive…nor would they respond to a message like this one. I tend to attract business owners who have been around at least one block.
But sometimes an extreme example – or story – can drive a point home. You can tell if someone’s a thought leader or a legitimate expert even if they never say, “I’m an expert.”
You send subtle signals about your expertise by the way you write content for your blog posts, website, sales letters, and emails.
It’s unlikely that anyone comes to your website and thinks, “Scam!” But if you’re not getting signals that people believe you can do what you promised, maybe it’s time for another look at the copy.
To learn more about building credibility and presenting yourself as an expert, you might benefit from my self-paced video course on promoting yourself as an authority in your field. Learn more here.
My courses on Udemy include short courses on storytelling, copywriting, and speaking. I also have a website copywriting course for EFT practitioners and other healers.