As a business owner, it’s sometimes hard to not fall into coercing people. It’s so easy to do. But it doesn’t mean it’s ethical. In fact, it’s very unethical for you to do. HOLD IT – you don’t need to Google what coercing is – I’m about to spell the beans. Also, what is up with this saying? Spell the beans? Like I want to spell the beans and clean up that mess afterwards. No thank you. Sounds 2/10. I’m only giving it two because spilling stuff can be fun – but the cleaning? Not so much.

 

Coercing
(1) persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats.
(2) Obtain (something) from someone by using force or threats.

 

I know. Sounds bad. Pretty bad. And somehow we all fall into doing this. Why? Because we’re told to do so. And it’s not our fault. Stop freaking out. You just literally didn’t know any better. You did what you saw others do and what worked. And coercing does work. But why you shouldn’t use it? Becuse it causes FOMO (Fear of missing out) and what that does to your target audience, is to make them feel anxiety and depressed. It has been scientifically proved that FOMO does this. So, why on FLYING PANCAKE SAUCE would you want to make your possible clients feel like this?

Now, before you go crazy Googling “how to stop coercing?” “why do businesses coerce?” stay put. You’re about to be on a journey to learn all of it right here.

 

Some people think they’re leading a brand or a community, when in fact and in reality, they’re coercing people.

 

Coercing often occurs when you’re trying to get your target audience to take action. It might look something like “I have a mastermind about getting to consistent 10K months. If you don’t join today, you might as well say bye bye to your business.” or a simple conversation where you’re discussing about signing up with them and they say things like “If you sign up today, I know it’s a lot of money, but you should be able to trust your ability to manifest the money back.” or “If you don’t invest in your business, you’re going to fail.” All this negative yapping. Usually people who use this sort of language, are desperate to make a sale. They treat you like a number.

This is why coercing is a such a toxic trate for your business to have. You’re basically using people, thinking about only your own benefit. Which brings me to the next point…

 

When you coerce, you are selfish. It’s all about “me, me, me” and not about your target audience. You think about your own benefits and gains first. 

 

You might be wondering “well, if this is the case… how can I tell when someone is trying to coerce me into action?” I have the answer. Again, put the Google down. I’m telling you, there is no need for Google. For real, you should be using Ecosia, anyway. They are a search engine that plants trees when people search for things. And no, they do not sell your data. They are that awesome. BACK TO COERCING. When people or businesses are trying to coerce you, they often use language such as:

How do we make people to…

• Buy our products/services?
• Like our posts more?
• Engage with us more?
• Give us money?
• Do what we want them to do?

As you can see, it’s all about their benefit. They want it and they want it now. No matter what kind of things they have to do because of it. This is also why it’s important to have brand language that is consistent and steers away from this kind of talking. Often people who are coarcing, will leave as soon as they can. So, if you sign up for their course or group program, you won’t hear much about them. They got what they wanted, so they’re good. They won’t come back until they feel like they can sign you up again or sell you something else.

 

What you should do instead, is to be an authentic leader, you show up because you truly care about what your target audience is going through and you want to help them.

 

Exactly, you actually care about your target audience and what they’re going through. How stupid simple is that? My golly. And while it sounds so simple, it’s absolutely amazing how many businesses don’t do it. But you’re here because you want to be different, and I am here to cheer you on because, YES. You are collaborative, caring, and genuinly want to connect with your target audience. And it means you’re going to be in it for the long haul. What sort of language should you be using instead of coercing:

• How do we encourage people to…?
• How do we make it clear that…?
• How do we share that…?
• How do we invite people to…?
• How do we make it safe for people to…?

Do you see the difference between the languages? How much more customer and people focused the second one is compared to the coercion one? That is exactly what you should be doing if you want to serve others, and not the other way around. If you’re in business to help people, make sure the language you use supports that. In fact, I know you’re in business to help people. So, make sure that your brand language you use, supports that. Another quick branding tip I will give you is this…

 

Money is never a reason for you to go in business. It’s the outcome. You have to have a strong reason (mission, vision, purpose) why you’re in business.

 

Without a reason, people are going to have a hard time relating to you. People these days are more and more about making a statement when they purchase, well, anything. And in order for people to make a statement, you need to make it clear for people what you stand for. Equality? Environment? Whatever it is, make sure it’s been heard. This way your true fans can find you.

If you struggle finding the right brand language for your brand, you can fill out my form to work with me and we can figure out what exactly you should be saying to your audience, together.