Social Criticisms of Marketing: High-Pressure Selling
Salespeople are sometimes accused of high-pressure selling that persuades people to buy goods they had no thought of buying. It is often said that cars, financial services, property, and home improvement plans are sold, not bought. Salespeople are trained to deliver smooth, canned talks to entice a purchase. They sell hard because commissions and sales contests promise big prizes to those who sell the most. Marketers know that buyers can often be talked into buying unwanted or unneeded things. A key question is whether industry self-regulatory or trading standards bodies, consumer-protection laws, and consumer-interest groups are sufficiently effective in checking and curbing unsavory sales practices. In this modem era, it is encouraging to note that one or more of these can work to the advantage of consumers. Or, where malpractices are pervasive, regulators will catch out wrongdoers, who will invariably pay the penalties for irresponsible marketing. This is evident in the ease of the mis-selling of pensions and life assurance policies in the UK market.