Isn't the whole point of manipulation to get something that you want from someone else? What other reason would someone have to be manipulative?
I have to master the art of manipulation to be successful at my present career, which I don't like too much. Anyone in sales or who has been in sales knows what I am talking about. I am lucky enough to work for a company that prides itself on being a contradiction... they want us to sell everybody everything even if they don't need it, but they want us to not lie, be pushy, and only sell people what they need. There is a serious focus on ethics. How are you supposed to meet these insane quotas and be ethical and not pushy? We have to pull a magic wand out our rear ends that's how....
Anyway, I manipulate people, we all do. How good you are at it depends on how successful you are, and how ethical you can be. If you are not good at manipulation you are more likely to resort to unethical manipulating which is honestly a hell of a lot easier.
Even if I am in a bad mood, I am happy and cheery and talkative. This is a manipulation because customers are more likely to buy from someone who projects positive energy. The customers are also more likely to reflect your attitude, if you can be real about it. Fake is no good. When they feel a little happier as a result of reflecting your attitude, they are more likely to buy.
Building morale is a manipulation. We must have some sense of trust to ensure a sale. This is done by casual conversation, in which we build a relationship and casually probe the customer. By asking lifestyle open ended questions and getting the customer to talk, we manipulate. We search for needs and wants, but primarily needs, and then we match the different products we have to sell to those needs. The customer just got done telling us that they are on the road every other day for their job, so they need a car charger, and they basically told us that they need it. They sold themselves thanks to our manipulating the information out of them through conversation.
We make the products visual, and place it in their hands if we can. This is called "transfer of ownership," and is a manipulative action. It gives a sense of being theirs before it is bought.
We manipulate our words to work around negatives. If I am wanting to dissuade someone from moving towards a product because from what they have told me it is not fitting and I think they will be unhappy, I say:
"This blah blah cannot do that and it will never be able to do that because it is blah blah blah."
"But now this one.... it is unable (instead of it can not) to do this right now, however (instead of but, cause people don't like buts, people are conditioned to think buts are catches) in x amount of time it will blah blah and it can do this and this right now for you which you said that you would like when you told me about blah blah."
Instead of "I can't do that." We say, "I am unable to do that, however this is what I can do....."
It is all a manipulation. I am lucky though. Where I work in sales, there is actually a serious focus on ethics like I said, but there is also a serious focus on getting the customer what they will actually be the most happy with and what they can use best with their lifestyle and career.
I still hate it though. Anyone can find a need for anything if you look hard enough. It is sales through justification.
Anyway, I try not hurt anyone with it. When I get someone who is totally into it and who is obviously not hurting for money, I pile it on and get everything I can. Then when I get someone who is struggling, I take it easy and don't squeeze.
