I use to work for one of the most successful direct marketing companies on the planet. They had all the right ways of getting you to pull out your credit card to buy-now. Actually, they found a way to create a virtual card on file so you didn’t have to pull it out the second, third, fourth, fifth times and so forth. That’s powerful when you stop to think about the friction that removes you from making a purchase.
On of their most powerful tools however was based on The Law of Scarcity. This is law that is really controlled by their customers, not the company. They manipulate the results only by reminding you of it.
So what is the The Law of Scarcity?
According to Wikipedia, it is: “Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having seemingly unlimited human wants in a world of limited resources.”
What does this look like in the context of direct marketing? Here’s some powerful terms they use both verbal, audible and visual.
- Limited-Time-Only: through ##/##/## or until…
- Countdown (time or units): 100,99,98…
- The next… (For the next, to the next… etc)
- Only XYZ available…
- Until…
Unfortunately, this also relates to our relationship with God. We cannot produce more of two things very easily: time and money. It says in Exodus and Deuteronomy among other places that God is a Jealous God.
‘…for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)…” Exodus 34:14
He is jealous how we worship Him. We worship Him with both time and money. We worship Him in our time by what we do... AND... by how we think. Our thoughts and intents of the heart are judged by Him through His Word (Hebrews 4:12). Yes, what we think, when we think it along with our intentions are all judged. Just open His Word and He will draw us closer to Him through soaking in His Word.
Perhaps you've never considered how you spend your scarce time & money. But God cares.
