Last autumn, Reuters published an article about an Iraqi man named Aram Mehdi. Mehdi belongs to the persecuted Kurdish minority in Iraq. And though he grew up Muslim, Mehdi converted from Islam to Zoroastrianism.
He says it’s been a real struggle:
“We cannot even write a comment on a Facebook post as a Zoroastrian. Some people say it’s a taboo to dine with you, ugly animals are better than you. Others say, ‘Just let us know where you are if you dare.'”
Maybe your reaction to this is, “Wow that’s terrible. Poor born-again Iraqi Zoroastrians.”
Or maybe you’re heartless like me. And maybe your reaction was more like, “Seriously guy, you were kind of asking for it. After all, if you are a member of a persecuted minority in a war-torn country… why would you willingly make yourself a member of an even smaller, even more persecuted minority?”
Well, maybe because it’s fundamental human psychology.
Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of quotes from Eric Hoffer’s book True Believer. That’s because it’s so full of interesting ideas.
I’m gonna do it again in just a moment. But before you turn me off, I will tell you this idea has real, concrete, maybe even profitable direct marketing implications.
Ok, on to Hoffer and his quote:
“Since all mass movements draw their adherents from the same types of humanity and appeal to the same types of mind, it follows: (a) all mass movements are competitive, and the gain of one in adherents is the loss of all the others; (b) all mass movements are interchangeable. One mass movement readily transforms itself into another. A religious movement may develop into a social revolution or a nationalist movement; a social revolution, into militant nationalism or a religious movement; a nationalist movement into a social revolution or a religious movement.”
The starting point of Hoffer’s book is that people who join holy causes are fundamentally frustrated. And they look to the holy cause as a way of escaping their current, flawed selves, and being reborn in some new, cleansing identity.
For that, the actual holy cause doesn’t matter too much. Many potential ones will do.
For example, if for any reason you cannot be reborn as a freedom fighter (Kurdish minority in Iraq)… well, then there’s always some fringe religious movement that’s open to you (Zoroastrian minority in a dominantly Muslim country). And if that doesn’t work, then maybe you can become an anarchist or a communist or a pacifist.
So that’s the interesting psychology idea — or interesting to me at least. Now here’s the related direct marketing advice.
It’s based on the fact that direct response customers are also fundamentally frustrated. They share many traits with Hoffer’s true believers.
And that’s why if you run a DR business, your best prospects are either the newlyweds or the divorced. Either people who recently bought something from your competition for the first time… or people who recently walked away from your competition in disgust, and who claim they will never buy anything like that ever again.
Because those people are still frustrated. And because their holy cause — the product they are buying and identifying with — doesn’t matter all that much.
What does this mean practically?
Well, in the good old days of direct mail, you could actually buy lists of unsubscribers or new buyers.
But even today, with a bit of thought, I believe can apply this to your business.
For example, you might have your own list of fallen subscribers or customers. This might be your most valuable resource – if you sell it to your competition.
And vice versa. Your best leads might come from a joint venture with your competition. Just have them send you their disgusted ex-customers.
More broadly:
If you’re trying to position yourself in the market, you don’t have to be so unique, likeable, or even much of an expert. Just make it clear you are not that other guy — while still promising the same opportunity for blessed escape that the other guy was selling.
By the way, if you really hate Ben Settle, and his email marketing tips, you might like my daily email newsletter about marketing and copywriting. you can sign up for it here.