This quote attributed to showman P.T. Barnum in the mid-19th century sums up the US today. According to Wikipedia, “Early instances of its use are found among salesmen, gamblers and confidence tricksters.”
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Lying, cheating, and stealing are the hallmarks of present-day government and have permeated corporate America everywhere “We, the People” turn.
“There’s a sucker born every minute” is the mantra for politicians and corporate hucksters. Duping the electorate into believing the lies—so that the cheating and stealing can continue unabated—is clearly the objective of the present Trump Administration and its allies in Congress and the US Supreme Court. Of course, the Democrats promulgate their own lies as well. With few exceptions, at the federal level at least, lying is the way business is done.
In commerce, this lying, cheating, stealing mindset is aimed at suckering in consumers once, before they become aware of the duplicity and go elsewhere. Unfortunately, there are companies so dominant and powerful in the marketplace that they continue to lie, cheat, and steal with impunity—figuring that consumers don’t have a lot of choices.
Among small businesses, driving sales—and customer/client retention—by viewing buyers as suckers is a perilous path. Between social media and myriad review platforms, “suckering scofflaws” are likely to see their reputations tarnished quickly. In today’s world where one misstep can cause mayhem, vulnerable companies can quickly see their sales slump as buyers move to the competition.
Given that we’re overwhelmed daily with this ugly state of affairs, consumers are clamoring for relationships they can trust, like, and respect. While this obviously extends to personal relationships, it’s becoming the go-to for professional interactions. People want to do business with those they feel have their backs, while becoming more wary and fearful of being suckered.
Of course, this same mindset is rife in the political and governmental spheres. We just can’t change this all at once—much like companies too big for their britches won’t go extinct quickly.
But as proven in politics and commerce alike, consumers vote with their pocketbooks. Interestingly, this is what happened to the one-time blockbuster entertainment attraction Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I worked with the company, which combined the Barnum and Ringling shows, as a regional marketing director a half-century ago.
Later, animal activist groups started calling out the treatment of animals, and the subsequent decline in attendance due to consumers voting with their pocketbooks ultimately led to its downfall decades later.
Currently, there’s a boycott of Target because of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy rollback. At the same time, Costco’s board voted to maintain their DEI programs. Costco continues to roll along while consumers angry with Target are voting with their pocketbooks elsewhere.
Even as some behemoths buckle to the Trump Administration’s moves to restrict DEI, others have reaffirmed their support for it.
As this and other initiatives supporting Trust, Like, and Respect continue countering Lying, Cheating, and Stealing, consumers will gravitate to companies supporting their stakeholders while abandoning those viewing them as suckers to drive up share prices.
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Mark Lusky Communications helps companies that honor customers, workers, communities, the environment, and stakeholder governance tell their story to the world. Interested? Let’s talk.
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