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Charisma on Command Is Being Pirated... Because Their "Pirating Bar" is Too Low
Charlie and Ben complain of people pirating their Charisma University course.
They say that pirates on Instagram directly DM their fans to buy their pirated version.
Charlie and Ben caught wind of it and were strategizing on how to stop it.
Ben is the one who took action:
Ben: Hey person, I got a number of messages that you've been trying to sell my course on Instagram. Can you please stop? I worked very hard on this, and it's how I support myself and my team
Charlie calls this "toothless asking", because there is no real coercive power to enforce anything.
On this website, we'd call it more "on your honor" technique, which I think better describes the technique.
The fact that you have no coercive power means little if you can still achieve your goals. As a matter of fact, it's often better to achieve your goals without coercion.
This technique leverages what we'd also call here "vulnerable shaming" (see PU).
Charlie says he doesn't have the courage to use this technique because "it feels weak to him".
Seems out of character coming from him somehow.
Ben is generally the best guy to learn high-power behavior, and this instance seems to suggest he might also be a great role model to learn persuasion and general social effectiveness as well.
The Lower the Bar to Pirate, The More The Pirates
In this case though, there seems to be a deeper root cause that is the issue.
There is a great saying in Italian:
"L'occasion fa l'uomo ladro".
Meaning:
The occasion makes the man a thief
That means that the lower the bar to steal, the more people will steal.
That is just so true.
People greatly differ in their inclination to steal or not to steal.
And that's the reason why on this website we place so much value on character assessment.
But when you're dealing with large numbers, things are even simpler: the easier it is to steal, the greater the number of people who will steal.
It's just a law of power dynamics.
Unluckily, if they truly cared about stopping piracy, they probably did little by stopping a single individual.
Instead, it's better to spend that time planning a product that is harder to pirate.
Because the higher the bar to steal, the fewer the thieves.
I actually want to better flesh out this law and its applications in real life and turn it into an infographic.
It would work great for the lesson on "basic strategies for power".
The "on your honour" and "vulnerable shaming" seem to have some overlaps with the fundamentals of assertiveness.
Talk about how the person's behaviour is affecting you personally and ask them what you would like them to change.
I didn't buy Charisma University so cannot comment on why it's easy to steal compared to Power University.
I'm guessing it's because it's mostly videos and a few texts accompanying the course.
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on September 2, 2021, 6:08 amThe "on your honour" and "vulnerable shaming" seem to have some overlaps with the fundamentals of assertiveness.
Talk about how the person's behaviour is affecting you personally and ask them what you would like them to change.
In this case, yes.
I haven't thought deeply about all the possible variants, but I think it's also possible to use it without the typical assertive elements.
I suppose aggressive shaming would be
Ben: I was informed that you've been selling my course on Instagram. This is destroying my business and the livelihood of my team. Shame on you!
Maybe a vulnerable shaming that is not the typical assertive template would be
Ben: It hurts me deeply that you would steal and sell my course.
And, "on your honour" without the typical assertive template would be
Ben: I cannot stop you from selling my course but would greatly appreciate it if you do so.
I think Ben's original remark hits the sweet spot. It sounds very persuasive in my opinion. It hints that I know you have morals and I don't need to force you to stop.
This is what I personally would have come up with.
Ben - I have heard that you have been selling my course on Instagram.Now I don't know whether you are doing these on purpose or not to harm our business. However I want you to stop.I believe my intuition that you might be a sensible person with care for others and hence you will. Hope you make the right decision.
This one will make it seem like he is a selfish person if he doesn't stop.
