The ‘Snake Oil’ Salesman

‘Snake Oil’ salesman is a term I have occasionally seen posted by Trolls on Internet forums in an attempt to discredit the profession of sales and marketing. Professional marketing is an anathema to many such people and this derogatory expression is sometimes used carte blanche by individuals when in point of fact they know very little, sometimes absolutely nothing about the company or product in question, even though they pretend otherwise. Their rationale seems to be “looks really slick and professionally marketed, so it must be snake oil”. During the 19th Century gullible people in Western society who were seeking a ‘cure all’ for their ailments at one time bought snake oil. My opinion is that taking some ‘magic potion’ was a much easier option than changing the lifestyles that so often caused the problems in the first place, and herein lays the fundamental problem.

Interestingly snake oil is still widely used today in some cultures, (China in particular) and there is substantial pharmacological evidence to prove it has demonstrable health benefits for specific conditions, however it is not a ‘cure all’ and people who may try to sell it as such are in fact fraudulent. In the United Kingdom Fraud is a criminal offense.

Fundamentally individuals have changed very little over time and the same things, the drivers, that motivated some weak-minded people hundreds of years ago still abound today. When it comes to starting a business for example too many people are seeking a ‘get rich quick scheme’ rather then be willing to put in the sustained effort that will almost always be required. I have come to appreciate that while ‘timing’ is very important when starting a new business – so is ‘time’ – and many people give up before they even give themselves a reasonable chance because it’s too much like hard work.

The reality is that there are some dubious people and companies out there who use extremely underhanded practices and deserve to be exposed for what they are. On occasions I have tested products, which made wholly unsound claims of saving energy. In one case after thorough testing and evaluation of a motor controller in our laboratory the Chief Engineer said “this product bears no resemblance whatsoever to what is written in their sales brochures and technical manual”.

On another occasion I was asked to provide an independent assessment on wild claims made by an energy saving device. The report was to be used to commence proceedings in the Courts. I immediately new the product was being totally misrepresented so I rang the company personally to obtain information and give them the opportunity to set the record straight and eventually spoke to the MD. He admitted he had no technical people in his employ, either directly or sub-contract that I could speak to and he didn’t know how it worked. Audaciously he then asked me; “you seem to know a lot about this can you please tell me how it works?” I told him “It doesn’t work” My response was not welcomed… The company subsequently went out of business.

But don’t be tempted to throw the baby out with the bath water by making the erroneous and potentially costly mistake of assuming that all companies who market their products and services in a professional way, like Enigin does, are tarred with the same brush. At Enigin we never, ever, EVER, publish information that we know to be technically or commercially misleading and we always encourage people use due diligence just as we do when we assess new technologies.

When one is about to make a life changing decision, it is essential to obtain professional advice from people who know what they are talking about be that legal, technical, financial, or customer acquisition through marketing. We must be careful whose opinion we listen to, as many individuals who go onto Internet forums for example, will provide grossly misleading information, sometime for personal gain, and because they are hiding behind bogus names do so with seeming impunity. Read my recent article on ‘Who’s Opinion Counts Most’.
I have always brought my children up to believe you should not blow out another persons candle just to make yours burn brighter. As for all our products and solutions; ‘it does what it say’s on the tin’. At Enigin we have an open door policy and people can visit us anytime – see the products working and meet the people behind the Company – what you see is what you get. In summary, remember not all ‘Snake Oil’ is bad – indeed the snake oil salesman could actually save your life… consider the following extract from National Geographic: -

“For more than 50 years, the staff of the Australian Reptile Park has raised and milked hundreds of venomous spiders and snakes—including the death adder—for their poisonous venom in order to create life-saving medicines. As John Weigel, director of the Australian Reptile Park, notes, the program helps save hundreds of lives each year. Weigel told National Geographic News; We’ve done it for 55 years and it saves perhaps 280 to 300 lives a year. That’s something we feel really good about.”