How to Close More Sales With FREE Bonuses
It’s true, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, free ride, free
anything really. With every ounce of our beings, we understand
everything has a price, be it financial, emotional, mental,
physical or spiritual. We know it and…most of us anyway…accept it.
Then how is it that one little word can wreak so much havoc on our sensible judgment?
How can four letters stop us in our tracks and compel us, time and again, to
read an advertisement, enter drawings, refer family and friends, subscribe to an e-newsletter…or e-tip :)…and call those toll free numbers?
Because despite what our intellect knows to be true, we remain eternally hopeful that we really can get something for nothing—that some things really are FREE.
All it takes is seeing that one seemingly innocent word emblazoned in red on an entry slip, plastered on a sign in bold black, or flashing at us in neon yellow from our computer monitor to reduce many of us to curious 5-year-olds.
Admit it. Even if you are personally impervious to the seductive power of getting something for FREE—you know dozens even 100s of others who aren’t.
So what’s my point?
USE IT!! USE IT!! USE IT!!
Get your prospects to take the action you want by giving them something they want for FREE.
Notice I said something “they want.”
Why?
Because your prospects aren’t stupid and you aren’t deceitful.
“FREE” may get their attention, but it had better be good or you’ve just lost the best thing you had going for you—credibility.
So what do you do once you’ve snaked their attention from any one of a dozen other competing interests? Make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Better yet? Make several.
If you’re selling a book or e-book, tell your prospects that if they buy 1 copy of the book, they get bonuses 1 through 3 FREE (then list them). If they buy 3 copies, they get bonuses 1 through 6 FREE . If they buy 5 or more copies, they get bonuses 1 through 9 FREE.
If you’re selling tickets to an event, give them FREE bonuses for purchasing a ticket before the day of the event.
If you’re selling a product, offer FREE bonuses for ordering in bulk, before a certain date or for signing up for your newsletter when they do order.
If you’re trying to get referrals, again, offer FREE bonuses relevant to your audience’s interests.
Bonuses You Can Offer Prospects
- FREE transcript of the seminar they will be attending
- FREE educational materials pertinent to their field of expertise or study
- FREE shipping and handling
- FREE upgrade
- FREE access to a list of coveted resources
- FREE admission to an event
- FREE referral fee
- FREE piece of software
- FREE consultation
- FREE products (calculators, binoculars, cameras, etc.)
- FREE limited-time access to the “Members Only” section of your website
Quick Tip 1: Bonuses don’t have to be expensive, just worthwhile.
Quick Tip 2: The more bonuses you offer, the sweeter and more compelling the deal.
Quick Tip 3: Partner with another business, organization or individual to allow you to offer more bonuses at cost, rather than retail prices.
Quick Tip 4: Make certain you list the monetary value of your bonuses. If you don’t, your prospects won’t know and won’t appreciate it.
Next week we’ll discuss why every sales letter you create should have a “P.S.” and a “P.P.S.”
Committed to your marketing success,
Lina Penalosa
June 14, 2005
|
||
