Why Are You Making This Incredible Offer
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You’ve designed your powerful offer, but now you have to get over the next
hurdle. Why should anyone believe you? You probably heard the same statement I
heard when I was growing up, “If something sounds too good to be true, it
probably is. You would think that people would jump at the chance to get a
totally free lunch, but no one believes you. Everyone of us has been lied to and
cheated enough times by other businesses not to believe everything we hear or
read. People will think you have some ulterior motive to whatever you’re giving
away or that you’re not telling them the whole story.
If you don’t believe me, try this test. Put a classified ad in the paper.
Tell people to send $10 to a fictitious business name at some PO Box. Tell them
you’ll send back $100 bills to everyone who replies. See how many people take
you up on this offer if you don’t provide them with any other information. Would
you reply? I’ll bet you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t believe it no matter how good the
offer was. You’d need a lot more proof before you’d take action.
Whenever you make any great offer, you have to tell your prospects and
clients why you’re making this offer. You’re giving away a free lunch, but why
should I believe you. What’s your angle? Here’s a novel concept. Tell them the
truth!
Tell them you’re giving away free lunches because your restaurant is brand
new to this area. You know that a large percentage of people who try your food
will love it. They’ll say it’s the best Mexican food they’ve ever tried. They’ll
become regular customers. So instead of requiring the customers to bet on your
restaurant, you’d take all the risk. They get a free meal and you’ll only profit
if your food is so good they can’t resist coming back in the future.
You may be holding a grand opening sale with prices so low you won’t make a
dime. The reason why you’d be willing to do this is to generate customers who
you know will come back once they see just how high quality your items are. You
may be having a car sale with every car priced under invoice because its tax
time and you have to pay extra for every car still on your lot. You may be
having a private sale for your clients because you know how much they’ll
appreciate it and you just received 75 new dresses from France – and you know
they won’t last long once they go on the floor.
The more you tell, the more you sell. Tell your prospects and clients the
whole story. You may be having your sale because new inventory comes out next
month. You have $100,000 tied up in the current inventory and you’re letting
everything go for 50% off of what people would have paid only 1 month ago. Tell
them how high quality the items are and how you love to keep selling these same
garments, but you have to make room for the new inventory. Your loss is their
bargain.
For a continuity offer, you could simply say you have all these tree trimming
workers who you have to pay 40 hours a week. You often end up with large surges
of business at specific weeks of the year. By offering your clients the 4 times
per year deal you’re able to schedule your workers to more consistent hours. So
you’re willing to charge much less for this deal since you save money on it
yourself.
Below are 8 possible reasons why you could be making such a wonderful offer.
You’re not limited to just these methods. They are simply idea generators. Every
offer must include a unique benefit, scarcity, and a reason why. If you get
these items in place, your ad copy is already mostly written for any sales
piece. Neglect these steps and the best copywriter in the world won’t be able to
produce for you.
Reason Why #1: Grand Opening or Generating New Customers/Clients
It’s the grand opening sale or the new customer/client drive. You’re making
your incredible offer to generate new clients for your business. You understand
the value of every client in your business, and you’re willing to make their
first purchase an experience they’ll remember. You’re willing to lose some money
upfront and invest in them. Once they try out your “product/service” they will
have to come back for more. They won’t get a deal like this anytime soon.
Reason Why #2: Customer Appreciation
You appreciate your loyal customers. They’re the ones who have made you
successful in your business. You’re making this deal available only to your best
clients as a thank you for shopping or doing business with you. They shouldn’t
share the letter, postcard, or coupon you’ve sent them with anyone else. It’s
exclusively just for them. You may have just received one hundred new items into
your inventory and you know how much they enjoy high quality widgets.
Reason Why #3: Need Surge of Income
Your business needs a surge of income. You’re making this offer available to
generate the income you need to do ____________. It may be something in your
personal life such as paying for your eighteen year old child’s college
education. It could be your wife wants a new kitchen or your husband wants a
fishing boat. It may be that your business needs a new truck or to expand its
location.
Reason Why #4: Going out of business or Clearing Out Inventory
Going out of business sales and inventory clearance sales are extremely
profitable. These are powerful “reasons why” that appeal to all bargain
shoppers. Clothing stores sell seasonal merchandise or fashions while car
dealers sell off last year’s models. All types of stores clearance off
discontinued products. If you mess up and order too many of something, you can
hold a liquidation to clear out that inventory. Be honest with your
customers/clients and tell them why you’re making the offer.
Reason Why #5: Inventory tax time
Inventory taxes (or inventory time) are coming up. Whatever you don’t sell,
you’ll pay additional taxes on. If people buy now, you’ll pass on the savings to
them. A variation on this could also be that you just were hit with a large tax
bill because your accountant made a mistake. You must pay the bill immediately
or you’ll face stiff fines and interest. Your customers save from helping you
out quickly.
Reason Why #6: Scratch and Dent Sale
A mail order company may sell products which were returned for a discount
price. The appliance dealer had a poor delivery person who put small dents in
several items which now can’t be sold at full price. The furniture store had
heavy winds and a hole in the roof let rain in causing slight damage to several
items. Some items at the retail or clothing shop may not measure up to their
exacting standards.
Reason Why #7: Need Testimonials and case studies for new product/service
You may have hundreds of testimonials in your overall business, but you’re
launching a brand new product/service. You want to get a “test market” of people
using it and giving you feedback. For people to receive this special offer, they
must give you back feedback on the exact results they get from using it. The
“marketing test” reason why is another variation of this. You’re making the
offer as a marketing test because a marketing coach named Terry Dean suggested
it and you simply don’t know what kind of results you’ll get or how busy you’ll
be.
Reason Why #8: You want to Celebrate
It’s your 30th anniversary. Your daughter just graduated college. Your dog
had its first litter of puppies. Your girlfriend said yes when you asked her to
marry you. The high school team won the state championship. The Indianapolis
Colts won the Superbowl. It’s a celebration. You’re excited about what happened
and you want to share it with your customers by giving them a special, “She Said
Yes” event. This technique makes you seem more real and personable as a business
owner.
About the Author
Terry Dean helps business owners Earn More, Work
Less, and Enjoy Life. Receive his Special report, "10 Key Strategies for Any
Business Owner to Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life" along with having access
to his blog where he posts articles 2 to 3 times per week at:
http://www.terrydean.org
Follow us @Scopulus_News
Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2007-12-01 12:22:46 in Marketing Articles
