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PART
2
Turning
samples into sales
Offering
free samples increases the Know-Like-and-Trust Factor that makes people
buy. When you are selling a
service, or a product with a high service component, potential customers
have no way to see, feel, or taste what
you will actually deliver. Providing a sample makes your service offering
tangible, and builds your customer's trust.
But
if you're not careful, you can give away too much. Why should customers
pay for what they can get for free? And if
you give those freebies to unqualified buyers, you may find yourself
spending too much time and money on prospects who
will never become paying customers.
The
answer lies in crafting a get-acquainted offer that gives customers
a taste without giving away the store. Here
are some guidelines for maintaining that balance:
1.
Pre-qualify your prospects. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands,
it's not a good idea to make a standing offer
of a free consultation or sample session to all comers. You may attract
far too many 'looky-loos.' That's what realtors
call people who attend open houses every weekend with no intent to buy.
Until
you know more about who you are talking to, phrase your offer as, 'Find
out if you qualify for a free
consultation' or 'Take this quiz -- you may win a sample session.' Once
you are in contact with a prospective client,
ask two or three questions about the client's situation before making
your free offer. Queries like, 'How soon are
you planning to make this change?' or 'Do you have a budget in mind?'
will let you know how much of your time this
prospect is worth.
2.
Make an offer that leverages your time. One reason that realtors offer
open houses is because it doesn't take that
much longer to show the house to 30 buyers than it does to show it to
one. As a consultant or professional, you can
maximize a free offer by making it available to as many prospects as
possible at the same time.
An
excellent example of this model is a free newsletter or ezine that showcases
your expertise. You write it once, send
it to hundreds or thousands of potential buyers, then reprint the articles
on your web site and in other publications. Another way to give a sample
to many people at once is offering a free workshop. You can keep your
costs down by finding a co-sponsor to provide space, or by giving your
workshop as a teleclass (phone conference) or webinar
(live presentation on the web).
3.
Give away a sample, not the real thing. Follow the example of workshop
leaders who use what's called two-step
promotion. Invite people to a free teaser program, then enroll them
in the full workshop. In the teaser, you give
prospects a taste of what they will get when they buy. The taste itself
is valuable -- it's not just a sales
presentation -- but you hold back the best part for the paid program.
Any
consultant or professional can craft an offer like this. Instead of
providing consultation or your regular service
for free, offer a free initial assessment, evaluation, or diagnosis.
A coach or healer who offers sample sessions can
position them as assessments, or call them 'strategy' or 'balancing'
sessions. This way you draw a clear boundary
between what is free and what costs money.
4.
Place limits on your offer. No free offer should be open-ended. If you
are clear at the outset about the
limitations on your free sample, you will find it much easier to ask
for the sale when the offer expires. Providing
a 'one-hour consultation,' '30-day trial,' or '10-page assessment' will
establish a boundary between free and paid
service.
5.
Be helpful, but remember to ask for the business. One of the dangers
of being in a helpful profession like
consulting, training, coaching, etc., is that your natural tendency
to offer advice and support can sometimes interfere
with closing the sale. Try using phrases like, 'Now that you know what
I can do for you, let's talk about how we can keep
working together,' 'I have an excellent solution for that; let's discuss
what it would cost,' or even 'I think it's
time to turn on the meter, don't you?'
Here's
to not giving away the store,
C.J. Hayden, MCC
##############################################
Copyright 2001,
C.J. Hayden. All rights reserved. Articles
from the Get Clients Now! E-Letter may be distributed or
reproduced as long as the copyright and URL are included.
Please forward a copy to your friends and associates!
To subscribe to the E-Letter, read back issues, or buy the
Get Clients Now! book, visit http://www.getclientsnow.com
or mailto:coachcj@getclientsnow.com
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