Chip Buck So should you use samples or not? Well the answer to that question is deceptively simple… Is the cost of buying and mailing samples justified by the return on that investment? Does mailing samples make you money? If the answer is yes, they use them. If it’s not, then don’t. But of course we can, and should, go a little bit deeper… This is the comment that concerns me: “It just seems that people are interested in trying before buying. Makes Sense!” Actually, whenever you hear, “I’d like to try it out first”, from a prospect, you’re in trouble. The “try it out first” comment is a symptom of poor marketing, and it’s an excuse used by people who want to say no, but who don’t have the courage to come out and say it directly. They don’t want you to feel rejected, so they accept the sample offer which allows them to reject the product instead of you which is why your closing ratio is so poor. They had no intention to buy from the beginning. If your marketing was strong enough from the start, you wouldn’t need samples. Your prospects would be whipping out their wallets and happy to pay full price for your products. Brochures produced by the company aren’t going to cut it. You need to have a truly persuasive, “pawn the TV, sell the dog, and get a second job just to buy this product”, sales letter. The problem here isn’t the product or the samples themselves; it’s the framing and positioning of the offer. It’s weak and needs to be sold better. I’d rather frame the value of my product like this… “There’s no way I can send a free sample of this product, it’s much too valuable to just give away like that. This is a cutting edge product that’s coveted by everyone who uses it. Besides, you’d never get to really experience its amazing benefits if you only tried it for a few days. The best I could do is offer you a risk-free 30 day trial on the one you’d like to start using today… Which one would that be? Great… Where would you like it shipped? Great… Would Visa or MasterCard be better for you?” You can see the difference when you compare it to “Hey don’t worry, I’ll send you some free samples that you can try.” One product is positioned as the best with value and a price tag to match. The other holds so little value, you have to try and give it away for free. It’s all in the marketing my friends… Now on the other hand, there are a few GREAT uses for samples if you have the right kind of product. Samples are at their most effective in two scenarios… 1: When your product offers a unique benefit that can be “experienced” quickly. For example, there’s an entire MLM company that’s grown from a seed to a weed in less than two years and their entire marketing model is based on giving out samples of their powdered energy drink mix. Samples are perfect for this product because the very noticeable benefits/results can be felt and “experienced” within minutes. The timing here is critical… Results within minutes… Not days, weeks, or months. 2: The second scenario is a long-term approach and it is used to change the buying habits people have towards commodity type products like cosmetics, soaps, and other body care/home care items that don’t offer an immediately noticeable benefit. One of the hardest things to do is to changed the buying habits of a person, which is why all of the internet malls failed years ago, and why it’s taken Amazon almost 10 years to turn a profit. Typically, the solution is a “try-before-you-buy, 30-day trial”. You see this offer on TV all the time… Exercise equipment, vacuums, mattresses, etc. You give a prospect the normal product, not a small sample, and let them use it for 30 days. Why 30 days? Because that’s how long it takes a human to form a new habit ;) which is exactly what ends up happening. The 30-day trial is always combined with a monthly auto ship program, so as soon as the trail period is up, their new shipment arrives automatically. Bam… Now you have a new, loyal customer.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:39:27 +0000
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