THe Best way to profit is give things away

Have you noticed that in today’s economy we expect more for less, or even free?

We live in a society where information is free and easily available from the Internet.

Entertainment is funded by commercials and when people try to charge for things they meet resistance.

We have this happening on our high streets and in our shopping malls too…

…with the continual growth of pound shops here in the UK and dollar stores in the US and discount stores in physical locations and online too.

The pressure on people and business has never been higher and making money is seemingly harder too…

…until you apply the tactic of giving things away, but only when you do it correctly.

In human behaviour there is a principle known as reciprocity…

…simply put this is one kind or generous action creates another.

So if you do something for one person they actually want to do something for you in return and this is incredibly effective in business.

Add to this that done well and correctly, you can use this technique in other ways, not just to get people to buy…

…but to also minimise the cost of sale, shorten the time between awareness and the sale, sort out buyers from non-buyers and actually charge more for something too.

OK, all of these seem appealing but you are almost certainly wondering how to do them, so let me help you on this.

First of all, it doesn’t mater what form of business you are in, food and drink sold in a physical retail outlet, through to services offered online - it still works.

And price points don’t matter either, you could be making a one time sale of a large value item such as a car all the way through to…

…small recurring sales such as gym membership or marketing advice.

The first reason to give something away is that people don’t miss what they’ve never had, simple but true…

…so giving someone a taste of anything whether that be food or drink, lifestyle or access to information, is a very effective way to then…

…sell continued access to that pleasure or freedom from something they don’t want.

Next is the other simple truth that once somebody has actually tried something they will know if they want it…

…I know that if I test drive a car that I’m interested in, if it lives up to my expectations, it’s very hard to…

…walk away and not buy it, or as has happened in the past, the car has not lived up to my expectations, so I know instantly that it’s not something I should be buying.

But it’s not just cars you can “test drive” you could test drive a piece of software, a new TV, a new bar or restaurant…

…in fact virtually anything if the cost of providing that trial and the return on investment when somebody buys makes commercial sense.

So what about when you can’t give people test drive?

Well the best thing you can do is give people a flavour of what you do and how you do it.

I work with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial businesses helping them to come up with and refine their products and services and then…

…help them to market them effectively and profitably. For some people I show them what to do, for others I do it with them and for a select few I actually do it for them.

Now I couldn’t provide a free trail to everybody who wanted one when it comes to helping them come up with profitable opportunities that they can take to market…

…so what I do is create things like this podcast that will help them from a distance…

I also have free training through videos, step-by-step exercises, reports and much more and these are 100% free…

…so anybody can access them online and benefit from them.

So it’s like having access to me in a trail situation…

…obviously it’s not the same as having me work there with you, but it means that I give things away and…

…if people like what I give them then they know, at a basic level, what I do and why they should pay for it…

…as they progress to a more effective and complete, paid for relationship with me.

And this has been a core tactic for successful Internet marketers for many years now…

…but surprisingly very few have actually mastered how to give things away and even fewer businesses, whether they are online or not…

…have been able to master this system of giving things away correctly, for the benefit of their audience and their business too.

When it comes to getting a prospect’s attention there’s very little you can do that’s more appealing than offering something free.

By having a free trail, test drive or free actionable information and techniques that can be used by prospects…

…you generate the reciprocity I mentioned before, you then get to build a relationship with that person in a non-confrontational friendly way…

…because people buy from those they know, like and trust – which is exactly what you are doing.

And because we all judge value primarily based on emotion, very little value is determined through logic…

…getting the sale or what is more accurately described as the commitment, turning a prospect in to a customer could not be more positive for both parties.

So think about what you do and how you could offer a free trail or sample and when you do, just make sure you give away enough or the right thing because…

…when you get this right and the process running up to the point where you give something away for free right too…

…you will experience massive changes in your results.

And when you get to the end of the trail or free sample, it’s time to ask for the sale…

…which again people get wrong or in some cases don’t do at all…

…because if you have created reciprocity, built a relationship, given people a “taste” of what they could have or do and…

….made a compelling case for what you offer whether that’s a product or a service…

…now all you need to do is sell.