Two Step Ads

Instead of running your TV ads and other marketing pieces with the intention of making an immediate sale, turn your philosophy around 180° and offer something free or at very low cost to begin the relationship.

Business is built on relationships. One of the biggest obstacles to selling anything is the need for the prospect to like and trust you – and the only way to cultivate liking and trust is to begin a good, old-fashioned relationship.

And since you’re the one who wants prospects to give their money to you instead of to your competitors, it makes sense to take responsibility for starting the relationship onto your own shoulders.

So, offer something for free with no pressure or obligation for your prospects to complete the sale. Once you have their details you can begin marketing to them. This is sometimes called permission marketing.

But be warned: whilst you don’t want to be giving away too much, at least make sure what you are giving away has a high perceived value to your prospects.

That’s why information in the form of Free Reports is always a good thing to try.

This is called the “Two-Step Short Infomercial” and is generally aimed at getting viewers to make a  a small initial purchase by phone, but you can also offer free products and services, too.

These infomercial-style ads typically last up to two minutes and are very strong with their call to action, which is typically repeated throughout the ad and is also written in a banner across the bottom of the screen.

The idea is that once the caller is speaking to a representative, there is a fairly hard-sell to a more expensive product or service. This tends to work well because the person who has made the call is both highly qualified and highly motivated.

Alternatively, and this is increasingly common, you can send them to a web site where you can collect their details in return for the free giveaway you’re offering.

The real goal is to at least break even on the initial sale if at all possible, but not worry about making a profit.

Why?

Because by doing this the advertiser is building a very highly qualified list, essentially for free. The money is, as always, in the long-term sales on the back end.

Most business owners get this completely wrong and focus all their time and energy on getting new customers and clients.

But they’d do much better if they changed focus and did more marketing to their existing customers, because they’re much easier to sell to, which means your marketing costs are less, and so your profits are higher.