Let me go over the type of offers you will see on hard
offers. Let me take my own experience in selling millions of books and tapes
globally using a hard offer with a price point of just under $50. In this case there was a crescendo effect during the process of asking for the order (through video) this is called a “push” where the spokesperson asks for the person
to make a call and have their credit card in hand to order the offer.
Now let’s take the alternative where all that is sought is a
qualified inquiry. I’ll give you a great
example that you should easily comprehend if you are in North
America , the Select Comfort offer for more information which is FREE
if you call in response to the TV advertisement. Once you call your phone number
is recorded along with your address. Once the response is logged you will be
sent a DVD with a nice brochure to help take you from a prospect to a
customer. The ultimate goal in the “soft
offer” or a “two step” offer is to get you to call in and order the Select
Comfort bed over the phone or get you to walk into a Select Comfort showroom
(usually located in shopping malls) and order without any additional
salesmanship.
Of course there is a second group that is inherent to the
prospect class of the “soft offer” or “two step” offer, that’s the prospect
that needs to be asked to buy (in this case via telephone). Only testing will tell you what the mix is
between those that are sent information and call or walk in to a showroom to
buy and those that need a push to purchase over the phone or through a walk in
to a showroom.
It’s not uncommon to combine a “hard offer” with a “soft
offer”. For instance you might be
selling an initial starter product and then direct mailing, e-mailing, or
outbound telemarketing a subsequent sale from the customer.
Testing is the element that determines the approach best to
take. Hard offers and soft offers are in
front of you ever day, it’s up to you to decipher the two and then study and
model them to create the approach that ethically creates a profit for your
business.
written by Brad Richdale copyright 2011 all rights reserved
Bradford Richdale is a medical devices professional
Bradford Richdale is the founder of this blog and a biotech company
