What's In An Offer? Besides My Free Bonus?

It's 4th quarter again!  And this means everyone is rushing to test new shows for 1st quarter!  Hurry.  Hurry.  Test. Test.  But have we considered if we have anything to really OFFER?

We all know what's up with our economy, the world, the war, politics, real estate, stock prices, gas, prices, internet fraud and diet failures... same stuff as always just more compacted and in our face this year.  And what we also know is that selling products is becoming more difficult because our audience is more savvy and less tolerant than ever before in history.  In the last two weeks I have reviewed over 13 different commercials trying to make the 4th quarter test cycle and while most of the products are really GREAT - I'm not sure why I should CALL NOW - aside from collecting some free gifts.  9 of the OFFERS were Just Pay Shipping + 2 Free Gifts.  This is not good as it is a form of "training our consumer to tune out".

What's in an OFFER?  (ALOT)

While reading the 25 OFFERS below, think about any OFFERS you have out in the world.  These can be product offers, service offer, branding offers, lead generation offers, TV/Radio offers, web offers, and so on.  

• Can any of them be tweaked, twisted, altered, trashed, revamped, super-loaded or "pimped out"?  
• Can you identify the OFFERS below that are working and that are flat-lining?
• Can you figure out which OFFERS are being used in TV, Radio, Print, and Online?
  

 Here we go:

1. Call us today for a free report on debt management.
2. To get started log on and type keyword: No Tummy.
3. Learn how this amazing program can save you time and money.
4. Save an animal's life for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
5. Get a free consultation on the e-diet that's right for you.
6. Enroll in our online classes and increase your earning potential.
7. Call us today at 888-8888 and ask for our Web discount.
8. Subscribe now for free tips for doing your own taxes.
9. Log on and read how to drop a full dress size by Thanksgiving.
10. Hurry Up. Reserving your free laptop is just a click away.
11. Watch this video on how you can stop smoking within 4 hours- and forever!
12. Does your child suffer from ADD? Take this simple test.
13. Buy this product today and start losing weight tomorrow. (Or in 7 - 10 days with the super saver delivery.)
14. Get an excerpt of this self-hypnosis audio CD emailed to you in the next 5 minutes.
15. Call now for a free 30-minute consultation.
16. Take our Identity Theft Security quiz.
17. Learn how you can afford a bigger home than you thought!
18. What factors should I consider before starting my own business?  We'll tell you for free!
    
19. Call today and find out what the I.R.S. doesn't want you to know.
20. What are the telltale signs of anxiety for children and teenagers- it's all in this free online report?
21. Buy a Discount Pass and never pay full price again!
22. How can a new air purifier pay for itself in six months?
23. Use our online calculator and see how much you can save using our system.
24. Add to cart.
25. Buy now! 

You'll notice that none of these offers mentioned price, extra free gifts or trial offers. They may be a part of the OFFER but the point is that your OFFER MUST BE MORE that just free trials and bonus gifts. What are you promising the consumer? How are you affecting their life NOW? Why is your product and your free gifts any more trust worthy or relevant than the one the consumer saw five minutes ago? There is a safety net in testing products with tried-and-true OFFERS but in a year when 1 in 30 new product launches are actually making it into roll-out we must stop being safe and go back to being innovative.

Check out websites I think have it going on - and OFFERS to match!

https://carexpresstrial.com/ (OFFER: Save 50% on Health Care)
http://www.smartcruiser.com/ (OFFER: Stop Surfing. Start Cruising!)
http://winit.womansworldmag.com/ww/ (OFFER: Enter to Win!)
http://www.moneyfromhome.com/ (OFFER: Get PAID by check, direct deposit or PayPal- Scam Free!)

DO I endorse the websites?  No.  Are they doing something right in the marketing world?  Yes.

Don't get me wrong... tradition is tradition and we should hold on to our Trial Offers, Soft Offers, and Hard Offers.  Make these traditional offers part of an A/B test.  But let's get a little "unsafe" with our offers and see if we can reinvigorate our consumer's response rate.  Remember, 40-60% of your respondents go online BEFORE they call you... here is a hint:  your OFFER should trap and entice them both Online and Offline- even entangle them in between the two.

 Look for my next post on BACK-END OFFERS GONE AWRY!