Here's a great article from Bob Bly on businesses that decide to use somewhat deceptive advertising tactics in an effort to get sales leads, and the dangers of doing so:
First, let me tell you about the two worst mistakes you can make as a marketer when offering "bait pieces" as a bribe to generate inquiries from prospects:
1. Trying to force the recipient of your free offer into a sales situation without sending the materials.
You make the offer. But when prospects call to get it, your telemarketing rep says, "Aw, you don't want that. What you want to do is buy our XYZ product."
I understand the sales strategy behind this technique. The company doesn't make money giving away free information. So the telemarketers are given scripts aimed at converting as many inbound inquiries to sales as possible. The problem is: They go too far.
As I have mentioned before, I responded to a radio commercial offering a "valuable free tape" on how to reduce stress. The inbound telemarketer tried to get me to order the full version of the company's stress-reduction program on a 30-day trial basis. When I told him I wanted my free tape first, he said: "You don't want that. It's just an infomercial for the program."
Hey, if you offer me a "valuable free tape" ... and then, when I call, tell me I "don't want that" because "it's just an infomercial" ... then guess what? You're a liar. And is that a good way to start off a business relationship?
2. Offering something "for free" that's actually worthless.You make it sound like you're going to send them good information - but when your prospects get it, it is nothing more than promotional material, with little or no useful content.
Again, if you do something like offer me a "free inventor's kit" (as one radio advertiser does) ... and it's simply your four-color sales brochure, with no how-to content on inventing ... you're a liar.
Now let me tell you how to use the "free information" offer correctly ... so your prospects are satisfied with what they get ... and feel good enough about it to take the next step with you.
Trillium Health Products was using infomercials to sell their juicing machines. The company's spokesperson, a juicing expert, appeared as a guest on a 20-minute segment of a radio show to talk about juicing. Listeners were invited to phone for a free information booklet on juicing. The booklet contained juicing tips and recipes ... and it also delivered a sales pitch for the machine.
That's important: The radio promotion promised useful, free content - and that's what prospects got. But along with that, they got information on a product they could use to implement the ideas and suggestions in their free booklet: Trillium's juicing machine.
How well did it work? The radio show aired in a major market - Boston - and approximately 50,000 listeners called to request the free booklet. Of those, 10 percent bought a juicing machine. So Trillium sold 5,000 juicers at $350 each for gross sales of $1.75 million - all from people who called a radio show to get a free booklet.
Read more in part two of Bob's article.
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