Though it varies by market/product...

I was wondering if anyone has tips or insights into what type of bonuses are compelling enough to get the prospect "over the edge" into a buy decision...

Any new categories of bonuses that are irresistible to prospects, in general?

It's probably too-broadly worded of a question to be answerable...

General rules of thumb I'm aware of are,
-the bonus can be worth more than the main product,
- it should be unique, etc.. prospect may want to get the offer just for one of the bonuses...
-bonus 'shotgun' approach with a stack o bonuses of which at least 1 hits a prospects' hot button for the buy..

types of bonuses... I know there's free reports, personal 1/1 time, bonuses to avoid are junk ebooks everyone has etc..


Any other insights into mastering "the art of the bonus" to create in the mind of the prospect, the "ok I give in, it's just too much to say no to!" type of sales results?

I'm fond of time-limited offers... and for non-responding prospects, hit em with one last plea type of bonus offer that gets them converted to a sale before the time limited offer ends... eg make "the main pitch", then hit em with a "holdout bonus" 48 hours before the deadline ...

thanks...


Ken

Ken,

I have seen best results from bonuses that have either 1)exclusivity or 2)scarcity.

1)Exclusivity: something that they cannot get at any price, but only as a bonus when responding to this order. Prior to the Internet, Dottie Walters used to offer a directory of speakers bureaus that was available nowhere else and that you could not buy. You could only get it by subscribing to her magazine for two years. I resubscribed many times to get that directory! The magazine itself was just OK.

2)Scarcity: something that is credibly offered to only the first 100 (or whatever number) buyers. After that, there are no more in existence.

In addition, I would go for tangible bonuses rather than digital ones unless you are selling to newbies who don't know that digital items cost next to nothing to "produce."

Good luck,
Marcia Yudkin

Hi Marcia, thanks for the ideas, sound solid to me... I'll test offering out a cd w/video clips, for example, as a tangible bonus, and add scarcity/rarity elements to the pitch ...

great example re the speakers' directory, nice example of a bonus that's more valuable than the magazine it's attached too..

now that you mention it, it does seem that tangible bonuses are most valuable to folks and pull well .... (whether it be a toaster for getting a cd at a bank, a kids' happy meal prize, the accessories that infomercial products stack into their offers, or other tangible bonuses)...

appreciate it! I'm working on my writing skills too, thanks for writing your excellent books, Marcia, they're helping..


Ken

Hi Ken,

You may also want to try a "timely" free bonus.

Since you're in the investment field - maybe you can weave an intriguing and enticing story about a company that offers the potential for extraordinary returns for investors in the very near future.

You know, something like "This little biotech company holds 18 patents for the cure for cancer. There's currently a bidding war for it among the top three biotech firms in the world. It's as close to a sure thing as I've seen in my 22 years as an investor. I've just written a complete, detailed report telling you every little fact you need to know about this company and why I think it will be the next mega-blockbuster stock..."

This way, the reader gets something of immediate value. Something he or she can potentially cash in on the moment they subscribe.

Hope this helps.

Take care,

James

Is there a queue here for the ethics department. I'm feeling rather ill, and I hope it's a short one, before I puke on James' shoes.

Jane,

What did I say wrong?

I was just making an example. I wasn't saying he should make this stuff up. But in his research if he finds a company with a good stroy and he thinks it's a good investment - should he not be allowed to write about it?

James (aka "The Puke Inducer")

James,

Perhaps it is just the example that you used. I have real problems with the ethics of biotech/pharmaceutical companies who can make drugs for pennies and then deliberately exploit the need for them by pricing them out of reach of the people who really need them.

In the UK there still aren't that many people with health insurance, so most people rely on the NHS. Some NHS districts use cheaper, less effective drugs because they don't want to blow their budgets on better drugs/treatments. There is a fundamental conflict of interest - the drug companies are only interested in profits, the NHS is interested in cutting costs, and the patient wants to get better. Lives are being lost in this country because of this.

A more high profile example would be the companies that produce drugs to treat HIV/AIDS but who wouldn't lower their prices for countries in Africa who have more incidence of the disease, and correspondingly need more drugs. I think they did finally settle this issue, but not without a lot of campaigning from very high profile people.

Sorry - that particular example just conjures up images of manipulation and exploitation. It is not to say that you are an unethical person. Cancer is a very emotive issue. On the other hand, no one can be bothered to find a cure for psoriasis because it doesn't make headlines and no one's really that bothered about it because it doesn't kill a lot of people. Even I can't be bothered to find a cure - I have just learnt to live with it.

I hope that satisfactorily explains my reaction.

Jane

Here's a great chart of a pharmacautical /biotech company whose stock price recently doubled instantly on cancer-cure type news, a timely example, James....its one all of us traders are following avidly:

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/qui...&freq=7&time=3


But anyways, back to topic... any other ideas folks re the types of bonuses that are especially appealing and test well for conversions?


thanks,

ken

Hi Ken,

I stumbled across a bonus idea while working on a sales letter for a client, it isn't tested yet, but I am honestly thrilled about it - so was the client...

The clincher here is that this one is legit, in the sense that it isn't MADE UP or a transparent kind of Javascript deadline that feels forced.

I can't tell you exactly what I am working on, but it has to do with exclusive interviews. My client has a large selection of interviews and has made a book, he was lamenting to me on the phone about not being able to publish one of the HOT interviews because the interviewee was afraid of getting TOO MUCH exposure - the client asked me what we could do.

Immediately I thought of a LIMITED Bonus, an exclusive interview (never to be found anywhere else), I even included an image of the fellow (blacked out) - you know, like a 60 Minutes program hot interview with some key witness that stays in the shadows with their voice modified spilling out headline clinching news...

This bonus interview will be available for the first 5,000 - 10,000 purchases (whatever this interviewee permits), but then it is gone forever, and to those who buy, he reveals his identity... powerful stuff!

Just be careful not to make it looked forced - I was very fortunate to have this situation just kind of fall in my lap, and it is 100% real.

I hope this sparks some ideas for you...

Tim

Jane,

Lets remember there are writers and visitors of different levels and experience here. You reaction to James was a little personal. It would have been better to explain yourself to him and then offer something constructive!

I honestly think saying something like...

... is anything but constructive but more offensive. Next time I will remove your post