What's Just as Important as Your Product?

By Suzanne Richardson

My hand was already reaching down to toss it in the trash... but, suddenly, I stopped.

I lifted the catalog back up... and examined the front cover again.

"Free Shipping - No Minimum Order."

Hmm, I thought. Maybe I'll just take another look inside and see what I can find.

I love free shipping. It can persuade me to buy something... even if I wasn't going to buy anything in the first place.

What sort of magic is at play here?

Sometimes your bonus is just as important as the product you're selling.

Take a look at any sales letter... or any infomercial... even some banner ads... and you're bound to find a bonus.

A bonus is the free special report you get when you sign up for a newsletter... the MP3 download you get when you buy a book... the 6-in-1 kitchen tool and set of precision steak knives you get when you order a Ginsu knife... or the free shipping you get when you order a Land's End fleece jacket.

Sometimes, as Bob pointed out, the bonus is that little extra push your customer needs in order to buy. A really good bonus shows her just how much value she is getting for her money.

In one example that Bob gave, a newsletter publisher compiled a "best of" collection of his most popular column. When he started offering the compilation as a bonus, subscription rates skyrocketed. Another newsletter publisher found that when he offered a reprint of his annual industry salary survey as a bonus for new subscribers, orders for new subscriptions increased 25 percent.

So the next time you come up with a sales offer, make sure you include a valuable bonus that can give your customer one more reason to buy.