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Rob Eagar

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Feb 13 2017

The Generous Marketing Mindset

Suppose I asked you the following two questions:

“Would you give me $10?”
“Would you like a free gift card worth $10?”

Which question has more appeal to you? Obviously, the second one. Which question sounds selfish and which one sounds generous? It’s a no-brainer.

Yet, most marketers tend to use the first type of question when promoting products on their website. For example, on most home pages, you see self-centered phrases, such as:

  • Buy the new book
  • Donate today
  • Join our email newsletter
  • Like us on Facebook
  • Big sale…buy now!

These types of statements essentially imply, “Would you give me $10?” It’s a selfish reference point. Customers pick up on this signal and usually ignore the offers or leave the website altogether. A lot of revenue is lost because the ultimate question is never satisfied which is, “What’s in it for me?”

The solution to this problem is to employ a mindset of generosity. Create a substantial free offer and make it the first thing your website visitors see. Flip the dynamic and make people think, “Wow, that’s a really cool offer they’re giving away.” This approach sends a signal to customers that resembles my earlier question, “Would you like a free gift card worth $10?” (Don’t stop at $10 if you can give more.)

A generous mindset will encourage more people to join your email newsletter, check out a new product, consider buying a new service, etc. Examples of free offers that will get attention include:

  • Give away entire e-book
  • Give away a multi-part audio or video series
  • Give away a whole music album
  • Give away a collection of art-related printables
  • Give away several smaller items, such as a series of helpful articles

In return, your generosity will be rewarded with a higher level of response, positive word-of-mouth, and increased sales. In addition, people will be more likely to give you their legitimate email address, instead of a fake one.

Don’t be a Scrooge with your marketing. Stinginess just makes you appear selfish. Be generous towards your customers, and they’ll generously open their wallets.

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Why not take a look at your website home page right now? If it’s like most sites, you may be sending a selfish signal to visitors without realizing it. If it’s been that way for a while, consider asking for help. I’ve taught entrepreneurs and $100 million dollar organizations how to rapidly increase sales by shifting to a generous marketing mindset. Contact me to discuss a customized solution.

Written by Rob Eagar · Categorized: Author Tips, Marketing Tips, Monday Morning Marketing Tips

About Rob Eagar

Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire Marketing, a consulting practice that helps authors and publishers sell more books and spread their message like wildfire. He is one of the rare consultants to help both fiction and nonfiction books hit The New York Times bestsellers list. Rob has consulted with numerous publishers and trained over 1,000 authors. He is the creator of The Author's Guide Series, a comprehensive collection of resources that teaches authors how to sell more books. Find out more at: WildFire Marketing and follow Rob on Twitter.

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