Try before you buy
An article by Jim Connolly
Make more sales (lots more sales) and lower your marketing costs at the same time!

This article is going to give you a really easy way to make more sales without having to invest a fortune in marketing.  By the way, if you sometimes find sales a little daunting or you do not see yourself as a ‘natural’ salesperson, you will find what I am about to share with you perfect!

Now, although there are a number of ways to trick someone into buying from you (if you want to know what they are, you are reading the wrong man’s material), one of the easiest ways to win stacks more business is also one of the most powerful and it is all based around the magic of; ‘Try before you buy!’ – This works in almost every profession or industry!

Here’s a well-known example of ‘try before you buy’ in action
I am sure you will have noticed how supermarkets frequently offer free food samples to people.  They do this for two reasons.  The most obvious reason is that they want to give you a chance to taste the food.  However, this is NOT the primary reason for their 'try before you buy' offer!

The primary reason they offer these free samples is because they understand the power of something called ‘social pressure.’  This is where the REAL magic is!  You see, many people feel really awkward about tasting a free food sample, telling the person who just handed it to them that it tasted really nice, and then simply walking away from the counter without buying it!  Not everyone feels uncomfortable, but a sizable number of people DO and THESE PEOPLE then go on to buy whatever it was they were just tasting!  Tesco and Wal-Mart are experts in making money and they use this technique all the time!

All buyers need a degree of coaxing before they will make a purchase and social pressure, when applied to something the buyer values, is a super-effective way to help them make the right purchasing choice.  A key point here is that the customer is only being ‘pressurised’ into buying something they have already decided they want.  You should never use social pressure to coax someone into buying anything that is not right for them – it is not only ethically wrong, it makes no business sense; as they will resent the purchase and never return!

How to use the concept of ‘try before you buy’ to drive up sales in YOUR business!
The first step is to find a way of offering the prospective client the opportunity to use, test or see your product or service for free.  Many people find this a little alarming and think that their product or service is 'just too valuable' to have people experience it for free.  I have just two words for such people - “test drive!”  Your local Mercedes dealership will happily let you test drive one of their £80,000 vehicles – because they know (as do all car dealers) that test drives sell cars! 

A test drive is just one example of other industries using the same ‘try before you buy’ principal as the supermarkets I mentioned earlier. So, step one is to find a way to expose people to the true value of your product or service for free.

The second step is to ask the prospective client what they thought about your product or service, after using, testing or seeing it.

When they say they loved it, ask them the following question;
“In what way?” – Then say nothing, just listen!

Their answer then becomes a sales pitch for your product or service – YES, your prospective client will actually be there, selling your product or service to themselves!

Once they have sold it to themselves, ask them something like this;
“Well, no need to ask if you would like one, I take it you would like to place your order now?”  Then say nothing - just listen!

Your question, the assumption they will buy, and then the silence that follows is where the social pressure is being applied.  If you start speaking before they do, you will immediately lessen the pressure and reduce your chances of making a sale.  Anything you say to break that silence is going to lose you business!

Will this work for you every time – no, of course not!  However, could it massively increase the number of sales you make – yes, of course it could!

Let people ‘see for themselves’ the TRUE value of what you do
It’s not enough for an IFA or Insurance Professional to hand a prospective client a proposal filled with percentage rates and graphs.  You need to give them a buzzword-free report that shows, in plain English, exactly how your policies helped someone in their situation to secure his or her future or how your policy protected someone’s family when disaster struck – Now, that’s powerful!

It’s not enough for a recruitment professional to explain how great they are at sourcing ideal candidates for their clients; they need to show prospective clients the details of a few ideal candidates (contact details removed) and tell them that this calibre of person could be working for them in 36 hours!

It’s not enough for an accountant to give a free initial consultation and just collect facts about the prospective client’s business and quote a fee; they need to demonstrate a saving or give some worthwhile information that the prospective client can actually use and see real value in!

It’s not enough for a telemarketing company to say how effective they are at generating leads; they need to give a prospective client a couple of qualified leads for free!  Once prospective clients see how much easier it is to pay someone to generate qualified leads for them, (people hate cold-calling) they will be inundated with new business!

It’s not enough for me to tell you that I know how to make you and your business more effective; I have to show you via the free material I provide, so you can see the value for yourself!  The net result is that I now have clients all over the world.

In closing
Most smaller businesses only let a prospective client experience their product or service AFTER they have been paid or have a signed contract.  This is a key reason why so many SME’s go broke!  If you genuinely offer a valuable product or service, potential clients will see that value when they; ‘try before they buy’ and then by applying social pressure, you can convert that value into a sale.  The ineffective, alternative approach requires prospective clients to take a huge leap of faith in you; however, if you are not showing much faith in your product or service yourself, then neither will they!

By the way, the email software I am using to compose and send this very newsletter was first ‘given’ to me for a free trial.  Not only did I buy it, I have recommended it to hundreds of other people too!


To your success,

Jim Connolly
PS: Forward this article to a friend using the box below!