Offers Are for Winners

I cannot think of any scenario in life where not winning is better than winning. A fist fight, negotiating for a new car, the Olympic 100m dash, a BBQ festival cook-off, or even a friendly game of cards. To win is the point. Your definition of ‘win’ may differ, but everybody has the same definition of ‘lose’. When you win, you’re victorious; losing means you’ve come up short and have failed in one capacity or another.

When you think about the offer you’re going to tie to a promotion on your postcard, it is imperative that you’re constructing a win-win scenario – you AND the prospect have got to consider yourselves winners, or you’ve lost the entire reason you’re putting the offer out there at all. But how? How do you ensure you’ve engineered a Win-Win Offer? These 6 Parts of a Winning Offer should help:

  1. Make it Different or Even Unique – You’re going to have to put some thought into this one. Nobody wants a pen or a notepad with your company name/logo on it. That kind of thing is super cheap for you, but it’ll just end up in a junk drawer or the trash because it doesn’t showcase anything.
  2. Is it Something Prospects Desire – Similar to #1, impacting someone’s pocket is always better than presenting them with crap. Tailor your offer to your product or service. And if you can take a little off the top versus buying actual inventory to give away, you’re a step ahead. A free visit? A month free? A Buy One Get One (BOGO) free?
  3. Does it Seem Valuable – The word ‘valuable’ is important here, especially because you can’t get inside the head of each target. What you’re offering them in exchange for trying your product or service for the first time (or maybe even to entice them to try it again) has to seem important or ‘of value’ to them. Stop it with the pens and notepads. Offer education about the industry, provide Best Practices that incorporate your product or service, give them something they can use to help build their brand and their business, but something that can only be accomplished by becoming a valued client of your business first.
  4. A Little Drama Never Hurt – DO NOT LIE. I shouldn’t have to say that, but we all know that guy who’ll say whatever it takes to get in the door. Don’t be that guy. Instead, take what’s most compelling or amazing or indisputable about your product or service, whatever it is about your better mousetrap that outshines the competition and has the world beating a path to your door. Embellishment is fine, puffing up your chest is okay, and making grandiose claims are permitted. But if you can’t back them up, you risk reputational damage from which you might not easily recover. Make your product or service shine, extoll its magnetic qualities, and glorify the benefits. But always base the dramatics in truth. Trust me.
  5. Better Be Easy – Nobody likes to feel as though they’ve been pulled down a rabbit hole just to get what you’re offering for free. “What do I have to do to get this offer?” is an unspoken question you should be answering for the target BEFORE it pops into their head. Draw a line to the offer. Point out the step-by-step instructions to activate the offer or redeem the coupon. Whatever it is, the easier you can make its capture for the target, the better your responses should be.
  6. No Risk or Obligation – It should go without saying that if there is ANY chance, whatsoever, that the target will have to come out of pocket, risk their personal information, or commit to a purchase or a subscription for your product or service, you’ve already lost them.

Offers meant to increase your rate of response (and, ultimately, the ROI for your postcard campaign) should always be constructed such that you’re creating a win-win. Always.

Give Opportunity Knocks a call today. Our Success Coaches are ready to help you tailor the best offer to your postcard, pulling in targets and new business. We are standing by to make sure you’re adding value to the campaign the right way…the winning way!