In my last post I talked about how the reason many customers don’t buy is simply because they’re afraid…often, fear prevents them from taking the next step – making a purchase. Sometimes all it takes to remove that fear is giving them a chance to ‘sample’ your product or service. You can offer a free trial, a nominal fee trial, a demo, a preview, a light version of your product or service or a casual pass, so they can try before they buy.

Of course, you may be reluctant to offer free samples of your product or service convinced that your product can’t really be ‘sampled.’ It needs to be purchased to be fully appreciated. Perhaps you feel a sense of trepidation thinking that many would take advantage of your generous offer and never become full paying customers.

That’s why I want to show you some REAL examples of how different online and offline businesses use this approach to increase their sales. Truth is that people are afraid of making big commitments or making wrong buying decisions. Aren’t we all? Well, by simply removing the risk of buying you should easily increase your profits and sales…

Let me go right into this…

Aperture is a photo editing and management software program developed by Apple. Now, they let you trial Aperture free for 30 days. You get a fully functional copy of the software all you have to do is provide them with your full name and email address. The free trial expires 30 days after you open the application but in the meantime you can use it as if you had the full paid version installed. Every week or so throughout the trial period they email you a video tutorial showing simple impressive tricks that can easily turn ordinary photos into ‘prize-winning’ shots. This software is short of amazing but many of their customers would probably never know that without the following…

Aweber, on the other hand, charges you $1 to sample their service. So, it’s not completely free. The catch? You will be charged $19 on a recurring monthly basis after your trial. You need to provide your credit card details upfront to take advantage of this offer. But they offer you a full, no-hassle refund IF you’re not satisfied with it during the initial 30-day trial. Here’s a screenshot of the $1 trial offer…

 

Over 100,000 members choose Jetts with thousands more joining every month. That’s what their website claims. They have an impressive proposition on their website ‘…no contracts, no crowds, and 24/7 access, you can workout on your terms, at a time that suits you. It’s the gym that works out better. Simple.’ Interesting. Recently I received a 3-day pass to ‘sample’ one of their gyms. Here’s the front of the pass…

The above offer comes with some terms and conditions. It’s valid for 3 consecutive days. It’s one pass per person and you have to be a local resident to use it. And you can use it during staffed hours only – I guess they want to SEE you to stamp the card, ask a few questions and make you feel welcome, and, of course, encourage you to join.

Heard of HubSpot? Neither have I. Apparently it’s a marketing application (btw, I am not endorsing them in any way) that enables small business to “get found” by more prospects shopping in their niche and to convert a higher percentage of prospects into customers. Sounds interesting but I am not convinced. Well, that’s not a problem because they offer a 30-day free trial offer for you to test-drive their service at no cost. This small banner on their website invites you to take advantage of the offer:

A UK water company will let you enjoy a 14 days worth of their drinking water – on them!

Pretty sure, they don’t deliver to Australia. Here’s the offer:

Hollywoodacaidiet.com will let you sample their acai product for free. Why would you want to be giving real ‘physical’ products away for free? At a first glance this makes no sense but it’s not a silly strategy.  When you think about it they are ‘buying’ people’s details (you will provide correct details to get the sample bottle…) so they can follow up with other offers if you decide not to purchase once the free trial bottle runs out. Clever. It’s a great page and you can see part of it here:

 

Here’s another company following the same approach. Of course, there is a catch but you’d expect it, right? Here it is: ‘Acceptance of our offer requires automatic enrolment in the maintenance program. You will automatically receive a new 30-day supply of Vimax Pills every month for only $49.95…’ Interesting.

 

Of course, you don’t always have to give your product away for free. You can offer them at a nominal fee…

Here’s an example…dance classes. You get 12 dance classes (cost $180) for just $29. You probably won’t master your moves in just a dozen or so lessons so you will probably need to keep practicing as a full-paying dancer!

A dentists in Melbourne offers a full dental check up with clean, polish, fluoride, x-rays and $100 off professional teeth whitening for just $49 and not the usual $345. The fine print ‘all services must be redeemed during 1 visit and used by same customer; appointments are required and subject to availability’.

A professional photographer offers a one-hour professional photo shoot that includes a 30-minute make-up session and two 12×8″ prints that normally costs $300 for just $49. Existing customers are exempt from this deal. So, obviously this is a lead generator. They will probably try selling you other services, offer more photos, bigger sizes, and ask for referrals.

Norton.com offers protection for your computer against viruses and spyware. However, it knows that a typical prospective customers is faced with a plethora of choices when looking for a computer virus protection solution. That’s why it offers a free trial period with the understanding that at the end of the 30 day trial period your card will automatically be charged the standard 12 month subscription fee. They ask you for your credit card details to push away those who may be thinking of abusing the offer.

The Australian Stock Report website offers to send you free stock market recommendations for the next 7 days. They have a ‘can’t miss’ banner that encourages you to take advantage of the offer. Check out how simple it is (really, do you need to say any more?)…

 

Could you offer something similar to your prospects or clients?

If you don’t want to offer a no-strings attached free trial offer then you might consider offering a free preview, a demo or a nominal fee trial.

Remember, if you make it easy for people to SAMPLE your product or service at no risk to them then more people should become full paying customers…probably sooner than you think. This strategy is an easy way to increase your sales…fast!