Posted on: 26 November, 2001
Author: Marc Goldman
Some of you may already know the power of time ... offers and be using them inyour ... There is a huge ... brewing on certain parts of the ... the use of these offe Some of you may already know the power of time sensitive offers and be using them inyour businesses. There is a huge controversy brewing on certain parts of the internetregarding the use of these offers, but I will tell you that when used appropriately, theyare one of the most powerful lead and sales generating tools ever invented.Setting up a time sensitive offer involves contacting a list of prospects and offeringthem something special that will only be available for a limited time. It could be aspecial price, special bonuses or even receiving something for free. The catch is youmust order by a certain date so as to receive these special deals.I've seen this type of offer create an overwhelming response that does not seem tohappen with regular sales material. Why does this happen? I believe that the majorityof people interested in your sales material will often not act immediately because youhave not given them an incentive to do so.Let's face it, we all have busy lives and other responsibilities and often we forgetsomething that interests us or we say, "oh yes that will still be available next week,next month or even next year, there is no need to act today!" These are the customersyou will most likely lose, therefore, you must do something to change that. When youdo you will see an increase in sales that you would not have imagined was possible.What is the change you should implement in order to experience this growth? Timesensitive offers.Have you ever witnessed a one day sale at a major department store and noticed thecrowds it attracted? This type of event demonstrates the power of the time sensitiveoffer. The people who plan these sales know exactly what they are doing. They draw inthe crowds with a one time offer and then they close the deal. This is what yourwebsite should emulate. This will bring in much more sales than those offers that donot impose a time deadline. Following is an example of how you could implement thison your website.On your website you sell three things: a book on baseball for $39.95; a report onsimilar subject matter for $19.95 and a set of videos for $99.95. Make a special offerthat for 72 hours only, (give a deadline and stick to it) if people order the videopackage, you will throw in either the book, the report or both. You will see your salesincrease dramatically with this approach.Here is how it could be done even better:Offer this deal: let your prospects know that this offer is available to them only if theycollect a coupon and present it at the time of sale. This is not a printed coupon likeyou would find in a supermarket, rather it is an electronic coupon that prospects mustenter their names and email addresses in order to claim. If they don't orderimmediately, don't fret, you can then use their email address to send them follow-upreminders until the 72 hour period has expired or they ask you to stop (I alwaysadvocate smart opt-in email, never unsolicited email). This is the correct way to use a time sensitive offer. Put together a package, set adeadline, offer an electronic coupon and follow-up until the deadline.However, as I mentioned earlier, some people have always used the time sensitiveoffer as a marketing ploy. They use a deadline that always changes, or you'llsometimes find that the same offer is available 2 or 3 days after it was supposed toexpire. These practices are highly unethical and will cause you to lose sales, not tomention your credibility.But remember, if you use time sensitive offers appropriately, you will see your salesshoot through the roof. Article Tags: Time Sensitive Offers, Time Sensitive, Sensitive Offers Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com