Any marketing or advertising piece has at least two really critical parts. The first is a killer headline that immediately grabs the right people by the eyeballs. The second is an offer they can’t refuse. 

Either of these can make or break any promotion. Yet most entrepreneurs aren’t even aware of their powers.  Nor are they using them in a way that really works. Because unless you’ve studied copywriting, you’d be hard-pressed to figure out what makes these effective on your own.

The reality is, if you want to get clients and make tons of sales, you really do have to make people an offer they can’t refuse. The headline gets their attention, but it’s the offer that determines whether or not they’re going to take action.  Because even the most powerful call to action (That part that tells people what to do next, i.e. call, mail, click here, etc.) won’t work unless your offer is pretty darn irresistible.

Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about.  Which one is the better offer?

OFFER A – Sign up for our Free newsletter.

OFFER B – Sign up to receive your Free copy of “The 7 Deadliest
Small Business Marketing Sins…Are You Guilty” and have Bright Ideas
for building your business sent to your inbox each week.

OFFER A – Call 867-5309 for your complementary consultation.

OFFER B – Be one of the first 10 business to call 867-5309 and
receive a no-cost “Smart Business Tax Strategies Review” that shows
you how you can save up to $5,000 on your federal taxes (a $500 value).

OFFER A – Just click on the button below to buy your very own Garden
Mole today.

OFFER B – Try the Garden Mole Free for a full 30 days. If you are thrilled
with the results, keep it and we’ll bill your credit card. If not, just send it
back within 30 days and we won’t charge you a penny.

Anatomy of an offer they can’t refuse

Regardless of what you’re selling and even if you are giving something away—there are 3 things that go into creating a really effective offer. If your offer doesn’t have any one of these, chances are it’s never going to generate the results you want.

1) You have to offer something your client would want, not just
something you think they need (or something that’s easy for you).
Keep in mind, of course, that what people want and what they need are
rarely the same thing.

2) They have to be able to understand, right away, why they would
want it (This is the “What’s In It For Me?” or WIIFM factor us marketers
talk about all the time). If there is no clear benefit, why would they
bother taking the time or spending the money?

That’s why just offering a free consult or a free newsletter isn’t that effective anymore. We’re all far too busy to go for those generic offers. You need to promise something more compelling (see #1).  Besides, these days most people equate free consult to time-wasting sales pitch.

3) It has to offer more value then risk. Part of this is price. But
this is also where bonuses, free reports, cost comparisons, free
trials and money-back guarantees come in. They all reduce the risk
and they’re all part of the offer.

Here’s a classic example of a highly effective offer...

Remember the old Ginsu knives commercials? Those knives seemed like a pretty
pretty good deal all on their own…but wait, there’s more. For one low price you also
get the knife holder, the sharpener, the insta-chopper, and the kitchen sink.

And, as if that wasn’t enough to convince you, they also included a money-back
guarantee. Talk about a lot of value for little risk. If you were in the market for a new
set of knives, how could you resist?

Think about that the next time you get ready to promote a product or service.

©2010 Stacy Karacostas. All Rights Reserved. www.success-stream.com The above article was written by Practical Marketing Expert, Stacy Karacostas.  Get tons of marketing tips and ideas, plus grab a copy  of her info-packed FREE REPORT “The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins…Are You Guilty?” at:  http://www.success-stream.com