Do bonuses really work?

At least once a week we get asked about the common

approach to offering bonuses -- has this technique

been overused?

My answer is always the same...

Crappy, freely available, 3rd party bonuses are definitely

overused and have become quite ineffective.

Bonuses that are different, relevant and of high perceived

value will often double or even triple your sales - It has

happened to me.

WHY BONUSES WORK

Since the beginning of time, bonuses have been used by

advertisers to entice users to make a buying decision.

Bottom line is, they do work and here's why..

We make buying decisions based on emotions, you've no

doubt heard that statement before.

However, being rational, thinking and logical humans,

we also must justify our decision to buy we do that by

convincing ourselves there is enough value to justify our

emotional decision.

You read a sales letter, are intrigued by the headline.

Your attention is kept through the first paragraph and

you decide that you want the product or service based on

benefit statements you relate to.

Now, you check the price - and it's somewhat higher than

you anticipated.

Buyer's won't usually give up at this point.

They will actually attempt a value calculation by re-looking

at what they get.

That's where your bonuses can make a big difference - they

either justify the cost and click your order button, or they

are gone forever.

5 EFFECTIVE BONUSES YOU CAN USE

It used to be you could throw just about anything into

your offer and it would increase your response rate.

Not today though, today's customers look closely at the

benefit they will get from their bonuses.

Select the right combination and you can still easily

double or even triple your response rate.

So what can you bundle that will provide value for your

customers WITHOUT taking months to create?

Here are 5 power-packed bonus ideas to increase your

sales:

1. Work Sheet or Checklist.

This is one of our favorites, we've

had terrific feedback using checklists in the past - some of

which could have been sold on their own. If you have a

product that explains a series of steps, processes,

techniques or strategies to your customers, then pulling those

into a checklist can be extremely simple and effective.

Use Microsoft Word's ability to insert a square symbol and a

check mark - you will find both under the "Webdings" symbol

options.

Checklists are also wonderful bonuses to use for tele seminars,

coaching sessions, consulting services, seminars and other

educational opportunities.

2. Short Summary.

You're ebook, audio or video may be 100's

of pages long. Summarize the key points into 3-5 pages and you

will have created a high-value bonus without having to create

additional content.

3. Audio or Video clip.

Use a related audio clip to help

communicate your point, cover a case study or example that

is related to your ebook.

Interviews are a great way to quickly generate high-value

bonuses. A 15-20 minute telephone interview will give you

a 1-2 Meg audio file that can prove very valuable to your

customer base - as long as it is directly related to your

content.

Assume your ebook topic is exotic travel. Find a few

people who have travelled to exotic locations and request

a few minutes of their time to answer some questions over

the phone.

If you need more information on recording telephone

interviews - you can download our complimentary special

report here:

http://www.infoproductcreator.com/freereportdown.html

4. Software

You are selling an eBook on how to make it big in the stock

market. Imagine if you could bundle bonus software that

makes it simpler and quicker to apply your techniques.

Software has a high perceived value.

You can find tons of free or trial software at sites such

as http://www.download.com (Select "Advanced Search" link

in upper right hand corner and select different License

options in drop down list), http://download-soft.com/,

or http://www.50download.com/

Another option is to hire a developer through

http://www.elance.com or http://www.freelance.com to

create a simple software application you can offer as

a bonus.

5. Bundled service

I've had great success bundling relevant services with my

products. For example, if you order "Ultimate Information

Entrepreneur's Success Package" - http://www.infoproductcreator.com

you will not only get an incredible package for creating your

own income-generating infoproducts, but you get a complimentary

20-minute consultation with a top copywriter online.

Makes sense right?

You are creating a product to sell online, you will need to

create a highly effective website.

Think beyond the specific problem/problems you are solving

for your customer. What ELSE will they need solved?

Match that need up with a service professional and you have

a very high-value bonus.

Most service professionals offer some form of gratis trial,

that's what you can offer to your customers.

MAKE YOUR BONUS STAND OUT!

The final point on effectively using bonuses to enhance your

sales is to stand out from the crowd.

What is everyone else doing - offering some crappy, resell

rights, largely useless eBook.

The perceived value of such bonuses are less than zero - meaning

they can HURT your sales more than help them.

Create a high-value bonus, and you will see immediate positive

results on your sales and profits.

sales is to stand out from the crowd.

What is everyone else doing - offering some crappy, resell

rights, largely useless eBook.

The perceived value of such bonuses are less than zero - meaning

they can HURT your sales more than help them.

Create a high-value bonus, and you will see immediate positive

results on your sales and profits.