Sometimes giving a free sample of your work away now, results in more business in the future. The tricky part is recognizing the opportunities worth pursuing with this strategy.
The ice cream shop. Yesterday being a hot Summer afternoon my wife and I stopped by the ice cream shop to end our day. They had a new flavor and it looked good. They gave me a free sample on one of those little spoons. It was delicious and I went with that flavor (in a chocolate dipped waffle cone). Admittedly, I was in line to buy ice cream so it was unlikely I’d leave without making a purchase but nonetheless that free sample was free with no assurance they would sell me more.
I had a deal slipping away. The deal was all but done and finance pulled the plug until next quarter. These things happen. In my experience, however, it dramatically lowers the potential of ultimately closing the business. I worked together with my future client to install a free sample version of our product complete with some of my time. Now, two things happen. First, together we can prove to management the financial return on investment we know exists. Second, we will write a white paper. The white paper will then be presented at future industry events. Everyone wins.
What can you give away? I’m not speaking of blog posts and things like that. Many of us already gladly give these away. Something of more value. I have a friend who does human SEO work and is darn good at it. If business is a tad slow, perhaps she could offer to do a free sample evaluation that demonstrates to the potential client how valuable human SEO is over automated systems. In exchange, the client writes a blog post highlighting the benefits. She could then point to the post as social proof that her assertion is true.
Business is a value exchange. Ultimately, most of your business needs to be the exchange of your goods and services for money. There are, however, other items of value you can ask for in exchange. A blog post by a third party (with the appropriate disclaimer that the service was provided for free) is an excellent selling tool going forward. Depending on the web-site involved the advertising value of the post could be will into the thousands of dollars.
Do you have any value exchange stories to share? Do you think the above approach makes sense?
As a practice I offer a free half hour consultation to prospective clients where we can talk about their project and determine whether or not we'd be a good fit for one another.
So early in the spring I was doing a few workshops related to why businesses would want to be on the web and how you could run your business using all free, open source software. One of the people attending was the marketing director for a local company with roughly 70-80 employees. We spoke briefly after the workshop, I gave him my contact information and all was right in the world.
Fast forward four months. I get an email from this person asking me if they could schedule a meeting. I replied sure I'd be happy to do a free half hour consultation. So, we set a date.
I arrive at the meeting on time and as he and I are talking, the owner of the company walks into the conference room. The marketing director introduces to the boss who then sits down for a few questions of his own.
Well long story short, a half hour free consultation turned into an impromptu four hour meeting that ended with the boss asking me to send him a contract for the project work so we could get the ball rolling.
So by taking the time to listen, explain things, and answer several questions I ended up with a contract worth $2800. Not bad for four hours face-to-face time.
Wow, what a great story. Anytime the decision maker walks in the room and engages with you good things are likely to happen.
The only things we give away are for fund raising purposes, and we have found that to be highly successful. We give out session certificates to preschools for their silent auctions as well as pretty much any other organization that fits within our market. It's a great win for all three parties involved.
“I have a friend who does human SEO work…”
If I am correct in assuming who that friend is, I can tell you that she already uses that technique and it works wonders. The only step now is to make it more of a process to generate that authority through online blog posts of both potential and existing client. This SEO friend of yours needs to careful though because each “human SEO overview” takes time – seeing as there is no automation. If such free samples are advertised, the flood of requests for that free sample would be impossible to meet.
Samples are the low hanging fruit that generates business when potential clients are on the wall. They have to be used wisely and without costing the company too much money or human capital (time).
Thanks for the “is darn good at it” by the way. I'm sure she appreciates it! 😉
Sounds like a perfect example of giving away free samples to get more future work to me Brian.
Interesting points. I'm suggesting that the “free sample” only be free in that dollars don't exchange. I feel it would only be fair for the blogger or site manager in question to agree to a blog post in exchange for the evaluation. my friend, of course would be under no obligation to extend this offer to anyone she did not want to.