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Buy My Book for $27 and I'll Give You Bonuses Worth a Gazillion Dollars!
......How to bundle
Copyright 2004 Heidi Perry
Subhead
....How to
bundle for valuable results without devaluing your product
I
almost clicked. Really, I did.
The ad copy was compelling, the content
focused. This was
exactly what I was looking for. Yes, I was convinced I
had
found just the eBook I needed to add to my e-library.
Credit card
in hand, my mouse cursor hovered over the
"order now" button ready to click.
The excitement mounted.
I had to have it.
Then it happened...a
doubt...a discordant second thought that caused me to view the irresistible
offer in an entirely different light - so much so that I put away
my credit card and clicked the "back" button on my
browser instead.
Sale aborted.
What the devil could possibly
have persuaded me to turn my
cheek the other way so abruptly?
Was the
cost too high to justify the purchase?
Not at all. In fact, I would have
paid twice that for the information initially presented.
Perhaps there
weren't enough bonuses?
Okay. Now we're getting warmer. However, it's
not what you might think.
The fact is, this guy had me completely sold
until he presented his gazillionth bonus...blah, blah, blah. Yea, this
guy really blew it by offering overkill on his bonuses. By the time I got to
the umpteenth bonus, I was actually doubting the value of his main
product.
By bundling so many bonuses (many of which had been
around
the Net and back hundreds of times) with his eBook, the author
actually succeeded in lowering the perceived value. I began to feel that
perhaps the information was not truly worth the money. I mean, why did he
have to attach so many bonuses, many of which did not even directly apply to
his topic?
Is it possible that bundling bonuses with your offer
can actually do more harm than good?
Yes, absolutely.
Does that
mean that bundling is not good.
No, absolutely not. In fact, I'm a firm
believer in
bundling. You simply need to learn how.
So, what's the
key?
How do you know what kinds of bonuses will actually help tip the
Doubting Thomas over the line and compel him to click the "order now"
button? And how many bonuses will it take?
There's a very simple
2-question "Bundling Test" you can use to know whether you're adding value to
your products or whether you're devaluing them.
Bundling
Test
1) Do your bonuses complement, as if to complete your product?
(you want to do this)
2) Do the kinds and quantity of bonuses overshadow, as
if to cloud or drown out your product? (you don't want to
do this)
Once your bonuses pass the Bundling Test, you simply
work
over your ad copy until it is a fine piece of workmanship.
Now,
that makes sense, doesn't it? Then, why do so many
people insist on raping
the quality of their product by removing the purity of the
offer?
You've got to have firmly in your mind what it is you want
to
sell. Is it your product or is it your bonuses? It should be your product.
Your bonuses should then support the sell of your product. It's as simple as
that. Non of this haphazard throwing in bonuses.
May I offer two
real-life examples I recently encountered?
One made me click away, the other
caused me to click the
"order now" button. And, yes, I did purchase the
product.
I've changed the name of the authors in the examples
to
protect the innocent (or not-so-innocent). For the purpose
of
comparison, in both examples the authors are selling info products on the
topic of e-publishing; nevertheless, what is gleaned from each example
applies to any product for any industry.
Example #1: The Slipshod
Approach
For purposes of anonymity, let's call the owner of the first
info product "Joe."
Nothing wrong with the first part of Joe's ad copy.
It was
convincing and compelling. Where did his offer fall apart?
In his
bonuses.
First of all Joe's bonuses were never mentioned until
the very end...well after the first, second or even third "order now"
button. It was as if they were thrown in as an after-thought, and a not
very-well-thought-out bonus package at that. This positioning brings to mind
the shady used car salesman who tries a last-stitch effort with, "Tell ya
what I'm gonna do." Tacky. No thanks.
Secondly, most of Joe's bonuses
were nothing more than
eBooks that you can find on any free eBook directory.
Oh,
and the hundreds of reports with free reprint rights? Worthless! Can
you see how quickly Joe's offer is losing credibility?
Thirdly, Joe
offered a total of seven bonuses containing 21
eBooks, 650 reports with
reseller rights, a software toolkit, an eBook compilation service, a free
email account, and free subscription to an ezine...all this for Joe's one
measly little eBook and, as Joe stated, "to sweeten the deal." This sweet
deal was rapidly leaving a sour taste in my mouth. What was so wrong with
his eBook that he had to offer so much junk?
Furthermore, none of the
bonuses directly complemented the
topic of his own eBook. Why simply throw
them in? Customers are looking for a nicely-put-together package, not the
slipshod approach.
But, here's the straw that broke the camel's back.
Joe's book was priced at $27. How much would you think his bonuses should
be worth? An additional $10? $30? A doubled $54? Would you believe over
$1,000? Get real! The value of the bonuses was grossly lopsided to the
value of his own info product.
Now, what value do you perceive that
$27 eBook to have?
Most likely, not much value at all by
now.
Unbelievable! Yes, quite frankly it was.
You've heard the
old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." My sentiments
exactly. With so many slipshod bonuses thrown in, it was simply too good
to be true.
In short, it turned my interest to suspicion.
Let's
put example #1's offer to the "Bundling Test." Did Joe's bonuses complete
his product? No. In fact, they took away from it. Did the bonuses drown
out his product? Yes, grossly.
Looks like the first example failed
miserably. Let's go on to the next example.
Example #2: The
Seamless Approach
The owner of the info product in this second case
study presents an excellent example of how bundling and presenting your
bonuses should work. In this actual example, let's call the owner
"Paul."
Paul's new info product was worth $97. With this he bundled
three quality eBooks. Already, he established value in his
offer.
Although I already had two of those eBooks, the way
Paul
seamlessly wove the three bonuses into his product was
intriguing.
He made me feel as though those three eBooks
should not be read as
stand-alones, rather that they were
integral to his own product.
How
did he do this so seamlessly?
First of all, Paul took the time to explain
in detail what each bonus eBook contained. He expounded on how each
eBook
complemented his product, calling the bonuses "the primers"
to his
course. Not only this, he spoke personally about each author of the bonus
eBooks and what they could offer the reader.
There was nothing
presented as an after-thought. The bonuses were an important,
well-thought-out, integral piece of the puzzle.
Let's put Paul's
bonuses to the "Bundling Test." Did his bonuses complement his product?
Yes, in fact, they completed it. Did the bonuses drown out his product? No.
There were three perfectly thought out bonuses, no more. And, their
value to his product was reasonable, giving value to his own
product.
Bingo.
Now, I did not put out money for the cheaper $27
product. I did, however for the more expensive one. Why? Paul's
example
created value, and much of that value was in how the bonuses were presented.
In contrasting the two above you can clearly see why.
And how did Paul
end his ad copy? With these words, of
course, "No $1658.97 worth of useless
bonuses to waste your
time. Just the stuff you need to get
results."
Amen, Paul.
That is what you and I ultimately want,
after all, isn't it? Results?
We online entrepreneurs are generally
very busy people. Our time is limited. We don't have time to read every
book or eBook that comes our way. Give us quality products only that will
give us results.
Folks, there's a fine line between adding value to
your products and devaluing them. Make sure you know which side of the
line your bonuses are on.
Use the "Bundling Test" to help you add value
to your products. If your bonuses pass the test, your readers
will click.
Bundle away...but be sure you bundle for desired
results.
About the Author:
Seasoned entrepreneurs, Dave and
Heidi Perry have developed half a dozen businesses - retail, home-based and
online - and are founders of HomeBusinessOnline.com and PrettyGreat.com.
Known for their unique insights and entertaining, straight-shooter style,
Heidi and Dave are editors of HomeBizBytes. Receive a free issue at
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/nsl.htm?sya-bmbf27
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