Karma and The Law of Reciprocation

Written by Kris Mills


Adding value. Karma. Give and you shall receive. No matter what you call it, it works ... and works big time.

It all comes back torepparttar fact that most people are generous by nature. If you give a no-obligation gift or do a good turn for someone, more often than not, they'll feel compelled to repay you in kind.

This element of human nature can be effectively utilised in marketing.

For instance, you will experience far better results if you offer information obligation-free, as a starting point, instead of trying to sell something from a standing start.

Give them a taste of what you can do for them. Offer them a free eBook. A FREE trial. Let them experiencerepparttar 121473 product in action in an obligation-free way.

THEN - once they've tastedrepparttar 121474 product, then ask them to buy.

The key is to provide a gesture that has no strings attached.

Here's an interesting story that offers a good example ofrepparttar 121475 law of reciprocation.

A property management client of mine was about to implement some exciting new changes in their systems and loyalty programs. Before they got stuck into those changes they wanted to know what their clients wanted.

We knew that by sending a conventional feedback form, we'd receive pretty dismal response because people are basically lazy. And we knew that if we made clients an offer for returningrepparttar 121476 form, their responses would improve significantly.

But instead of doing that, they went one step further. They sent a FREE gift in advance. We sent a feedback/survey form and attached a letter to it which thanked them for being a client and asked for their feedback. In it, we includedrepparttar 121477 following passage:

Success Stories - 12 Doers Share Their Secrets. Interview #12: Andy Frain

Written by Martin Avis


The final interview in this series is with an English marketer byrepparttar name of Andy Frain. Andy is a 40-year old ex-teacher who lives in Shropshire, deep inrepparttar 121472 heart of rural England.

Although he doesn't seek outrepparttar 121473 company of his ex teaching colleagues, he says, "Old colleagues I now occasionally meet are envious. I wish I could have a pound for every one of them that says,'if only I hadrepparttar 121474 guts!'"

Doesn't that sum up this Internet lifestyle? 'If only I hadrepparttar 121475 guts.' Well,repparttar 121476 twelve people that we have talked with in this series have all hadrepparttar 121477 guts. And now they are all reapingrepparttar 121478 rewards.

BizE-zine: What pushed you to give up teaching - and what did you move on to?

AF: I started working life as a Physical Education and History teacher in a very tough Senior School in Birmingham. After injuring my back fairly severely I hadrepparttar 121479 opportunity to do a Masters Degree (inrepparttar 121480 Philosophy of Education of all things.)

My brief spell in academia was enjoyable, but when I went back to teaching for a year, I decided it wasn't for me. It wasn'trepparttar 121481 kids. I loved them no matter how tough they were. It wasrepparttar 121482 politics andrepparttar 121483 eternal BS. I'm sure I maderepparttar 121484 right decision because I believerepparttar 121485 situation is even worse now.

So I tookrepparttar 121486 best decision I ever made and moved part- time into direct sales. I started selling to individuals in their homes and progressed to Area Manager within three months - earning three times my teaching salary. Within two years, I was Sales Director responsible for Corporate Accounts. I suppose I am one of those people with a natural ability for sales.

BizE-zine: Do you ever miss teaching?

AF: No! I think after you have been inrepparttar 121487 real world of business for a while, you see teachers as being petty. They do a very important job, but boy do they make it more difficult than it needs to be. In any case, my soon to be ex-wife is a Head teacher - so I have had my fill of teachers!

I do run a junior football team and scout for Birmingham FC's academy in my (spare?) time, which means I still fulfill that desire to help kids

BizE-zine: How did you move from sales torepparttar 121488 Internet?

AF: In 1998/9 my business was bought out. After a period of contemplation, a friend made me an invitation and I wound up selling web sites. I knew nothing! Not one end of a PC fromrepparttar 121489 other. (Some say I still don't). But I could sell and it was a 'flops' period in Internet development because of allrepparttar 121490 hype. 'Flops' are people with their check books out before you get there. A fair percentage of people WANTED a web site because ofrepparttar 121491 hype. It was very easy at first for an accomplished salesman in this environment.

So, I took selling web sites into my own business.

BizE-zine: What happened next?

AF: Web sites became very tough to sell afterrepparttar 121492 dot- bombs hit in 2000. The environment totally changed afterrepparttar 121493 initial rush. Sales resistance ruled. This was further strengthened as business people started to realize that web sites were notrepparttar 121494 panacea for business that allrepparttar 121495 hype promised. Of course,repparttar 121496 fact thatrepparttar 121497 average businessperson was being contacted several times a day by wannabe's and professionals alike offering to 'build a site' just made it harder.

My solution to this was to write an ebook/course, which launched in September 2000. It was called 'How to Sell Web Sites Like Wildfire' and directly addressedrepparttar 121498 sales resistance problem that was cutting web designers income.

BizE-zine: Looking back, do you know of any ofrepparttar 121499 people or businesses who you sold sites to inrepparttar 121500 heyday, that actually made successful web businesses with them?

AF: Well I am bound by a confidentiality agreement (I sold my web design business), but there are two that I am very proud of. Both of them have offline promotions that drive traffic to their sites. They do VERY well.

BizE-zine: Was your book an immediate success?

AF: The book has an asking price of $97. Inrepparttar 121501 latter part of 2000, it accounted for 90% of my income. The same was true forrepparttar 121502 first few months of 2001 as I took on several joint ventures. Eventually, sales started to plateau but by then I was getting offers for other opportunities.

Sales still roll in forrepparttar 121503 book almost daily. But it'srepparttar 121504 on and offline spin offs that came from writingrepparttar 121505 book that account for income today so actual numbers sold are only a small part ofrepparttar 121506 equation.

I now consult for a large web designer on new business sales. Also, I get frequent requests to write copy for sites and offline campaigns on a profit share basis. I also have web site 'projects' where I consult offline businesses on how to getrepparttar 121507 best out of their web sites.

BizE-zine: So you started making a profit online fromrepparttar 121508 very start?

AF: That'srepparttar 121509 beauty of an info product - it is almost instant. Apart fromrepparttar 121510 length of time it takes you to write a comprehensive, quality, 250-page ebook!

But it'srepparttar 121511 best thing I ever did because ofrepparttar 121512 doors it has opened for me, andrepparttar 121513 contacts that I have made all overrepparttar 121514 world.

It took me well over two months to write. But it is a comparatively high priced ebook/course with a great deal of content.

Selling an ebook at $97 that still brings in regular income nearly 2 years later has proved a good model for me onrepparttar 121515 topic of my expertise.

BizE-zine: Can you suggest some basic pointers for people who are setting up their own web businesses? What must they do, and what should they avoid?

AF: Concentrate on copy, NOT design. By farrepparttar 121516 most useful skill you can have is mastering direct, emotional-response copywriting. In other words, being able to get into people's heads and make them WANT your offering. I am getting better at it. Seriously. But it has taken a while.

I have recently compiled emails to cold personalized prospects that have achieved a massive 20% response. And, as Martin knows, a recent offer of mine received an astonishing *80%* response rate!

Quality of copy isrepparttar 121517 key to success. Definitely.

If you can't write, cut a deal with someone who can. You have to be able to MOVE people. Beg, steal, borrow or barter with a good copywriter because without emotionally directing prospects you will sell diddlysquat! (That's colloquial English for not very much.)

If you haverepparttar 121518 right product or service and want me to look at it drop me a line. If it's exceptional I will consider a profit share with no up-front fee. You'll never know unless you ask!

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