After yesterday’s rather unsettling post, here’s a funny (true) story from my years in a mountain hermitage in Southern California…
A homeless man came to the monastery kitchen seeking food. An older monk greeted him and said, “Sure thing. Lunch is at 12:30. You got an hour. Here’s a broom, you could sweep the porch and the walkways.”
The beggar stared at the monk. “Are you kidding? I’m not THAT hungry!”
Remember this story next time prospects say they can’t afford your health products. Just change “hungry” to “sick.” If they really want what you offer, $17 or $47 isn’t much to ask.
Now, sometimes even $17 is a lot. Maybe, in all honesty, they can’t afford it. I think this is a rare case, but let’s go with it…
In such circumstances you could offer an exchange. When I use to coach doctors on marketing their clinics, I’d advise they trade their consults (or adjustments) for cleaning and office tasks. Before we were married, for example, my wife used to do odd chores and bookkeeping for her naturopath. She exchanged reflexology treatment with her chiropractor.
In the case of an online situation, they can get an affiliate link to your product. They can earn commissions by promoting your products via forums, article directories and blogs. They could easily end up earning more than your program is worth.
P.S. Let me know if you’ve tried this or think it’s practical.
Topics: Customer Service |
May 13th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I have mixed feelings on this issue.
On the one hand, I haven’t tried this but would say that if somebody actually took the time to contact me directly (not just a blog post) to say that they really wanted the program and couldn’t afford it, I would find a way to get it to them at no cost.
Maybe I would ask for a candid/critical review and testimonial, or suggest they promote it via an affiliate link (depends on practicality) like you suggested.
Exchange of services would be possible depending on their area of expertise.
However, given the fact that I truly am focusing on helping people — I would find a way to get it to the person if he/she was passionate enough.
Therein lies the key - how passionate are they?
On the other hand, I think the issue is primarily one of perceived value. If the product is perceived as being a true value for the price charged, then the price becomes irrelevant.
So if one person has a price issue, it’s probably that person’s issue. If multiple people have a price issue, then it’s probably my issue due to not having the right offer and price combination.
And sometimes it just takes a change in perceived value. For example, the difference between sending somebody straight to a sales page versus pre-selling them.