The “specials” are everywhere: “buy one, get one free” . . . “order Online for a 10% discount” . . . “two dinners for $20” . . . a fast-food burger for a buck . . . and these heretofore-unheard-of offers also are nearly as ubiquitous in the business-to-business world.
Are these vendors desperate? Surely, some may be, but to dismiss these offers merely as acts of desperation would be to miss the point. Certainly people are hurting – on both sides of the selling cycle. And, as a defense, consumers are stashing their dough rather than spreading it around. This is demonstrated by the fact that the savings rate is the only “upside” to the economy.
For consumers to make purchases, there must be a good reason. And, there you have it, the clue imbedded in the messages being sent through all these specials. Let me repeat it: There must be a good reason for a purchase. And that is “the message” in the specials.
Have you got the message?
Now, more than ever, you must cloak your offers in a reason to buy. And you mustn’t be too subtle. Rather, you must be more explicit than implicit. Not as cute. Not as clever. Just to the point.
It’s simply a matter of stating:
· What you have to offer
· What it will do
· How it will help
· How to get it
This, of course, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it artfully, attractively and persuasively, plying, as it were, all of the marketer’s arts. But do it simply and clearly, with a message based on – here it is again – a reason to buy.
Now, to a degree as never before, the suicide pill is to do nothing at all. Look around you. Are your competitors drifting? If so, you’re lucky, because they soon will disappear. But, if, in response, you join the drift, you may be lucky, but you’re not smart.
In this age of must marketing, the smart act while others drift.
