Thursday 21 July 2016

Chip Ervin - Using Free Gifts to Increase Your Sales

Chip Ervin has been playing poker professionally since 2007. He is one of Alabama’s top poker players. He is also an insurance broker and a DJ. This vast experience gives him unique insights into the psychology of sales and human interactions.

Every sane, reasonable person knows that there is no such thing as a free lunch. However, we are all hoping for it and looking for it. This is why you want to use free gifts, or premiums in your selling.

A premium is something the customer gets for free when buying something else. A premium can be everything and anything. Some expensive homes even come with a Rolls Royce that a buyer gets as a free gift.
Chip Ervin
You want to choose a premium that is different from what you sell. Simply giving away products or services similar to yours devaluates your core business.

The best premiums are premiums that people want for themselves, but usually wouldn’t buy.

There can be plenty of reasons why someone may be able to afford an item, but never buy it. It may be that they will feel guilty about the purchase or others seeing them making the purchase. It may be that their household members wouldn’t approve of the purchase.

Figuring out what your prospects want and then giving it away free as a free gift with a purchase can be a very powerful strategy. In this scenario you will have prospects buying from you not just for your core offer, but also because you are fundamentally giving them a way out by using your gift without feeling guilty about it.

As a DJ, Chip Ervin witnessed nightclubs use this strategy very effectively when selling expensive tables and packages to affluent customers.