You’ve probably been in a Starbucks when they hand out free pieces of cakes, or shots of drinks tasters.
Why do they bother?
Doesn’t a massive brand like Starbucks merely have to open its doors to get paid?
For most of its income yes. But even large companies see the tremendous value in having a ‘taster.’
Every two or three hours, each of its cafes gives out about 2–3 full cakes worth of product to its customers.
Most people will tuck into it with a sly smile, pleased with their freebie snag — something they don’t buy, at least immediately.
But a handful — maybe 1 in ten — will experience an emotional hit that is powerful enough to make them want more.
They buy a full slice of that orange and pumpkin cream pie.
They may also buy another coffee to go with it. And they buy a slice of pie every week for the next six months, and beyond. They also tell their friends about how ‘heavenly’ it is.
And so, Starbucks expands in several ways:
- They improve the lives of current customers and become known for their care and generosity. This leads to more people returning and buying their stuff.
- People tell others about how great Starbucks is, expanding their customer base.
- Customers purchase alternative and new products that they may not have otherwise.
Selling anything is much, much easier when you view the sales process as a series of steps that you take your potential buyer through, from grabbing their attention, to giving value and joy, to building trust, and finally landing a sale.
One of the best ways to persuade people to pay for your great products and services is to give them a taste of what it might be like to work with you and experience your knowledge and service.
Just like Starbucks uses tasters, a tiny investment next to the value brought in through repeat buyers, extra profit, and added credibility, you too can create your own version of a Starbucks taster.
What thing could you introduce to your prospects and followers, that is a low investment for you, but enough value to them that gets you noticed?
I don’t know your exact business or offering, but how about these?
- Starting a conversation with someone over email with a simple question or compliment that shows your interest in that person?
- Sending a small gift to an ideal client to thank them for inspiring you.
- Sharing podcast episodes that inform, inspire and entertain
- A booklet of your latest art you send in the post
- Videos that welcome people into your world, and your mind
- A beautiful, $5 booklet you sell on Kindle
- Free digital products like brushes, textures and templates that artists can use immediately
- A free ebook or list to get people clear on the basics of what you know and teach
- Free online workshops or webinars
- A free physical book you send to people who cover the shipping
- Blog posts that inspire and energise
Perhaps these will inspire people to subscribe to your regular newsletters or start an ongoing conversation with you, keeping you continually front-of-mind, developing trust and more of a liking for you.
These are all things that will get the ball in motion for developing those all-important relationships with your prospects.
This will start the process of moving people from strangers to interested ‘leads’, to friends, and finally, to buyers and ongoing fans.
What’s your taster?
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