Products: The 'Believability' Factor

"Products: The 'Believability' Factor"


Subtitle: Why some products cannot be given away successfully (especially behind the word 'FREE')

There are many elements discussed in marketing articles regarding how best to garner sales success for products or services. However, one element I have rarely found discussed, if ever, is the factor of 'believability'. Here is a case in point:

A while back, I discovered a unique angle being marketed to the public regarding a certain product that I was certain would be incredibly successful since the product is one that, virtually, everyone already uses, regardless of their financial status or position in life.

And, with a price range that expands from $0 to as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on your choice and what you can afford, the version being marketed by this company is FREE to the public.

And, I'm not speaking of a product that attempts to please all the people all the time, so to speak, but a product that almost falls into the realm of being a 'vital necessity' for just about everyone, and on a worldwide basis. This product is one that, if it was not what it was, the 'believability' factor would be so incredibly high that virtually everyone would rush out to get one, especially since it will be FREE.

And, I would also lay 10 to 1 odds that you currently own, at least, one of these products right now.

So, what is this product? Is your curiosity up yet?

Well, I'm not going to disclose the product for several reasons, and because my own personal jury is still out with the verdict on it (sorry, no tease intended). But, I will say that if the verdict is returned favorably, there will be no side of earth that you will not learn about it.

So, what is my own reluctance with this particular product?

Well, my answer is found no farther than the title of this article...the 'believability' factor and it being made available for FREE. Not because this particular product isn't as it is presented, but because people are simply not accustomed to being able to obtain this product freely.

And, when (and if) this product is, indeed, released to the general public, even though it already affects most of the people in the world who are already utilizing it, I can guarantee that it will also come with a 'Catch-22' factor for its distributors and sales persons.

People are simply going to have an extremely difficult time believing that it will be available with 'no strings attached'. Many people have been jaded in all kinds of shady deals, both offline and online, with many ending up having spent thousands of dollars with nothing to show for it.

And, even when an offer that is possibly legitimate comes along, it is suspect, to say the least. Perfect examples are the 2-minute-long commercials often seen on the independent stations, i.e., TNT, USA Network whereby the product is being promoted by a 90-mile-per-hour speaking voiceover announcer.

At the end of the commercial, the announcer states that if you call right now (or within the next 15 or 30 minutes), you will not only receive the product at the unheard of low price, but you will also receive a second of the same product absolutely free. In respect to this type of television commercial, this is the point at which my own wheels start to turn, usually wondering about the quality of the product, and if it is as great as the fast talker has presented.

Also, most of these commercials, along with their infomercial counterparts, air in the early mornings, generally, around 2:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m., and on, which also makes other wheels of wonderment turn in my head. I'm wondering:

1. Is the commercial airing in this time slot because this is a "special short-lived promotion" and the company does not wish to be overrun with orders at the low price and risk running out of product while losing on the profit end?

2. Is this a discontinued item that I will not be able to easily obtain parts for if it happens to break?

3. Is the commercial airing in this time slot because the advertiser cannot afford prime time slots?

4. If the product is so great, why does the company give away another complete version of the same product, instead of a lesser-priced item?

5. If there is a P. O. Box, how do I know this isn't a fly-by-night rip-off operation?

See how the 'believability' factor has quietly arisen and crept into play here?

So, aside from the fact that you might have a great product, service or information take a good look at your own marketing, promotion and advertising copy before presenting such to general or specific publics, asking yourself:

1. Are people going to believe this item will do what my copy says that it will?

2. If I place myself in my intended customer's spot, would I believe this?

3. What can I do to make my offer sound more credible, thus, warding off any possible doubt from prospects?

4. Will my price for this product be perceived by prospects as too low (or too high)?

5. Am I easing the emotional pains of prospects by offering a strong and solid guarantee?

By the way, it is generally accepted in the business arena that, the longer the guarantee for your offer, the better overall sales will be, with fewer returns. I suppose that longer guarantees, i.e., 6 months or 1-year, appeal to the prospect who reasons that if the product was not everything as presented, the shorter the guarantee would be in the interest of the advertiser escaping liability a lot sooner.

So, after your great headline has been punched out, the great ad copy as been written and the appropriate media have been selected for your product, service or information, take one last moment to review what you now have before you, completely addressing the 'believability' factor. Now, upon your completion of doing so, would you buy this item from you?

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