I clicked the link in the email. Within the first 10 seconds, I knew I’m not gonna like the product and buy it. There was slight disgust, I’ll tell you that, and it grew as I went down the sales page.
So some time ago, I told you about a particular information product I bought. I knew it was a bad idea, but in the long run, I believed I would grow because of it. Recently, I received an email with a marketing offer. Just so you know, I sign up for a few of these marketing newsletters or email lists to sort of know what “the dark side” is doing. And so you don’t have to.
Anyway, this is the website: listeruption.com (I’m not going to link to it, but you’re welcome to check it out for educational purposes).
DISCLAIMER: This is for educational purposes. The information on that page may change and I’m not responsible for it nor what might happen if you go there.
The basic premise in online businesses is to have an email list, because that’s your (potential) customer list. One of the hardest parts is to get people to sign up. The product at the above website basically increases your signup rate.
The product is a WordPress plugin. It is basically software! It’s PHP code, most probably (I don’t know exactly because I didn’t buy it) with images and CSS files. You’re a programmer, so you can most certainly package your work into something for sale.
My first gripe is that it (or the owners) treats people as simply numbers. Only the number of signups matter. “257% increase in signups!” I want an increase in signups too, but only because people find my work valuable. If you watch the short introductory video, you’ll understand the increase in signups come from incentivising people who’ve already signed up to ask other people to sign up. It just feels like a multi-level marketing thing to me…
On the sales page, note the big red text and highlighted text. They work to attract attention of most people. But you’re not “most people”. I’m showing it to you so you understand the purpose of its existence. And maybe to desensitise yourself from unduly swayed into impulse purchases.
The owners also mentioned they spent over $20,000 in programming costs to create this plugin. Then they’re selling it to you at an introductory price of $47 for single license or $97 for unlimited license. The idea is to highlight the cost of production and downplay the price to you. My initial assessment of the difficulties will probably be:
- Integrating with the 5 email list providers
- Creating the multi-level incentivising system
- Creating unique referral IDs
- Integrating with Twitter and Facebook
As you go down the sales page, note the $997 worth of bonuses. While I don’t doubt the price number, its main purpose is to entice you to buy. You’re not supposed to think about what the main product will do for you. You’re gently guided to think about the $997 worth of information that you would miss out if you don’t buy. Be aware of the difference.
And finally, try closing the browser. You will find that there’s a popup box asking you if you really want to leave the page (my guess is Javascript). It’s like a last ditch attempt at keeping you there.
I bring that up because sometimes you get an offer you otherwise won’t find. It’s typically a downsell, meaning they offer a smaller/limited version with a discounted price to you. It’s better to make $27 if they can’t make $37, right?
So if you’re really interested in a product you find somewhere online, try leaving the page first. Maybe there’s an offer that you’re perfectly happy with anyway, and you pay less.
A parting question for thought: Who do you think is the target audience for that product?
I write about maths, programming, entrepreneurship and business stuff. I also make videos.
