Up Your Income Next Week: 13 Ways to Have a Sale

Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special promotion in your e-zine. Now, I know right now you're thinking, "I can't have a sale on my products or services. That's sooo cheesy!"

Au contraire, mon frere. It's all how you position it. Here are 13 ideas to consider. Choose one that would work for your business and give it a try.

IMPORTANT: You'll need to put some type of time limit on the offer to encourage folks to buy now and not later. It's also better if you explain to your readers WHY you're having the sale. You're not Wal-Mart and you can't just drop prices whenever you feel like it. Instead, give your prospects a reason. (Even a funny one -- see tip 13!)

1. Close-out sale. Have inventory you want to get rid of? Making room for other products or new versions of products? Then offer the current version at a significant discount.

2. "Scratch and dent" sale. Have any books, tapes, or CDs that were returned to you by customers? Offer them at a hearty discount for people who don't mind if they're a bit worn.

3. Half price sale. Lop 50 percent off all your goods, or select just one.

4. Coupon sale. Allow customers to enter a coupon or promo code to get a discount. (If you have a decent shopping cart program you should be able to set this up in seconds.)

5. Free shipping sale. Offer free shipping for a limited time. Or, upgrade folks to express shipping at no extra cost.

6. "We'll finance it" sale. Offer a payment plan - this works great for higher priced items and programs. (Again, if you have a decent shopping cart program, you should be able to set up timed, automatic billing.)

7. Free 30-day trial. Get their credit card information at the time of order, but don't charge them until the month is up. Another variation is the 30 day trial for $1.

8. Pre-publication sale. Start taking orders before your product is even ready. (Seeing orders come in is also a great incentive for you to finally finish creating that product!)

9. VIP discount. Give a special offer to a certain group. Show your e-zine subscribers, your clients, your speaking audiences, etc. that they're special.

10. Buy one get one free! Yes, this can even work for information products and services. The purchaser can give the extra copy to a colleague as a gift, or two people can split the cost and essentially get your product or service at half price.

11. Special bonus. Give something extra if people purchase before a certain date. (This is a great strategy to up your sales without cutting your prices.)

12. Package discount. Offer a big discount if they order all your products/services or a select combination thereof.

13. Birthday sale. Or any fun occasion... Valentine's day, your anniversary, groundhog day, your dog just had puppies, your kid just lost his first tooth -- have fun with it!

BONUS TIP: Many of these options for coupons, discounts, cutoff dates, etc. can easily be set up with a good shopping cart system. QueenCart.com links you to the one I use and recommend.

Now that you have a reason for your sale, you need to know how to write a promotion that SELLS. My program "E-mail Promotions That Sell" gives you the simple, step-by-step formula. (www.ezinequeen.com/emailpromo.htm)

© 2004 Alexandria K. Brown

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is creator of the award-winning 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine' system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE audio class, visit http://www.EzineQueen.com

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Multicultural Marketing ? Taking Care of Business At Hand

Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is... Read More

Consumer Thinking And Search Marketing

12/20/04According to a recent article by ComScore Networks, about three-quarters... Read More

Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?

One of the things that makes the Internet fun is... Read More

Polishing Your Translation Style - Marketing Your Services

You have read part 1 & 2 of this article... Read More

Marketing Yourself and Your Business to Thriving!

We all watch the commercials on TV. We hear them... Read More

3 Quick Robotic Online and Offline Marketing Strategies to Help You Work Less and Make More Money

What is Marketing? There are many text book answers to... Read More

The Top 10 The Top Ten Signs That Your Marketing Message Needs a Facelift

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is... Read More

Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts

Are you struggling to find a new twist for... Read More

Marketing Success - Marketing Strategy - Brand Identity Guru

Marketing message x Credibility x Visibility = Marketing SuccessThese three... Read More

How to Create a Countdown Marketing Calendar

Just like there are reverse dictionaries, there is a reason... Read More

Promotions for Mobile Detailers

Mobile businesses are quite unique in the way they must... Read More

Twelve Places to Buy a Mailing List

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinThere are two types of lists, determined by... Read More

Get More Clients From Networking - Follow The Rules Of Dating!

If you're a business owner, you probably spend quite a... Read More

Do You Know Where Your Marketing Dollars Are Going?

We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales... Read More

Fail Your Way To Small Business Marketing Success!

Are you willing to fail your way to great marketing... Read More

12 Lessons I Picked Up from Attending Seminars

So you just dropped a tidy sum to attend a... Read More

Reinventing The Wheel

Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - What Your Client Wants

Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts.... Read More

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing: 15 Ways To Grab Attention

If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or... Read More

Creating And Maintaining A Mailing List

Starting to collect proper information to create a... Read More

A Different Perspective On The No-Call List

The other day I received an e-mail from an internet... Read More

Market Research ? How Good is the Data?

"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make... Read More

How to Use Direct Response Post Card Decks as a Valuable Market Research Tool

Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables... Read More

Teaming Up Marketing and Sales

The Pitchers: SalesLet's say you have a new baseball team... Read More

Create a Blueprint for Your Success

Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving,... Read More

The Magic of Using Booklets for Tradeshow Giveaways

Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide... Read More

Hispanic Market Reality and Purchasing Power

How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well... Read More

Plant a Seed and Watch Your Business Grow

Do you have all the business you could possibly want... Read More

Fundraising Letter Envelopes: How To Make Them Irresistible

Readers spend only a few seconds deciding the fate of... Read More

Website Promotion Strategies For Targeted Web Site Traffic

If you're looking to drive more targeted traffic to your... Read More

Database Marketing: Secrets To Skyrocket Your Online Profits Using Database Marketing

What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing... Read More

Why You Buy, Part Two

More of the findings of the recent studies in behavioral... Read More

Do this One Thing and Beat 85% of Your Competition!

Maybe you don't want to work that hard, or maybe... Read More