Robert Cialdini, in his book "The Power of Persuasion," speaks of the Law of Scarcity as one of the most powerful principles of getting people to buy that you can use. Quite simply, if people think that there is a limited number of something, they want it that much more. How many times have you heard on the late night infomercials, "call now, this is a limited time offer?"
Is it really? Of course not! These ads have probably been running since we were all kids, and I’ll bet if you waited three months to call, they’d give you the same deal they are offering tonight. But it’s the perception that you’re going to miss out on something big that makes you want to buy NOW.
Pay special attention to that word perception, because we will be using it a lot in the articles to come. Marketing in general, and Visibility Marketing especially, makes use of perception and the manipulation of perception. By the way, if you have trouble with the word "manipulation," you’re in the wrong business. Marketing, promotion, whatever you want to call it, is all about manipulation, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Your job is to let people know you exist, that’s Visibility. Nothing wrong with that.
Now, back to Scarcity. You have a product or service. You need to let the prospect know that there is a very limited quantity of what you are offering, whether it’s a special offer or limited time discount. This offer is only good through July 31, There are only 6 more copies of this e-book (!) available, that sort of thing. They will be beating down your door with money in their fists.
But what if you do have more copies? That’s OK, you’re reserving those for a future "gold package" offer.
Your assignment for this week: Figure out what you can offer for a limited time or a limited quantity. And do it!
Get Known!
Rob Wallis is founder of The Wallis Group, a business and marketing consulting firm located in California.
With over 20 years experience in marketing, humanity, and what works, The Wallis Group helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their marketing and customer service processes.
Contact Rob at www.thewallisgroup.com
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