I was walking through our local shopping center last summer and noticed that something out of the ordinary seemed to be happening at the Ben & Jerry's store.
Instead of the usual handful of customers inside, a long line of folks of all ages snaked out the door! What the heck was going on?
I asked a woman what the long line was all about
and she answered, "Free ice cream."
Sure enough, on the store's window, a big sign announced "Free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Cones Between 1-4 pm."
Here's what instantly struck me about the scene . . .
The shopping center is in an affluent area. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that any of the people on line could have easily afforded an ice cream cone.
So . . . were these people waiting in line all involved in some kind of mass regressive return to the maternal breast where they could be fed, symbolically, by an indulgent, loving mother? Or were they just a bunch of cheapskates?
Hey. I don't have a clue. But I do know what I saw, and what I saw says that "FREE" still has the ability to get people moving. Or standing in line.
The takeaway message this month? When you're creating an offer for lead generation, don't reject the power of offering somebody something for nothing.
"Free" is one four-letter word you can use ANY time!
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Want me to do some copywriting for you? Need some help with web pages, email, direct mail, whatever? Give me a call and let's talk. My services are not free (see above) but they sure are reasonable. How reasonable? VERY reasonable as I'll prove when we talk.
Let's go to work!
