Guarantee from a copywrighters point of view

[TheGodfather]

How legal is to put up a guarantee in your sales copy? What i mean by this is: if I guarantee to someone something does the product at any cost provide that guarantee or could I get off by saying that they didn't use it properly.

Please not that I don't want to give a false guarantee, but say you had a 100% full money guarantee no questions asked, kind of guarantee on your copy and the buyer doesn't use the product the way it's intended, does it still qualify for a money-back?

Can i get sued for something like this?

[snowtigress]

Hmm... I'm not a lawyer, but I'll offer my two cents strictly on reasoned opinion. It seems to me if you make a guarantee for your product, then YES, you're legally bound to keep it -- even if the person screws it up themselves. With a 100% guarantee, you're taking a risk that you'll get more buyers that keep their product than the few that ask for their money back. It's a quantity push sales strategy.

If you're not comfortable using a 100% guarantee, then offer another great deal such as a side booklet, free shipping, a gift, etc. You're not bound to only one marketing tool!

[TheGodfather]

Originally Posted by snowtigress

Hmm... I'm not a lawyer, but I'll offer my two cents strictly on reasoned opinion. It seems to me if you make a guarantee for your product, then YES, you're legally bound to keep it -- even if the person screws it up themselves. With a 100% guarantee, you're taking a risk that you'll get more buyers that keep their product than the few that ask for their money back. It's a quantity push sales strategy.

If you're not comfortable using a 100% guarantee, then offer another great deal such as a side booklet, free shipping, a gift, etc. You're not bound to only one marketing tool!

true... I'll try to keep that in mind, and that reminds me... i asked for a refund on a piece of software that I've never received...

[Paul McQuillan]

Well in the IM world no guarantee will kill you. In the IM
world you screwing someone can kill you.

I have bought $800 courses with incredible money back guarantees
and I get to keep a boatload of freebies if I send it back!

I have never returned anything, but I would never have "risked"
$800 without it.

Being that most of these spendy courses all have guarantees tells me
there is not much of an issue.

I sold a $77 eboook with 43 pages that had a 365 day money
back guarantee. I had one person ask for a refund. Allegedly they needed
the cash.

It is very easy to get buyers remorse from a $77 ebook....

[Hugh Thyer]

***I posted an article on my blog some time ago on guarantees. I thought it might be helpful...***

A guarantee is absolutely crucial in any marketing campaign.


Here’s why…


You see, a guarantee is about risk reversal. That is, you take the risk from your prospects shoulders and place it on YOURS.


It means that your potential buyer cannot lose. Either they get the result you promise, or they’re compensated.


So…what have they got to lose by buying your product. Well, nothing really. And that’s why guarantees are so important.


But let me give you the #1 piece of advice for guarantees.



If anybody ever asks for one, you give it to them. Dont argue and dont try to talk them out of it. Dont delay it either. People are always going to ask for refunds. Its part of business. The problem is, complaints and negative publicity can be a disaster for your image. And not only that, complaints to your merchant provider could result in your merchant services being suspended or cancelled all together. And this can make it harder to get facilities again in the future.


But dont forget, the extra sales you’ll make by having one will far outweight the cost of any returns you might have to make.


Now, most countries legally require you to offer money back to purchasers if the product didn’t meet up to expectations.


So if that’s the case, and you have to refund money anyway, then…


…why not turn it into another opportunity to advance the sale?


The most basic type of guarantee is the satisfaction or money-back guarantee. In other words, if you’re not entirely satisfied with XYZ then I’ll refund your investment in its entirety.


But if you push a little harder, there are all sorts of combinations you can try which will grab attention.


For example, Brett McFall’s Ad Camp DVDs (which I sell) guarantees the purchaser that they’ll make 10 times their investment in 12 months…or they get their money back AND they get $200 for their time.


You see, you have to be confident in what you’re selling, otherwise you’re just selling junk. And if you’re confident, you should keep making your guarantee stronger AND STRONGER until you feel scared. Its not until you’re scared that you’ve created a great guarantee.


Let me give you a couple of examples you can use:
“Your pain will be gone, or your appointment is absolutely free” - good for physiotherapists, chiropractors and masseurs


“I will show you how to save money on your home loan, or I will give you $100 for your trouble”


“I’m so confident that this letter is going to show you how to XYZ. So confident, in fact, that I’ve guaranteed it for $20. That’s right. I guarantee you XYZ from reading this letter, or you let me know and I’ll gladly send you $20 straight away, just to say sorry for wasting your time.”


The general rule of thumb is to make a strong PROMISE, and then tell them if they dont achieve what you promised, then tell them what their compensation will be.


For example, here’s a short guarantee I wrote a client in the last couple of days for an internet marketing seminar:


“Here’s my rock solid, no BS guarantee.
In the next 12 months I guarantee you’ll make £50,000 from your online business, just by following the simple rules I give you.



But if at any time you don’t think you’re going to make £50,000, I WANT YOU TO ASK FOR — AND GET — EVERY SINGLE PENNY BACK.



And you keep every single thing I’ve given you, including all the pre-reading material and the DVDs of the event.
“
…and then I go on to explain how the purchaser either wins by having their own high profit internet business, or they win by getting a great education with heaps of bonus materials for nothing.


There’s another great guarantee called the 30 day hold.


Basically you get the buyer’s payment, whether its credit card, cheque or whatever. But you dont cash the cheque or process the credit until 30 days after the buyer receives the product.
So, they’ve got 30 days free use of the product, and they know if they dont get certain results, then let you know, and they will never be charged.


Also, its a mistake to offer too short a timeframe for your buyer to achieve their results. So, I generally recommend 90 days instead of 30 days, because the buyer who only has 30 days is under pressure to check the product out. And if they rush, and they dont get the results they want, then they’ll feel the pressure to get it back to you ASAP. But if they have 90 days, all that pressure disappears.


You know, a really strong guarantee doesnt mean that people will return products if they dont achieve the results you promise. A lot wont even try. Others will blame themselves. Others again will want to hang on to their product because they know it’ll be valuable to them in the future.


So there you have it. Great advice on creating guarantees. If you stick to what I’ve told you here, you’ll get a massive increase in response. Just dont forget. Taking away the risk from your customer is going to make it far more likely they’ll agree to buying.

[rojo]

Yes, as said, you should honor it and of course its a great sales tactic unless your product its low quality. Most people would not ask for a refund even if its low quality (remember the rich jerk craziness?) but still you better not risk it. If the product its of mild quality on a not hyper competitive market, you'll be fine with a 100% guarantee. Really Good products go away with anything.

[Kevin Lam]

If you have a guarantee, you are liable for upholding it. Legally, if the person failed to follow instructions/policies, you're fine but ethically among the Internet, your credibility is trashed. Your best bet is to honor it regardless of whether they failed to follow instructions or not. Of course, it also depends on where you stand in your community.

I mean, if someone talks crap about Frank Kern or Mike Filsaime... well, we've seen it, it's not very believable and the world comes crashing down on the flamer. It's just how it is. You're not there yet, so just stand by your guarantee and honor it.

[TheGodfather]

ok so if i give a 1 year guarantee the chances of someone asking for a return on it would be almost nothing?

plus the product would pay off it self so theoretically people wouldn't ask for a return?

[Kevin Lam]

Yes and no. It all depends on the value of the product and the person who bought the product. People don't usually ask for refunds though unless the product was just WAY off of what was described in the sales letter.

Keep in mind that you tell people what you're going to sell them. Then you give them what you said you were going to sell them. Then you sell them something related to what you just sold him. That will make you money over and over.

[TheGodfather]

ok so i make a guarantee, i deliver what I've told them that I'll deliver, at a reasonable price and I'm good to go (for the most part).

And then I sell them some more products at the back end and make a living out of that?

[Kevin Lam]

Not only that, to make yourself look like an outstanding guy, you go over the top and give them something a little extra as a surprise.

Look at it like this, say you have a package with product 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

They are purchasing product 1, they get a bonus product 2 and 3. When they buy it, they see product 4 as OTO. When they buy they get product 5 as a surprised bonus. People will love you and adore you.

This is only an example. Product 5 doesn't have to cost you anything, just something valuable to the person who bought from you. Something related but worth their time in reading or using. Something that could make their life easier.

[TheGodfather]

sweet, this sounds like a good idea, so basically i can give away some ebooks which state that i have the right to sell them or give them away?

If that's the case then I'm going to be a rich man

[Kevin Lam]

That's the idea, but times have change. Giving away a simple PLR or something that they probably already have isn't going to leave a very good impression. It needs to be unique, memorable something from you and only you.

I.E. Let's say you created a different ebook. You break it down to something really small (like a report) and then you mention that they can get the complete book at xx.com.

If you give them something they already have, it just shows how little it's worth and how little you care.

Again, good luck.

[EmmaJames]

So over-deliver and back up what you say with a guarantee.

Plus, if you have PLR - you'd better rewrite it and make it unique.

Makes Sense...