Do those Pop-Ups as you try to leave a page really work?

[George Montagu Brown]

Hi guys,

Now, I've noticed that a lot of the sales pages on clickbank have a pop up offering half price discounts when someone tries to leave the page, I was wondering what your experiences are with them and what software you can recommend?

My theory on them is that if you've collected the visitors email it or even if you haven't, it might be counter productive offering it at half price, because they might just close it for now and return at a later date. So surely your going to lose alot of money that way? Or have you found that most buyers either buy on the first visit or not at all?

Any views on that subject would also be very appreciated, thanks

[MikeAmbrosio]

Here's my view...

In this niche, especially these days, you find them everywhere. What I don't like about them is it seems you can't limit them to one visit or one per day, so every time you visit the page you can't leave without a few extra clicks. I find that annoying.

But, do they work?

Your best answer is to test.

I have talked to others who have tried them - some say they work, some say they make no difference.

Outside this niche - that's a good question. Does anyone know how well they work in other niches?

Mike

[Napa]

I think they are so annoying that I'm gone the moment I see a pop up, I pop out and will never return to that website. It is comparable to spam email.

[George Montagu Brown]

Yeah, I'd like to know too since my product is in the dating niche

[jame58rown]

I have never used one but as an end user I hate them, they really annoy me. But I bet they do work for some.

I noticed The Truth about Abs guy uses one. As you go to leave, it appears and offers you a deal for just $4.95, (the balance is probably paid in 30 days)

So i guess if the pop up is like most I see, and are just saying more of the same stuff I have read on the page then they won't work, with me at least, but if they really offer something much better then IMO they may well be worthwhile.

[Michael Mayhew]

Haven't used them myself, but go to Clickbank and click on the Top 10-20 Marketing Top sellers. You'll see 50-75% of them using it. At least last time I checked Model the successful.

[MikeAmbrosio]

Originally Posted by Napa

It is comparable to spam email.

Actually, it's not.

Spam comes to YOUR in box.

You go to THEIR web page.

But I understand your point. They are annoying.

However, whether or not they work was the question. They may not work on you, but obviously, they work to some degree, or no one would use them.

[MikeAmbrosio]

Originally Posted by Michael Mayhew

Haven't used them myself, but go to Clickbank and click on the Top 10-20 Marketing Top sellers. You'll see 50-75% of them using it. At least last time I checked Model the successful.

That's also a good point, but how many do you think put those popups on right after the software was launched (during the frenzy...) and how many do you think are being put on newer products?

I don't know myself - just posing the question.

[write-stuff]

Agree, very annoying.

[Sean A McAlister]

Simply put

They Piss me off.

[cullenpowell]

Call them annoying all you want but the fact is I'm able to effectively salvage around 14% of my info product sales by giving my visitors a "last chance" exit popup offer with a discount of just a few bucks.

[DavidO]

I can't stand them, especially the ones that offer you a last-chance price reduction. You know what that makes me think: So I could have just paid you $97 on the main page but now I can have it for $47???

Doesn't inspire much confidence!

These tactics annoy too many people for the small amount who may be persuaded by them.

An exit survey or "virtual assistant" is another matter. Some of these are useful tools. A virtual assistant can answer questions or get feedback without annoying people, although most will still just move on. If this sounds interesting I recommend Virtual Smart Assistant.

[Dean Dhuli]

Picture this...

You open a website in your browser. It looks interesting and you wanna read it.

But by mistake, your pointer goes near the toolbars or the close button, and the popup jumps up on your screen.

You still want to read the page, so you close the pop up and continue reading. But again the same thing happens. Again and again...

Every time it appears like you're about to leave the website, this pop-up resurfaces.

Now, I don't mind the pop-up appearing one time. That's good marketing. I understand.

What I'm annoyed with is pop-ups appearing again and again and again, even after you've closed them. I don't know what script creates this kind of pop-ups but it's extremely annoying.

Just assume you're using Firefox and want to copy and paste data from one tab on to the other. These pop-ups appear every time you switch behind tabs.

Really annoying!

[Chris_Willow]

Everyone's saying forced continiuity pisses me off, popups piss me off, upsells piss me off, OTO's piss me off and it goes on and on. But still, this stuff works. And it works very well sometimes. You'll have to test if your business is the case.

And you can use some cheap scripts to make it appear only once.
And you can make a javascript popup appear just as someone click the cross, not just moves the pointer.

Chris

[JohnMcCabe]

I think it's a sound idea, if you can execute it without being obnoxious. I'm just not sure if discounts are the way to go...

They are not, in my case at least. Since the initial launch frenzy for one of the scripts, if I find a product I'm interested in, the first thing I do is try to trigger any exit scripts to see just how cheap I can get the product. I can't believe I'm the only one who does this.

From the potential affiliate's angle, if I'm checking out the sales page on something I might want to promote, I look for these things. In one case (I don't recall the exact product), What started as a $67 product with ~$32 net commission was discounted to $17 (~$8 commission, unless they also monkeyed with the cookies).

I think it would be worth testing to use the script - if you use one - to sweeten the offer with something besides discounts. Add an extra bonus. Or a payment plan. I think it was TV Guide that sent me an offer for a four-payment plan on a $12 subscription.

One note on those scripts that have a loud audio that screams "WAIT!!!!" when you try to leave...

If you were leaving a retail store without buying, and the salesperson hollered at you like that when you tried to leave the store, would you really be inclined to listen? Or would you hustle your buns out the door and make your escape from the crazy person?

[williamstarrett]

Mike, you might try setting a date value with a cookie on the visitor's first page view and testing that value to determine (around the popup code) if the popup should display again. Even if the popup code is encrypted, you can place your logic around it server side.

Originally Posted by MikeAmbrosio

Here's my view...

What I don't like about them is it seems you can't limit them to one visit or one per day, so every time you visit the page you can't leave without a few extra clicks. I find that annoying.

Mike

I've not tested them yet but the reason they annoy people is because it interrupts their attention. The reason they would work? Because it interrupts their attention. Amusing how that works.

[MikeAmbrosio]

HI william,

The type of popups I understood we were talking about were the ones with the "Virtual Assistant" - in which case, I don't know if any of those are made with that variable - or they are just not being used. I don't own or use that type of popup software right now...

For the type that appear when you move your mouse pointer up - my software DOES have a feature that allows you to set how often they appear.

Popups are always a hot button issue. I love the "they piss me off" type of comments though. It takes WAY more than that to piss me off. Life's too short

But, yes, they CAN be very annoying when not used properly. In my own testing on CERTAIN sites, popups have increased sales, but I mostly use them to get optins by giving away something of value.

And I agree with your last statement - it IS ammusing how this works.

Mike

Originally Posted by williamstarrett

Mike, you might try setting a date value with a cookie on the visitor's first page view and testing that value to determine (around the popup code) if the popup should display again. Even if the popup code is encrypted, you can place your logic around it server side.



I've not tested them yet but the reason they annoy people is because it interrupts their attention. The reason they would work? Because it interrupts their attention. Amusing how that works.

[macki]

I find them kind of creepy. Seeing one just increases my determination to get away from the page. I don't think I even read them.

[George Montagu Brown]

Originally Posted by 33mikeg

You said you are with clickbank.. Is your product an ebook?

Yeah my product is an E-book

[Josh Anderson]

I have my doubts that they work in the lifetime view of things.

For example you may see an increase in some stats for that instant...

But what about the people who leave and make a note never to come back to your site because it tries to hold them hostage?

My own rule of thumb:

Annoying your clients and visitors and forcing them to stay on a page they decided to leave is not the way to treat people and make a good impression.

If it were.... well you'd see fortune 500 companies doing it.

I bet in the long run it actually decreases return visitors.

[MikeAmbrosio]

Maybe.

That's why testing is so important.

There's no way to know how many of your potential customers will not come back when they leave your page whether or not you have pop ups. But I agree with one thing here...

Using those "save a sale" type pop ups ARE very annoying because they DO keep you from leaving the page.

Regular pop ups though...they don't really bother me at all.

In this niche, people over use them, and we're overly vocal about them - outside this niche I KNOW the response is different based on my own testing.

And Josh, I know you don't totally dislike popups, as you use your video pop up on your site.

How does that convert by the way? I really like it.

Mike

Originally Posted by Josh Anderson

I have my doubts that they work in the lifetime view of things.

For example you may see an increase in some stats for that instant...

But what about the people who leave and make a note never to come back to your site because it tries to hold them hostage?

My own rule of thumb:

Annoying your clients and visitors and forcing them to stay on a page they decided to leave is not the way to treat people and make a good impression.

If it were.... well you'd see fortune 500 companies doing it.

I bet in the long run it actually decreases return visitors.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

I won't use pop-ups. Plus, I won't buy from a site that uses a pop-up, but that's me.

If you need to use anything, consider one of those bottom-of-the-page slide-ups. They get my attention, but they don't piss me off.

[kah22]

A quick question. If you come to my site, see an affiliate link, click on it, take the discount - whoes pocket does the money come out of - mine or the products owner?

Kevin

[Valeriu Popescu]

An interesting post especially I try to launch my IM product pretty soon.

Personally, I don't like ANY kinds of popups as long they repeat each time I refresh a web page.

I found myself asking IF its worth to have a Virtual Sales Agent on my sales letter - its like having a special a ONE TIME discount offer.

Couldn't find yet the best answer but certainly I WILL TEST this and see the response.

As long as you do NOT track the results, you cannot say its a winner or not.

Its all gossip...

Valeriu

[Bob Monie]

Originally Posted by kah22

A quick question. If you come to my site, see an affiliate link, click on it, take the discount - whoes pocket does the money come out of - mine or the products owner?

Kevin

Yours, since you have a choice whether you promote their product or not. It pretty much comes down to you putting up with it or promoting something else.

I admit, iv fallen for the discount on some products and have purchased. I can pretty much say i havent been to a website and made a purchase without having been there and read the sales page a few times over a couple of days. This means im always going to see the discount even if i was willing to pay the full price in the first place. I think they would lose alot of money this way. I think they should program it to appear after the 2 or 3 visit, to suck in the people that are not sure about the purchase.

What i HATE the most are those stupid pop ups that ask you "Are your sure you want to leave?" and then offer me the opportunity to chat to some computer generated help desk.

Obviously if I left the site, im pretty sure i want to leave.

That always makes me jot down a mental note to never go back to that site again.

[PatricKrost]

Great thread.

Was wanting to know if this works or not.

[Josh Anderson]

And Josh, I know you don't totally dislike popups, as you use your video pop up on your site.

Just those ones that don't let you close the page when you are trying to leave. Those I hate. The windows warning type.

[MikeAmbrosio]

Originally Posted by Josh Anderson

Just those ones that don't let you close the page when you are trying to leave. Those I hate. The windows warning type.

Gotcha.

But I was really curious about your transparent videos that you use on your site. Have you tracked conversions, etc.?

I have recently set up an area for shooting video and I am giving thought on using that for a product...

Thanks,
Mike

[Scott Million]

I know that they work on sales letters. I promote Avery Berman's Super Successful Secrets and he has a "wait - you can get the product at this special price" when someone tries to leave.

I know because I see the CUT in my affiliate commission.

However, without it we wouldn't have gotten anything.

IMO - if they're leaving your sales page who cares? Even if you can convert 1 visitor you've won...I wouldn't do this on a forum or blog, though. Just one page sales letters where they buy or leave (no relationship).

Scott

[crumblepie]

It will only work if the advertisement is extremely well targeted. Otherwise 99% of people will, without a thought, shut the window that pops up in front of them.

[Norma Holt]

This is an interesting thread. I have used popups and closing popups and have been wondering about their effectiveness. I don't use them on all my sites. Like many of the comment above I hate the sales pitch and the need to press several buttons to close a page. That is so urksome.

[Scott Lundergan]

Alot of my clients who get great results this way ALL say...

"It ALL depends on the OFFER!"

In other words, consider coming up with something more INNOVATIVE than the operator/instant messenger

[George Montagu Brown]

Thanks for all the opinions guys, just wondering if theres a warrior out there kind enough to share the numbers

And another quick question, what percentage of your visitors buy on their first visit and how many buy after coming back later?

[Internet Stores]

I have also noticed a lot of sales pages have this exit pop up offering half prices.

One piece of software that I highly recommend for exit pop up is Dave Guindon's "Virtual Smart Agent". Here is the link if you want to check it out:

Virtual Smart Agent | Automated Chat Sales Associate for Your Website! | Website Conversion Software

Note: Not an affiliate link

I think that if most people are going to buy the product, they will just buy it the first time. I don't actually think they will bother exiting the webpage just to see if there's a pop up that offers them half off. Although, people are starting to get used to these exit pop ups and slowly starting to investigate the possibility of having exit pop ups. If I want to buy a product, I'll usually try to exit the site to see if there's an exit pop up offering a discount. Also, usually, you start to recognize internet marketers who favor this technique.

As the product owner, they will lose a bit, but the idea is to capture people leaving your page and offer them something in order to have them buy. They might even offer their product at a higher price at first, so that if a visitor takes the exit pop up offer the owner doesn't lose a lot. This is just my idea on this.

Thanks...I hope this helps somewhat!

[Internet Stores]

I have also noticed a lot of sales pages have this exit pop up offering half prices.

One piece of software that I highly recommend for exit pop up is Dave Guindon's "Virtual Smart Agent". Here is the link if you want to check it out:

Virtual Smart Agent | Automated Chat Sales Associate for Your Website! | Website Conversion Software

Note: Not an affiliate link

I think that if most people are going to buy the product, they will just buy it the first time. I don't actually think they will bother exiting the webpage just to see if there's a pop up that offers them half off. Although, people are starting to get used to these exit pop ups and slowly starting to investigate the possibility of having exit pop ups. If I want to buy a product, I'll usually try to exit the site to see if there's an exit pop up offering a discount. Also, usually, you start to recognize internet marketers who favor this technique.

As the product owner, they will lose a bit, but the idea is to capture people leaving your page and offer them something in order to have them buy. They might even offer their product at a higher price at first, so that if a visitor takes the exit pop up offer the owner doesn't lose a lot. This is just my idea on this.

Thanks...I hope this helps somewhat!

[teenmoney]

Well I find them annoying but sometimes I can see them working. If you offer a $10 discount on your product in the pop up they will be more likely to buy it and it will offset the annoyance. That is just my view as a buyer.

[Adam Kenzington]

Usually I'm in a hurry to move on in my browsing, and get ticked off that I have to jump through hoops to leave the site. But, then again, when I'm really interested in the product, and I have bookmarked it to return later, I go to leave and get a "Wait, before you go, I've got a special offer for you"... I look to see if they are offering a discount (which helps in my buying decision).

The rub is, there is this pretty little thing typing messages to me. I'm enchanted. Then she bursts my bubble by telling me "I'm not a real person, I only exist in your dreams, but the offer I'm making you is real...if you don't respond, I'm going away...Alright, I'm leaving now" "WAIT!"

I have to admit, "Sweet Thang" has convinced me 3 separate times to part with my money. So, I guess if you are interested in the product anyway, this cheap stab at titilation works. Hell, I fell for it. That last one was named Cindy. (Oh my, maybe I better stop, now)

Later,

Adam

PS: Sexy Cindy, I'll see you in my dreams, darlin'! I'll be waiting for you. Bring that $10 discount with you.

[tommygadget]

I actually LOVE them. When I visit an IM site, I hover over all the places the prompts should be to see if I can get a discount. When I get a live operator, I type questions in that I cannot share here. Lots of fun and I always pay less, thanks guys.

TomG.

[lpstoops]

My opinion is that they're getting old. I know every new product has been using them, but it seems that with internet marketing, things more quickly. If something is working for a while, then use it, but it seems to run out of effectiveness over time. I'm not verified on this, so don't take my word, but I think it's not going to be as effective now as it was 'then'

[Louis Raven]

I'm selling an eBook for £20.. you're interested because you came to my site but leave because the price is to steep.. I immediately hit you with a popup and order button for only £4..

You= MY CUSTOMER!

Everyone is happy right?

[Scott_Thomas]

I close them immediately. They are annoying, but in certain situations they likely do increase conversion. I believe it's less offensive on a squeeze/opt-in page versus a sales discount situation.

Best thing to do (outside of testing which has already been suggested), is use your own gut. I'm sure you've visited many sites. What is your personal feeling about these pop-ups? If you like them and believe they add value, they use them. If they annoy you, don't use them. What you do and how you do it should always be aligned with your values.

[pjs]

Well, since I own a service (*cough* see signature) that provides these "exit agents" I figured I would pipe up.

Fact is, these exit pop ups do work. They do save sales. They do work in multiple niches.

Are they annoying? I can see how they are. I guess I am immune to the annoyance now and they really don't bother me.

Few things to consider when looking at some of these scripts/services. And this is just from MY testing.

1) "Smart" pop ups convert best. By smart I mean ones that are configured to give responses based on user input. It's triggered by keywords or phrases that you can configure.

2) It can increase sales by as much as 4% (some say 7% but that hasn't been my experience). One thing to note, this usually means there is a discount involved, but it's still a sale. Remember these people only see the pop up when they LEAVE your site. I never discount 50%. Usually just $10-$20.

3) Sure, you and I know that this is a script/service, but a lot of people actually think they are speaking with someone, especially when your "agent" has been fine tuned to common user questions, etc. As a result it can boost their trust in your site/product.

There are many scripts out there but to my knowledge there are only 3 services (SmartJabber, UpsellIt, IntelliChat) that provide the following:

* Multiple SMART agents per campaign (website)
* Conversation logging
* Click & Sale tracking
* Full statistics (which include browser, agent, etc.)
* Tracking of "unanswered" questions. Questions that had no answer configured and instead had to use a "default" response. This lets you add an answer to a question down the road.

Over time, you can put together a campaign that is so fine tuned that is can actually provide a very basic level of customer service for you. The awesome part is it's 24x7 and all automated.

Another thing to consider is the pricing. UpsellIt and IntelliChat is free to setup but they charge per saved sale. So for every sale their exit pop up saves for you, you are charged a fee (anywhere from $3-$10).

SmartJabber is a flat monthly rate of $19.95, no matter how many sales it saves for you.

There are pro's and con's to each of these 3 service. You should look into all of them and decide which one suits you best.

As others have said already, you have to test for your site & niche. But like I said, they do work. I've noticed a few major web hosting companies are now using them.

PS- Sorry if this sounded sort of "pitchy" - that wasn't my intention. Just giving my point of view.

[xlfutur1]

Personally I find them really annoying and don't like them at all. But for someone who has never experienced one before they may work to a degree. For something in the IM niche though, I would think that they would not be worth implementing. We have all seen way to many of those things.

[JohnMcCabe]

@Peter...

I agree that a properly tuned program can seem very lifelike. And programmed to look for reasons a sale was not made, and offering additional information could be an effective sale-saver.

Many sellers think the only reason someone wouldn't buy their product is price, so all they offer is a discount.

The problem is that too many marketers are either too lazy or don't know how to fine-tune the agents' responses. They install the script, leave it at the most rudimentary level, and expect the discount to do the work.

Then the 'smart' agent looks really, really dumb.

Originally Posted by Louis Raven

I'm selling an eBook for £20.. you're interested because you came to my site but leave because the price is to steep.. I immediately hit you with a popup and order button for only £4..

You= MY CUSTOMER!

Everyone is happy right?

Louis, you might have added me to your customer list, but you've also started training me to expect 80% discounts on anything you offer. If you're happy with that, have at it.

If I'm looking for products to promote as an affiliate, I won't even consider something like this. Here's why...

You have an ebook for £20 and you offer 50% commission to affiliates. I do the math, and figure I can make roughly £10 per sale.

I put up a site and start driving PPC traffic to that site, and on to you. If I have to spend £5 to get a sale, I still make £5.

Now you install one of the exit scripts offering the product for £4, making my commission £2. I've just paid £3 for the privilege of selling your product. How many times do you think I'm going to do that before I look for something more profitable to promote?

[John Piteo]

I think they are quickly losing their effectiveness in the Internet marketing niche, but for other niches they may work for a long time.

After thinking about my own behavior I realized I now read the headline of an IM sales letter and if I'm interested I check for exit pops. Often I click the exit link then I figure well I'm already off the page so I just move on without ever reading the sales page.

John P

[A1Guru]

If they didn't work, you wouldn't see a large amount of the top sites using them. I will say, they are everywhere, I hate them, I never read them, and I immediately close them. They are probably good for catching people that are highly interested and newbies. THEY WORK

[pjs]

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

@Peter...

I agree that a properly tuned program can seem very lifelike. And programmed to look for reasons a sale was not made, and offering additional information could be an effective sale-saver.

Many sellers think the only reason someone wouldn't buy their product is price, so all they offer is a discount.

The problem is that too many marketers are either too lazy or don't know how to fine-tune the agents' responses. They install the script, leave it at the most rudimentary level, and expect the discount to do the work.

Then the 'smart' agent looks really, really dumb.

Exactly. The effectiveness of the "agent" is totally up to the marketer. It's another tool to test, twist and track.

[DarenK]

Some say they work.
But man are they annoying. Especially the ones with the "live operator" you have to click three times to get out of.
If they didn't work though I dont think youd see them.

[Jeff Henshaw]

I have not read all of this thread, so if this has already been posted (and I suspect that it has), just ignore me - everyone else does

If I am on a page that promotes a product or service that interests me, I always hit the back or close button before I purchase, just to make sure that there is not a discount (sometimes substantial) available. One never knows if there is a discount lurking somewhere, unless one tries to find it. More and more, these days there will be one available.

Regards,
Jeff Henshaw.

[net-biz]

I think it depends on the niche/industry your in... and the "Big Boyz" would definitely not be using them if it wasn't profitable, and yet, a lot of them are. But I agree they can be very annoying!