OTO's (One-Time Offers) and what you should know...

17 replies
Okay here's my thoughts on OTO's... Not everyone is going to agree with me and that's okay but maybe you should test this for yourself. I have tested it and I got a much better conversion.

Getting a better conversion has to do with were you put the OTO in the process. Everyone will say "Put the OTO immediately after the signup" others will say "Put the OTO after they have confirmed their email address".

What I say is "They are both wrong!"

OTO's are useful and very powerful... if used correctly. Trouble is, in my opinion everyone is using them in the wrong places. (When I say everyone I mean everyone who isn't as well known as Mike Filsaime or Frank Kern)

Here's my school of thought.

1. To get the greatest response to an offer they (your subscribers) must know - like and trust you. That is a given and everyone knows this.

2. When a person subscribes to your list for the first time they DO NOT know, or trust you... They may like you but that's besides the point.

3. Instead of putting a OTO after someone first subscribes to your list that will result in low conversions 9 times out of 10... why not use that valuable space for a quick 4 question survey?

This survey will ask their biggest problem and how they best like to learn (Audio, video, written report, etc...)

This information can be used to bring your list members what they want, solve their specific problem and create a product they will buy and present it the way they like.

Personally I only use OTO's to my existing list, when I release a new product or give them a gift. After they make their purchase or download the gift then I present a OTO... because they already know - like and trust me.

I find my conversions are much better when using OTO's in this manner. Not to mention all the valuable information I gather at the survey when they first subscribe.

Mike Hill
#offers #onetime #oto
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    That's good advice. The popularity of OTO's has led to overuse of them and I would think that has to lead to OTO blindness.

    I recently got a product that had TWO OTO's three times in the purchase/download process. I took a quick look at the first one and wasn't interested but just clicked out of the other without reading them at all.

    It reminded me of McDonald's asking "do you fries with that?" six times.

    kay
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    • Profile picture of the author molsted
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      That's good advice. The popularity of OTO's has led to overuse of them and I would think that has to lead to OTO blindness.

      I recently got a product that had TWO OTO's three times in the purchase/download process. I took a quick look at the first one and wasn't interested but just clicked out of the other without reading them at all.

      It reminded me of McDonald's asking "do you fries with that?" six times.

      kay
      Could it have been a Mike Filsaime product? *LOL*

      Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author ADAMw3
    I have noticed a lot of clickbank products using that process where they OTO you before you even pay. I was also recently checking out a site that had 2 OTO's before I even purchased their first product.

    You want to know what I did... I hit the little red "x" in the top of my browser.

    I still get decent conversions on my one niche product with the OTO right after payment has been made to paypal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny Slater
      If you use Clickbank you really don't have a choice. They require you to present any OTO's, upsells, downsells, or any other type of secondary product offering before the payment process. Their policy is the customer should only pay once.

      Originally Posted by Adam Bshero View Post

      I have noticed a lot of clickbank products using that process where they OTO you before you even pay. I was also recently checking out a site that had 2 OTO's before I even purchased their first product.

      You want to know what I did... I hit the little red "x" in the top of my browser.

      I still get decent conversions on my one niche product with the OTO right after payment has been made to paypal.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
        Originally Posted by Johnny Slater View Post

        If you use Clickbank you really don't have a choice. They require you to present any OTO's, upsells, downsells, or any other type of secondary product offering before the payment process. Their policy is the customer should only pay once.
        Johnny,

        You do have a choice... Don't offer them a OTO until further down in the process for first-time buyers or first-time subscribers...

        When I say further down in the process I mean after the relationship has been established which means a few days, weeks or months... depending on your email autoresponder frequency.

        Too many people get hung up on the single sale instead of implementing a strategic plan and making more money.

        Mike Hill
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      • Profile picture of the author matthewd
        Originally Posted by Johnny Slater View Post

        If you use Clickbank you really don't have a choice. They require you to present any OTO's, upsells, downsells, or any other type of secondary product offering before the payment process. Their policy is the customer should only pay once.
        I use Clickbank and offer an OTO after the initial purchase.

        I simply put my OTO in the form of a video and small blurb on the Thank You page, so if they buy the OTO they are paying twice.
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      • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
        Originally Posted by Johnny Slater View Post

        If you use Clickbank you really don't have a choice. They require you to present any OTO's, upsells, downsells, or any other type of secondary product offering before the payment process. Their policy is the customer should only pay once.
        Is that actually stated somewhere on their site?

        I've seen numerous times where there was a product 1, then product 2 in the same account, just like an OTO, although maybe not coded to technically show only once.
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  • Profile picture of the author Keith Kogane
    I agree - I find that it's best to give give give give THEN ask for something in return. I don't hit the OTO until at least the 5th or so email in the sequence after I've been slapping them with awesome free stuff for a while. It's all about that Cialdini "Influence" stuff - reciprocation, consistency, and commitment.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robert Puddy
      Originally Posted by Keith Kogane View Post

      I agree - I find that it's best to give give give give THEN ask for something in return. I don't hit the OTO until at least the 5th or so email in the sequence after I've been slapping them with awesome free stuff for a while. It's all about that Cialdini "Influence" stuff - reciprocation, consistency, and commitment.

      You obviously did nt read the Cialdini book properly...

      He tells you to ask for something (the sale) right after giving something... the feeling of reciprocation lose their effectiveness with time.

      Robert
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony M.
    Well, unless the survey is used right away to "customize" a sales letter, it makes no sense to have it running permanently if you're going to have a big list.
    Because the first 2,000 people to answer should already give you a pretty good picture.
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    • Profile picture of the author DotComBum
      It's wise to offer your OTO only after the payment page, some may get annoyed by it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
      Originally Posted by Tony M. View Post

      Well, unless the survey is used right away to "customize" a sales letter, it makes no sense to have it running permanently if you're going to have a big list.
      Because the first 2,000 people to answer should already give you a pretty good picture.
      Tony...

      Once you get good data then change the survey questions. It's important to keep the survey going because over time your industry and the people coming into the industry at different points in time over the long term will have shifted focus not to mention new problems will exist.

      use the information to continue to provide content and information your changing list wants...

      Mike Hill
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
      Originally Posted by Tony M. View Post

      Because the first 2,000 people to answer should already give you a pretty good picture.
      To get 2000 to answer you might need to have 10,000 or more visit that page. Hope you aren't assuming everyone will answer the survey, because they won't, even if it's one question.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tony M.
        Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

        To get 2000 to answer you might need to have 10,000 or more visit that page. Hope you aren't assuming everyone will answer the survey, because they won't, even if it's one question.
        Well, ten thousand people is still not that many anyway.
        It just means after you get your first 10,000 subscribers, the survey needs to be changed.

        And then I still have a point.
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      • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
        Originally Posted by Tony M. View Post

        Well, ten thousand people is still not that many anyway.
        It just means after you get your first 10,000 subscribers, the survey needs to be changed.

        And then I still have a point.
        Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

        To get 2000 to answer you might need to have 10,000 or more visit that page. Hope you aren't assuming everyone will answer the survey, because they won't, even if it's one question.
        It took me an ENTIRE YEAR to get 10,000 people to take a survery and 90% came AFTER
        they confirmed their email address.

        Surveys are great and can give you tons of useful data if you ask the right questions.

        Jason
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  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    Hi Mike

    Just recently I stopped using an OTO immediately following the sign-up to test another idea.

    I like your idea. It makes perfect sense to me so I will be incorporating it into my mix.

    thanks

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author milan
    If your free offer is for people to "subscribe to your list"- than you're right. That doesn't sound sexy, doesn't sound like value, and there's nothing they should love your for. But if your free offer is something that is obviously valuable (and especially 'niched enough') that's a very different situation.
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