Exit Traffic Offers... Smart Tactic or Damaging Mistake

[JP Wilson]

I read an interesting article recently that harshly scrutinized the use of downsells on front-end offers to monetize exit traffic. The author and established marketer wasn't necessarily criticizing the attempt to monetize exit traffic, but rather the use of downselling our prospects with the exact same product that we originally offered them but just at a lower price:

For instance, if someone were to review your salespage and then decide to leave, you would have a popup (or virtual sales agent) that would compel the prospect to stay on your page to get a "special discount" on the product. You wouldn't have a downscaled version but the exact same product simply offered at a cheaper price.

Her point was that by doing this, we are training our customers to always expect a better price and to never buy the first time they see our offers. Because so many of us are using this strategy, she argues that it's negatively conditioning our markets, costing us sales, and putting a major dent in our profits in the long run.

My question to you is, do you think that this strategy is a smart tactic that will obviously strengthen your bottom line, or do you think that despite the short-term profits, we are ultimately making a huge and damaging mistake by conditioning our prospects to always expect a "better deal"?

[Loren Woirhaye]

It can work well, but if the product is the same, just the
lower price it can alienate prospects. Nobody likes to
know you were gonna stick him for full price but if he
started to walk you would cave-in and sell the same for
cheaper.

Just bad business - makes your website look like it's run
by a shyster and diminishes the whole industry. Sends
a clear signal too "I am desperate for a sale!" which is
bad positioning for your business and product, undermining
perceived quality.

Offer a downsell, sure, but offer less value when you drop
the price: omit bonuses, etc.

[Alan Petersen]

I agree. When it comes to Internet marketing products especially those on ClickBank if I'm interested I'll never buy the front end, I'll first close down my browser and sure enough...most of the time there is that annoying popup virtual agent offering me a discount of anywhere from $10 off on up to 50% off.

It makes me wonder when I hear about how they save sales those stats must be skewed since many folks are using it for the discount. I don't use it myself so I can't say but I feel like the front end price is the "sucker" price and the exit traffic offer is the real price.

[JP Wilson]

Yup Loren, that's exactly the point she made in the report. Downselling with the EXACT same product package, only at a lower price point, is decreasing the value of your offer and damaging your overall credibility.

And Alan, your inclination to attempt to exit the salespages of clickbank products that you're interested in buying, fully expecting to receive a better offer, somewhat proves her point that the market is being negatively conditioned. I don't believe you're alone in doing this either.

But so many of us use the strategy of the exit popup "downsell" effectively, that I wonder if it's really as bad as it seems. Or have people simply not caught on to the long-term negative effects of it yet...?

[jasonl70]

that's good food for thought...

I'm in the process of putting together a few products for a sales funnel, and I think what I'll try is dropping the bonuses on the exit pop.

[Alan Petersen]

Originally Posted by jasonl70

that's good food for thought...

I'm in the process of putting together a few products for a sales funnel, and I think what I'll try is dropping the bonuses on the exit pop.

That's a good idea. Adding value without dropping the price.

[JP Wilson]

I personally think that using an Exit Popup is a good idea. In fact, I currently use Ultimate Exit Popup myself. However, I think that giving the same product or a better version of it (accompanied with extra bonuses and the like) at a reduced price is the controversial issue that some marketers have a problem with.

If you offer a different, perhaps downscaled version of the product, I don't think there's anything to argue with at all. In fact, it's quite a smart strategy as far as I'm concerned.

[Intrepreneur]

I like the exitsplash its so far enticed me to buy stuff I didn't want.

For my upcoming product I will use it to drop in an ebook only offer without the videos.

So I think they are still good.