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Is 'moving the free line' still a popular strategy?

by fated82
14 replies
Recently I've met 2 gurus.

On one hand, one give everything for free. Coaching, consulting, talks...everything. The goal is to build a rep as a biz consultant.

He believes that the more you give away, the easier it's to get clients. (I call this the 'numbers game' effect)

On the other hand, the other guru does'nt believe in giving his best secrets for free. He will charge a small amount for everything, but rarely give it for free.

He believes that by giving things away for free, you are actually nurturing freeloaders. And that's precisely what he doesn't want.

He rather have a smaller group of committed people than a truckload filled with freeloaders.

So, which strategy do you think is the better approach?
#free #line #moving #popular #strategy
  • Profile picture of the author PathofLeastResistance
    Who is more successful? wait scratch that - who makes more money?
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  • Profile picture of the author John J M
    I'd be more on the side of the 2nd, but both have a point and both approaches can work.

    At the end of the day, I think the 2nd approach will usually mean more money and less work - dealing with people who are committed/serious.
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  • Profile picture of the author fated82
    I too believe that you shouldn't give your secrets away for free.

    On top of nurturing freeloaders, there is also the question of positioning.

    If you give things away for free, you are undermining the quality of your products and no one will take you seriously.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Both work.

    There's nothing wrong with giving away free lead magnets just to get people interested in your stuff and from there you can nurture them, prove your credibility and authority and have them buy from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author alanborcic
    I agree with 2nd one, to charge minimal fee to get rid of tire kickers. Some people are only interested in free stuff, and they will never ever buy anything. It's better to have list of 1,000 paying customers then list of 100,000 freebie seekers.
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by alanborcic View Post

      I agree with 2nd one, to charge minimal fee to get rid of tire kickers. Some people are only interested in free stuff, and they will never ever buy anything. It's better to have list of 1,000 paying customers then list of 100,000 freebie seekers.
      I don't agree.

      Some people who buy will only be comfortable buying after they have seen some of your free stuff. Not all freebie seekers stay freebie seekers. It's up to you to prove your authority and credibility to them and turn them into buyers. Yes, buyers are worth more than freebie seekers but many buyers can be people who come into your funnel through free lead magnets.
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  • Profile picture of the author Maikel Michiels
    I tend to go with the first group.

    I personally share a lot of value on my blog, things that people can put to use and benefit from right away. It's building trust credibility and a following (if you do it right).

    How much I like helping others and giving stuff away for free, I would think twice before giving away everything, then probably do so anyway.

    On the other hand I want to make money myself, which means selling stuff. What I would do is to monetize the required tools and/or have a product that's a complete powerhouse. The type that goes into way more detail, offers some more efficient ways of doing it (compared to the free training) and tie everything together.

    That's how I'd go about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author HelpingYouBeAnExpert
    I heard an advertisement once called "End of America" very controversial from Agora's division Stansbery. I never heard of them before that day, when I saw the presentation and it sold a newsletter which I signed up for, here's the thing I noticed the way you get on the list and the only way is to buy the $47 newsletter there is no squeeze page or exit pop to capture the email.

    Now once on the list I got daily email selling stuff that was cheap or even super expensive like 10 or more thousand,they sold in the mail as well but via email it was daily. Some of the best VSL's every and best long form copy ever.

    But no free anything I could not find a free list got to pay to get on the list and when you did they had incredible copywriters.

    By the way, that division sold millions of the $47 newsletter!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    The guy who charges for his services is more straight forward and up front. The other one who claims to be giving away everything for free must have some hidden charges later up the pipe line.

    Besides, most people don't value free stuff as apposed to material they pay for.
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  • Profile picture of the author drlelong
    One strategy that works well is giving away the same thing over and over for free in webinars / presentations.

    You keep providing value because people don't get something the first time they see/hear it.

    And then, hit them up with an offer for more - something faster, some software, something DFY, etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author RDInfo
      My view :

      If i provide everything for free, nobody will pay me for my works, i will have "thanks" and increase the risk to have complainers if i try to sell something in the future, so not for me.

      but...
      If i ask for money without demonstrating that my product or service will be able to help the concerned interested individual achieves what he wants, he won't buy.

      If i provide some informations, illustrations, audios, videos, for free, enough to demonstrate that i have a good understanding and plenty of experience and skills about a subject and how to solve the problem(s)/challenge(s), and at the same time i only provide a step by step approach of how to solve the problem(s)/overcome the challenge(s) in exchange of a fair amount of money, the concerned interested individual will buy.

      What matters is not only the solution you have but also how you position yourself and your product/service. If you have the most efficient and accessible solution in the world but doesn't know how to position yourself properly, you will be perceived as a clown and you will not earn money for your work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Winlin
    I don't believe we can say one is better than the other and that each may have to be looked at based on individual situations.

    If on one hand you are just starting out in your business, you may have to offer "freebies" as a way of paying it forward and building relationships, with the hopes of turning them into customers.

    If on the other hand you are established and/or have an effective marketing program, you may be able to get by charging for every square of toilet paper.

    It's a matter of where your business is in it's life cycle and how you want to position yourself. My preference is to offer a little something up front and build a relationship as we go. The thing is, not to give away your "Secret Sauce" up front, so you still have something of value to offer. - IMHO
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  • Profile picture of the author joaquin112
    I dont think its about free vs paid, but about the relationship you build. People buy from people they trust. If you can gain their trust by giving them fantastic free content, then you're way ahead.
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  • Profile picture of the author bluecoyotemedia
    This is an interesting concept that i feel has reached it end

    for example Alex becker gives away excellent FREE content

    but it has gone to the point where his FREE stuff is better than his paid stuff

    This is an example
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