if you bypass a one time offer and then ask to see it again, dont get upset when your told no chance

by 55 replies
55
I had that just today on our support desk, a member said and I quote

Ok I had a look around and your oto offer is a good one, can you send me the link to it so I can buy it now...

The support desk person thinking I would allow that looked in the admin are of the site to do as he asked, but it really isn't possible. so they asked me how to do it

My reply was... NO tell the member the offer was very specific... the adcopy said...don't call, don't email, this really is a strict one time offer.

The member apparently wasn't impressed, went on about other sites don't mean it when they say one time only, I thought I could come back to it later

HOHUM
#main internet marketing discussion forum #bypass #chance #offer #time #told #upset
  • Amazing... telling a hot prospect no.

    Robert i would've done the same thing myself! Hahaha.

    And truth be told, even if you did give him the "buy now" link, he'd probably be a customer that nobody wants to deal with. He might buy your product, then ask for a refund cause the copyright date on the product says 2015 and not 2016.
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  • Banned
    [DELETED]
    • [1] reply
    • I would have given the customer a chance and emailed the link. I mean why not and so what if he is a future disgruntled customer, wont be the first and wont be the last.
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  • Banned
    The Best of The Soup Nazi - YouTube
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  • Why not give a subscriber another chance offer but at a higher or different price than the original OTO. Granted OTO is one time, but at a higher or different price it's not the same. You can even call it a special offer for current customers.

    Just my thoughts.
  • Banned
    You should take a drink now.
    • [1] reply
    • Robert,
      Thank you for sticking by your Convictions concerning this matter.

      This industry has been inundated with hucksters and people who are wishy washy about their business and more particularly their Product Offering.

      So hopefully we can have a few more people like this who actually practice some Integrity...and maybe over time we can clean up our image to some degree

      Doubtful but Hopeful !!


      - Robert Andrew
  • Banned
    So the OP lost a sale.
    Nothing smart about that.
    And certainly no reason to start a thread about it.

    The marketer with integrity is the one that gives me time to think about a purchase,
    not one that tries to force me into buying something I might regret later.
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    • This is a great way to train your prospects that your word means nothing and that you'll do anything for a buck.

      Especially you, arrival7, who didn't even bother reading the rules about affiliate links in sigs before posting yours. Or did you think the mods would make an exception if you got caught?
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    • The OTO in question give's PLR rights to some of the products offered AND 100% instant commission on the front end... Shouldn't be too much to think about

      And incidentally that's why its restricted to one chance only, I only want bright quick thinkers to take that. The reasoning behind it is I want true blue people who will promote the s**t out of it to get those instant commissions.
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    • the marketer with integrity pushes for the sale, says what he means, and will happily refund any customer that asks properly in the time frame stated.

      And its kinda funny, because one of the reasons for dropping back in here, was a conversation about the old days in here with john taylor...and one of things we talked about were the negative, whiney people who sucked the life out of the forum.

      And guess what your name came up in that list, and there you go you popped straight out of the woodwork. I'm glad you didn't let me and John down.
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    • No. The marketer with integrity is the one that keeps their word.
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  • Would have taken the sale. These are digital buyers. They don't care much in the long run about "what your word means". A sale is a sale and a customer who feels they can reach out to my support team and have their problem solved is a valuable one to me.

    Personally, I avoid all this by not using the term oto. As somebody pointed out, most otos these days are just general upsells labeled as otos. But you'll never catch me telling a customer he can't buy my stuff, unless it's something that's genuinely scarce like seats in a coaching program.
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    • I wasn't complaining about missing a sale, you seem to have missed the point

      I use both strategys, one time offers which are strictly adhered to, and customers soon learn when I say it's strictly a one time offer they jump on it increasing the conversion rate greatly.

      We also do special login offers, which are always different, and are not restricted. In that they could come up again in the future BUT they are always clearly marked as such
  • I've never been turned down when asking for the OTO page to be reset, even if I bypassed it intentionally the first time around. Even if your request to get that specific deal again is denied, you could always just rejoin with a fresh account (new username, email address, etc)
  • people skip otos because its literally painful for them. They dont have the money and they have to wait for the next paycheck. When did you get so hard hearted Robert Puddy. Don't forget you're still a warrior. {edit} i just read your reasoning and i do get your point. I also just read that in a different situation you would be more open. But still this leaves no room for people who need to pass by oto's due to financial difficulty. That has no reflection on their ability to market does it?


    • [1] reply
    • I don't think he said it was bypassed because of financial hardship. And on the other hand, you would be comfortable taking the purchasers last penny and maybe not putting food on the table for their family if they purchased at a later date? Unless you are intentionally preying on those those one paycheck from homelessness that thought would not even cross my mind.
  • Ha! Isn't that the truth! People always wanting to get special deals after they realize that it's a great deal….and that the deal is no longer available.

    Way to stick to your guns as I've seen sites that do allow people to purchase 'one-time only' offers after they initially decline.
  • Hi Robert,


    Nice post! A good experience worth sharing.


    Regards,
    Chintan
  • Hi Robert Puddy,
    interesting how different marketers think, in fact I find it amazing.

    As a consumer, I just usually bypass any offer of scarcity on principle.

    It's your choice to market that way of course, but to bring it up here and virtually boast about it is incredible.

    You say there was a valid reason for this, and that is fair enough, but the fact you were so condescending of the client's request is probably what has made your point more offensive.

    Why could'nt you just politely say that the offer was no longer available for x and y reason, and maybe even offer them an alternative?

    It's obvious enough from the different opinions here that there are two sides to the fence, but that is the way of the world I guess.

    To me, in a general sense, it has the inference of a lack of respect to support your client.

    At the same time the client now knows to move on I guess.

    I think it is your attitude to this that makes folks sceptical about IM'ers.

    And I would not normally share my personal opinion so readily, but you made the point, and I can tell you it was your attitude that offended me.

    cheers, Mal.
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    • I can't help but find what you've said here very interesting.

      Think in terms of the brick and mortar market place. Think of these two points.

      1.) They run weekly ads on an item and say "while supplies last". You come to their place of business to purchase said product on the third day of the sale but can't because they've already sold out.

      Does that make the employee that told you they sold out and you could have gotten one if you came the first day of the sale have a bad attitude?

      2.) They run weekly ads and you've been out of town that week. You come the first day of the next week and want the product they advertised last week at sale price.

      C'mon, you know that isn't going to happen and that they'd tell you that you needed to be here last week to take advantage of the sale.

      Do you then go around telling every one not to shop at those retailers because they have bad attitudes, too?

      Why should it be any different for IMer's compared to physical store retailers?


      Terra
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  • Lately, I've seen "OTO"s that are upgrades once you get into the member area. To me, this is the smart way to do it. I may pay a bit more but don't feel rushed to do so. And I've also seen a lot of products where the copy is along the lines of "yes this is a special upgrade but it is NOT needed to make the product work correctly, only meant to help you work faster."

    This, to me, is the right way to do it. People hate being rushed and frankly, to be made to feel as though what they purchased initially won't work to it's full potential unless another higher priced item is bought RIGHT F#####ING NOW.

    The "other" thing that seriously cheeses me off about this industry is still the amount of "oh this tool is so easy, you'll be printing money in less time than it takes to change your socks."

    Until the IM community stops BSing and actually comes clean saying that "yes, this is work, yes there is a learning curve and no you shouldn't expect riches by Tuesday," it will suffer. My other peeve is "dime sales" which I don't see a lot of in the real world either. I probably don't make near as much as some, but I sleep better.

    Sorry for the novel, and Robert not a dig at you personally. Just something that's been bugging me for quite a while.
  • [DELETED]
  • An OTO gives the illusion of scarcity, hoping the customer will act on impulse and buy. If the clock runs out on HSN, and I call and ask to purchase, they will gladly accept my order, though.

    Congratulations. You turned down a buyer who may not have been disgruntled in the least, and possibly could have turned into an ongoing customer.

    Is this supposed to be a moral victory? Some sort of 'money isn't everything' lesson?
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  • Based on a lot of the replies, it is turning into a "money IS everything" lesson...
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    • Sometimes what I see too is that the OTO is barebones price. It's available again in a members area but will cost a few more dollars if you didn't get it in the first go around.

      Everyone has to do things how they see fit.

      I understand wanting some time to think about an OTO sometimes.
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  • There is no need to be black and white. I agree, that initially there was a reason for the discount.


    Lets say someone is purchasing 3 widgets, and I have to ship. I sell the first two widget's at retail, and sell the 3rd at 10% over my cost (of the item, not factoring in my operating costs). The client has a friend who wants to try my widget, so I offer to sell 1 more at the discounted rate with free shipping (I ship it with other 3 widgets).


    Client declines the 4th widget. 2 weeks later, client asks if he can still get the widget discount and free shipping. I am running low on inventory. I say sorry, no. I might exaggerate and say I am out of stock. Even if I have stock, I explain that I actually lose money at that price. I did it before to help your friend.

    I would then offer the 2 retail one cost deal again or a modest discount off retail. Plus shipping.

    But OP, there is a larger issue here: You seem to become angered very easily. It is fine if you explain politely why the OTO was One Time. However, it is condescending to "train" your customers.
  • BTW, I'd also be curious how the FTC would feel about advertising something as a OTO that really wasn't an OTO?
  • The customer is ALWAYS right, he has the right to ask, you can take advantage or not, but both way you shouldn't be annoyed about it.

    I would personally never bother order an offer i missed for more money, i will just find another deal on another product.
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    • The true definition of an OTO should be quite obvious - but due to practices of others I think that is where the confusion is coming in.

      The actual "content" of what the OTO is can be the same, but the OTO in that case would lead me to believe it is available at a better price in the one time offer.

      And so if you are offering the OTO product elsewhere for the original OTO price, then yes, you are lying and it is all about trying to make a buck.

      All it takes sometimes is just one unknown person on the web to know what you are doing and go spill the beans on it everywhere.
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  • Slippery Slope.. Suppose they said there browser froze and crashed on the OTO page? Would you have said tough luck?
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    • I had this happen before. Fortunately, the seller was cool about it.

      I have no problem with people coming back to buy my OTO. This is something that I have done myself. I like to see if I like the Front end product first.

      Several product creators give you another chance to buy on the download page. This is something I do as well in case they missed the OTO for any reason.

      However, we all the luxury of running our business the way we want.

      Niles
  • It's all about integrity & authenticity. Do what you say and keep it authentic, to build trust over time. Business success is all about earning well-deserved trust.
  • The way I look at OTO's is they should be one time offer on price, not the ability to purchase. They should also be offered a few days after purchase in a follow up email. The example of having a OTO for PLR rights. If I pay $39.00 for a product, I do not even know at the time of purchase if the product is good or if it is crap. So I might not want to shell out another $XX.00 for a OTO. But, after going over the product I might think the PLR rights are warranted.

    Everyone is entitle to run their business the way they see fit. But like everyone here preaches, "you need to build a relationship with your customers" Saying, "Too bad, you should have taken the offer in the first place." Will not only cost you a customer, but it will cost you unsubscribes as well, and we all know what subscribers are worth, especially buyers.

    So, in my opinion, offer upsells at the time of sale and save your OTO's for a future email. That way everyone wins.

    This post is not advice it is only my opinion

    al
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    • I think you have a good idea there. This way a customer already knows your product, and probably the refund rate might by smaller.

  • Hi Miss TerraK,
    I thought it was getting a little warm in here, so I went outside to cool down... :>)

    RE: Why should it be any different for IMer's compared to physical store retailers?

    There was the inference that the client was a mug... HoHum.

    My comments were mainly about the way the client was treated, and even after the fact by posting here.

    Your other points about the bargain shopping are fair enough...

    But it is actually not something that I consider, and was not my main point of concern.

    But in most cases the product would still be available, and it is true, I really do not like scarcity.

    It is a marketing ploy that annoys me a little, but not the main point of my comments.

    Take care.

    cheers, Mal.
    • [1] reply
    • Good call.

      Running a business requires sticking to your guns and being fair to everyone.

      Otherwise you're running a loose ship.

      I would have done the same.
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