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100% or Free? Which would you prefer?

by Jeremy Wilson
9 replies
Have a quick question for anyone who has ever promoted someone else's product.

Which scenario would you prefer:

1) 100% commission paid directly to your Paypal account on the front end product only. Commission would be $47-$67 paid instantly to you.

2) Give away frontend product completely Free and earn 50% recurring commission on backend product. Commission would be around $30/month (no forced continuity here, a person gets the first product completely free no strings, and then has a chance to get the backend offer)

I see positives and negatives for each scenario but which would you prefer?
#100% #free #prefer
  • Profile picture of the author JohnDaniel
    Me? This is just me, but I'd say number 2.
    Monthly income... plus *easier* to promote giving out free stuff.
    Although I hope the backend product would be awesome so that they don't cancel the first month.
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  • Profile picture of the author giveusallfreedom
    I'd go with the second one two. Recurring income is a no brainer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Discount Jim
      Second one for me as well...it seems like an easier sell.
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      • Profile picture of the author MikeLantz
        Option 2 for me as well. I recommend adding a poll to this thread, that should help a bit.

        Mike
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      • Profile picture of the author chris_surfrider
        Ideally, both.

        If you're giving something away for free - why not expand on it just a little or position it differently and sell it for, say $7, or $9.

        Pay out 100% commissions on that, and then also pay out 50% on your residual backend.

        After the prospect buys the cheap frontend product - proving themselves to be a buyer - what would work best is confronting them with an OTO for a 14-day risk free trial for your membership.

        Your recurring model would get a LOT more signups this way, and regardless you'll be building a client-base of actual buyers.

        Not just "free" leads.

        This would be the better option both for you, and for affiliates.

        Something to consider...

        -Chris
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        • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Wilson
          Thanks for the feedback everyone!

          I have added a poll as suggested.

          Chris you said:
          Pay out 100% commissions on that, and then also pay out 50% on your residual backend.

          After the prospect buys the cheap frontend product - proving themselves to be a buyer - what would work best is confronting them with an OTO for a 14-day risk free trial for your membership.

          Your recurring model would get a LOT more signups this way, and regardless you'll be building a client-base of actual buyers.
          I thought of this as well. But wasn't sure if charging for the frontend would impact sales of the backend as opposed to just making the frontend offer free.
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          • Profile picture of the author chris_surfrider
            You can always split-test, but in my experience, people are much more apt to buy something on the backend if they just bought on the front-end.

            The sale-barriers have already been torn down, and making another purchase from their perspective is a lot "easier".

            You'll find that a well-crafted sales letter for a $7 product can convert at 30% anyway. Make it irresistable and play on curiosity.

            You won't get much more response on an opt-in form, and even if it was 50%, the up-front affiliate commissions on the 30% converting letter would grease the wheels so well for you because they'd want to keep on sending traffic.

            Try both, but I'm confident that you'll see "the light" on this from your own results (if you've got a compelling offer on the front and back).

            -Chris
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            • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Wilson
              Thanks Chris,

              I was curious to get your perspective since I've been following your series of reports you've been releasing (and I'm a satisfied customer) .

              It does make sense especially if you can get a frontend conversion as high as you say. Depends a lot on the offer but that is hard to beat!

              To add one more wrinkle though.

              If the front end is free and you offer a free trial on the backend...

              Guess it comes down to testing...as most things do.
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              • Profile picture of the author chris_surfrider
                Yeah but a free trial is only going to be as profitable as the "trialer".

                Most membership sites I've seen retain a typical subscriber for an average of 3-5 months. Yes, there's exceptions, but that's what you can expect to see.

                If you've got the "free" crowd subscribing to the trial, it would likely be even less than that on average.

                You've got to weigh out the "potential response" factor with actual responsiveness based on prequalifying quality, buying customers.

                Not only that - my point with the affiliate incentive is that you'll get WAY more traffic anyway if they actually make money on it up-front, and if it sells well.

                That was my point.

                -Chris
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