STOP! Before you reach for the low hanging fruit with another discount or free shipping, did you know that you might be trading tomorrow's lifetime value for today's sales?
One of the privileges of being a consultant is that you get to see the results from a variety of clients. If one client benefits from reducing the number of discount emails, it's an anomaly. When most clients that try it, benefit, it's a best practice.
It is a hard recommendation to sell when people are in the habit of churning out sale emails. It usually involves a little begging on my part. "Just test it. That's all I ask. Please? Pretty please?" are words I've been known to say. Some clients require more persuading than others (you know who you are!), but I digress.
Continuously sending discount emails trains your customers to wait for a better price, reduces your return, and doesn't improve your relationship
People hate fine print. It reeks of trickery and underhandness. So, why do two thirds of the promotional emails I receive have half a page or more of Arial 7.5 light gray print?
Please unsubscribe me from your newsletters. While I am still interested in your products, we apparently had a misunderstanding about your emails. I thought that I was signing up to receive information about your products and services and an occasional sale email.
Your customers may have to pay by the Byte to access your website in the near future. If you have a no frills, static site, it probably won’t affect you. But, if your site is loaded with features, graphics, and interactive options (you know, the stuff that is supposed to hypnotize your visitors into staying until they buy), you have a problem.
It has always bothered me that we (those of us who hail from a direct marketing background) consider a 97% rejection rate successful! Where else, in any form of measurement, would a 3% response rate be applauded?
