Give prospects a meaningful sample of your service before the sales call. They get to experience what you do, and real effort can create reciprocity.
Give prospects a real sample
Agency founders should be doing more free work.
If you sell a service, figure out a way to give someone a meaningful sample of that service before you ever get on a sales call. Do actual work for them, for free.
It works for two pretty simple reasons.
Experience and reciprocity
First, they get to experience the product before they buy it. Same reason Baskin-Robbins gives out free ice cream. They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it because people are more likely to buy ice cream after they try it.
Second, reciprocity. It's irrational, but incredibly predictable. When someone does real work for you for free, you feel some obligation to return the favor.
It's one reason corporate gifting works. Someone sends you a $100 bottle of wine, and suddenly you're more open to taking their sales call, even if the thing they're selling costs half a million dollars.
The work has to be real
The work has to be real, though. If it's something they could get from ChatGPT in 30 seconds, it won't have the same effect.
About this article
John Ghiorso is the Founder & CEO of VantaFive, an agency venture studio.
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