So I was at a hippie-healing acupuncture-massage-chiro place. There are about a gazillion of those to choose from because, you know, welcome to Portland.
Waiting (of course).
Waiting for Chris, my massage therapist, who — for the record — is totally worth waiting for.
Anyway, I whiled away the time trying to rewrite (in my head) the piles and piles of ineffectual business cards at the counter.
Actually, they were so ridiculously bad that they were actually getting on my nerves.
To the point that I started worrying about turning into one of those asshat business guru-type people who are always going on about how “business is easy, if you just know how”.
And then you want to smack them because there is nothing more annoying than someone telling you something is easy when you can’t do it.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
I started chatting with the guy behind the counter to distract myself from my intense desire to careen around the room yelling “common sense, people… common sense!”
You need to listen to our conversation.
And if it doesn’t trigger a Moment of inspiration, understanding and bewilderment (like it did for me), you’re a smarter business person than I and you can skip the biggification posts and go straight to the wacky-ways-to-change-habits stuff.
“I just don’t really want to use my free massage until I need it.”
Me: Hey, so have you ever had a massage with Chris?
The guy: No, not yet. Should I?
Me: Ohmygod yes. Out of this world. He’s amazing.
The guy: Yeah, people seem to really like him. They don’t even mind that he’s always late. I should take him up on that free massage.
Me: You get a free massage? Awesome.
The guy: Well, I just don’t really want use my free massage until I need it, you know?
Whoah, whoah, whoah, what?!
Me: Wait, this is fascinating. I must know more. You get a free massage but you don’t want to use it. Talk to me about this.
The guy: Well, every healing practitioner who works here offers one free session to everyone who works at the front desk, to help us make recommendations about what’s best for people. You know, to let us experience their work so we can talk about it.
Me: Uh huh. Okay. That makes sense.
The guy: I know! It’s really great!
Me: So how many massages have you gotten?
The guy: One.
Me: Out of … what, fifteen? twenty?
The guy: Yeah. I kind of save them up until I really need them. That way, if I’m ever all sore or depressed or whatever, I could come here and get a free massage, which would be really cool.
In which I have a genius idea.
Me: So let me ask you something. If they didn’t give you a free massage, but instead you could get a massage with them for say, twelve dollars, would you do it?
The guy: Are you kidding? I’d have one right now. That’s a great deal.
And then try to understand it.
Me: So if it’s free, it’s something special and thus you have to save it until you’re ready for it… but if it costs twelve dollars, it’s (also) something special — but you’d go for it right away.
The guy: Yeah. You’re right. Weird, huh?
Me: With the free thing, you don’t want to use it up until you’re ready, but if it’s twelve dollars, you might actually have that on you and feel like a massage. Am I getting this right?
The guy: Absolutely.
Me: And is this just you? Or does everybody do this?
The guy: Oh, everybody. Hey guys! Do any of you use your free massages or do you save them until you really need them?
Everyone else: Confer, confer, confer
The guy: No, they don’t use them, but they would definitely go for a twelve dollar massage if they had twelve dollars that day.
Me: Someone should tell the massage therapists that.
The guy: Oh, I don’t know.
And then bring it to you.
Me: I am so going to write about this on my blog.
The guy: Huh? On your what?
Me: I’m going to go tell several thousand people about my great idea that you’re not going to use.
Let’s discuss. Not my genius idea, but the concept that free doesn’t always work.
Because it seems like there’s a lot more to say about what this weird truth means, why it is, and how you might apply it to whatever your thing is. I have thoughts.
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Hmmm, that was really interesting! I can’t wait to read your further thoughts about it.
It is true! I never thought about how weird it was until you put it that way. Even if it is a gift, being free decreases the value – hello? Doesn’t FREE equal $0 anyway?
My example: I’ve given away a handfull of certificates for two hours of my service and NEVER had one of them redeemed. At the exact same events if I meet someone I find particularly interested, who might not really NEED my service but could totally hook me up in a give/get kind of way, I’ll hand them a different type of business card before we part and say, “Call me. I’d really like to work with you and if the need ever strikes you we’ll work something out for the first couple of hours.” They call every time. “Work out” on my end means maybe half price or something but certainly not free – I mean, they did CALL ME, right?
I’m extremely interested to see what other folks have to say.
Create an amazing day!
Sundi D. Hayess last blog post..4 Steps to Proofreading Your Own Stuff
OK. We had a fancy dress day in aid of a charity at work a few weeks ago. I won an Amazon gift certificate for £10, which I have not yet spent. Since then, though, I’ve spent, oooh, around £50 through Amazon. But not using the certificate. Why??
Yes, because I want to spend it on something really special. I am effectively saving it for when I ‘need’ it. But also because having that certificate is like having a happy little secret, except without guilty feeling. It’s like having a tiny little burst of freedom that I can carry around. Thinking about it lifts my mood in a way that thinking about the new and exciting book that I have since bought actually does not. I envisage myself spending it on something I really, really want, but really, really do not need. Which pretty much sums up the way I shop online anyway. So, although I have bought stuff since, I have not bought anythign that is worth swapping the excitement of the certificate for.
Incidentally, I’m sure that Amazon are really, really happy with this arrangement.
Alisons last blog post..38) Handy for planning that square-foot garden
Interesting how the human mind works. I look forward to reading more about what you have to say on this.
The dance club I’m part of offers a weekend intro series a couple of times each semester. We used to offer it for free. Lots of people would sign up ahead of time, but then flake and not show for the classes. Now we charge $20 (good deal for this kind of thing). We still have lots of people sign up, but far more actually come and stay for the whole series.
OMG! I think a lot more like the guy than I care to admit 😉
carma
carmas last blog post..Not Me! Monday
Hmmm. Interesting.
I’m about to offer something free to my email list. Like, tomorrow. A free teleclass. I’ve never done one before, so I thought I’d try to gage interest by offering one free to a very limited number of people, and see how many takers I get. And also, because it’s really a q&a, to gather info on the subject for a future class at which I’ll charge the monies.
Dumb idea? Good idea? Better to give it at a deep discount than for free?
Why do so many of us do this? I also do the same thing. I was awarded a massage as a gift two years ago- I have yet to use it, though I have paid for massages in the meantime! What gives!?
Absolutely fascinating. Putting myself in the shoes of the guy behind the counter, I can “get” his mindset (wonder what that says about mine!)?
What I come away from this with is a desire to look at all aspects of my business, how we interface with customers, and find out what customers might be “waiting for” that they could be having right now.
Great call to get inside others’ heads and ask some odd questions.
Thanks Havi!
Mark Smiths last blog post..What’s The Highest And Best Use Of Your Time?
I have to add one more thought here. When I was growing up my mom held on to a diamond ring worth about $3000 that was left over after her divorce.
On about 5 occasions that I remember she ran up against a financial wall and would say “well, it’s finally time to sell that ring.”
She always found another way, and never sold the ring – eventually she traded it to a friend for 10 ounces of gold.
Mark Smiths last blog post..What’s The Highest And Best Use Of Your Time?
so it’s better to be cheap than free, eh?
actually, this is so timely, because I’ve been thinking lately about this free hour that i’ve been sandbagging until I really need it. even though psychologically I’ll never think I really need it…which is something I could probably use it to work through!
I think one of the things with free is also that it’s no sweat if I never cash it in…no loss to me! if I paid for it though, I’m definitely going to use it.
this is why gift certificates are such a great deal for business owners…a large percentage never get redeemed!
chass last blog post..friday afternoon update! 24: the “making this up as we go along” edition
well ‘free’ is a gift and gifts are special and so much harder to part with than a handful of loose change. I mean, every year my uncle gives me a book token and it takes me ages to spend because I want to get something special with it, even though in the meantime I still go and buy books with my own cash.
However, in this instance, if the free massage was actually a way for me to help the therapists by understanding their products so I could promote them….honestly…I’d absolutely book it on the spot!
twiggylus last blog post..twiggylu: finally stepping into twitter world and wondering what I will find…
More thoughts. I think there is BIG anxiety about using stuff up. It’s like saving clothes for ‘best’ until they are outdated or outgrown. One Free Session is a Big Thing. If we give something – anything – in exchange, we become more.. worthy(?) of the Thing. We have actually gained power by buying it at a deep discount, but being given something is not empowering.
I’m not sure whether, in Havi’s Genius Idea, the proposal is a one-off fee of $12, or whether it’s a staff discount rate of $12. If the latter, then it’s an easy answer: you don’t ‘use up’ your privilege, therefore you can ‘spend’ it and still have it. Even if it’s limited to one per month per practitioner, or something.
Alisons last blog post..38) Handy for planning that square-foot garden
Okay, I’ll chime in for the profligate souls among us. Whenever I receive a gift certificate, it starts burning a hole in my pocket, through my leg, down to the chair I’m sitting in. Can’t spend it fast enough. And free stuff? I’d be sprinting to take advantage of that free massage!
On the other hand, my 11-year-old daughter often gets a stack of gift cards for her birthday and can easily milk them for months. Seems like I have a relationships-with-money experiment going on in my own home.
Hi here Havi. I’m also guilty of not using free stuff either. This whole understanding “how the consumer brain works” stuff is fascinating isn’t it?
Do you read http://www.psychotactics.com/ ?
Side note: I especially love that you spent your waiting time mentally fixing other people’s business cards. Maybe you could do a post about the anatomy of an effective business card.
Thanks for sharing this awesome-ness!
Deveenas last blog post..What my 8 year old’s email account looks like
It’s the need for feel good insurance we now have in our pocket with the “free thing”. I mean what if I use it this week, just because I want to and next week I’m stuck and that’s when I really truly ‘need’ the free thing I’ve already used.
It’s trying to avoid losing what we have instead of using what we have. We call it ‘saving’ but saving what in the case of free. Possibly saving the pleasure of the experience.
Psychic pack rats we are. Come on it’s makes us feel good to keep stuff and to know we have it just in case.
So to counter that, even though it’s free make it an exchange. I’m not giving you X for free – here’s what you give me by receiving X. Tit for tat as it were.
Or put deadlines on the use of free or in some cases just don’t offer ‘free’.
Also free has the potential to make us feel as though we owe someone something.
The ‘free thing’ can also be a co-out for the provider. It’s free and no one uses it so it doesn’t hurt me or cost me very much.
Free helps relieve physical, emotional and mental consequences.
Minervas last blog post..Fiction
I do the same thing, not just with things that were free/gifts, but with materials I’ve bought. That fabric that’s been on the shelf for ten years has infinite possibility, but once I cut it up and make something it’s stuck being that forever.
Strangely as I try to declutter my house, it’s things that were free or very cheap that are the hardest to get rid of.
I’m one of those people that save up my gift card until it’s no longer valid! Oy!
Makes no logical sense, except that “free gift” has an aura of special-ness that maybe we’re just not comfortable with?
I think this also applies to special items that are priced too low. If you want an artist-signed fancy painting, saving up for it makes it even more awesome!
Taras last blog post..Yarn Every Day #3
it is not free … not even close
it is an hour of two people’s lives, never comes again, with little tangible value beyond a feel-good
the one i don’t understand is the writer, quasi-hip style seems to interfere with content and meaning ..
gregorylents last blog post..Symbols of the Self – part three
I am so happy to read everyone’s take on this and to look at some of the similarities (and differences) around how we view “free” in its various incarnations.
@Minerva – you packed a TON of insights into that. I’d thought about how free can make us feel like we owe something (as in Mark Silver’s wonderful article.
But I had not thought about how free might be a way for me — as the provider — of hiding and then not having to get offended if people don’t take me up on it.
@Maryann – the “free teleclass” thing is an ongoing debate in the biggification world, so you’re in good company! Some people run their whole businesses on those, and it works well for them. Other people hate them.
I have more to say on this but will hold off for a bit …
I’d say … see how it goes and how you feel about it.
Wow. Love it. I absolutely resonate with the “free” thing having an entirely different kind of “value” placed on it. It’s strange, but it’s hard for me to conceptualize that free equals $0 (harder than wrapping my head around null not equaling zero).
I think, especially in this economy, people are really looking for things of “value” (whatever that means for them). Example, I go to the People’s Yoga here in Portland because they have a $6 drop in rate. Even unemployed, I can indulge myself in self care for $6. Twice a week even. Then it feels like responsible self care that I can afford.
If it was free though? I might feel like they felt it was “take it or leave it” so I too might view it as “take it or leave it.” It’s not the same. Undervaluing services (whatever they may be) doesn’t help anyone: the practitioner nor the client (or insert your specific giver/receiver relationship here).
People don’t value something unless they are required to give something of value in return. Free? Logically they might say “wow, I can get this massage for free and it’ll feel really awesome and that means a lot to me”… but that’s unlikely. People rarely buy on logic. Psychologically they demand some sort of value exchange. Now, show people your product is immensely valuable – so valuable it’s worth $100/hr. But just this once, today, I want you to experience that value for $12. Suddenly, the psychology changes. They’re still providing something in exchange for your value and thereby satisfying the psychological requirement. But now they logically can see the opportunity in doing it right now.
Satisfy the psychology first; then appeal to the logic.
Kind of a different tack on the subject, but I would feel uncomfortable using a free massage if I knew the masseuse wasn’t being compensated. I’d feel like I still owed them something. I’d much rather pay a cheaper rate and then feel like there was at least some give and take.
If the freebie is impersonal (free book, free tickets), I’ll use it without hesitation, but if it’s personal (free service) and I know it costs the giver more than they’re getting out of it, then I can’t take advantage of it without feeling guilt or obligation.
Sarah Brays last blog post..SEO myths de-bunked: Myth #4 – Keyword Equality
Thanks for yet another amazing observation about human behavior. I have the same sort of relationship with free gift cards that others mention. I carry them in a special section of my purse so they are always at the ready. And yet, I find myself spending cash at a store where I have a gift card because I want to spend my “free” on something very special. I’ve got something new to chew on. Thanks.
But about those business cards. I recently typed in all of the email addresses from people who attended the last Ignite Phoenix event. I did the sign in sheet first because the handwriting was tough to read. I thought the business cards would be a snap. I was wrong. They were harder to read than raw, squiggly handwriting from people who appear to qualify as doctors-in-training. I’ve never seen such horrible business cards before. I have been biting my blogging lip to stop myself from spontaneously writing about how to make horrible cards that no one can read (and hence use). Here’s a new thought: perhaps the business world was a nicer place back in the day when people who had some design sensibilities were the ones mostly responsible for creating business cards.
Just an idea. If that one wasn’t so great, give me a few minutes. I’ll have a new idea by then.
[Charlene]s last blog post..New Ebook: Competitive Twitter Syndrome
Ha ha, that is a great post and a great conversation…. it took me a minute, but then I got your point after that first paragraph of the conversation…. very interesting stuff. They could even “give” the massage away for two dollars just so people try it out. That’s fascinating.
MoneyEnergys last blog post..Frugal Tips for Poor People
Free is fine sometimes, Havi — especially as an introduction to your product or service offerings. Like the free samples they give away at the supermarket. Or free introductory e-books that provide good information — but not all of it. Some of the good stuff should be saved for paid products. Today’s post simply confirms what’s been demonstrated many times, Havi: People only value (and put to use) what they pay for.
Besides, service providers NEED to charge for some of their work. If they can’t earn a living, they’ll have to stop offering their services, and wind up back in a cubicle.
Some people mistakenly think *everything* should be free online. I suggest those people hand their paychecks back to their bosses, but continue to work gratis. That’s what they’re asking others to do.
I can relate to that – to me, a massage is indulgent. It’s not something I would do every day, so I would save it until I NEEDED it. Twisted, but it makes sense. I also don’t ever get massages, because as amazing as it feels, once I’m out of there the relaxing awesome-ness is gone, so it feels like I’m throwing money in the trash. *bracing for Havi to smack me over the head*
But if I had MULTIPLE freebies, I’m sure I’d at least take advantage of one of them 😉
This is all very interesting. I have a related experience.
Went to a Sheep & Wool festival in October. Looked at yarn from one vendor (she was almost out by the 2nd day), tempted, not sure. but she had coupons for 10% off until end of January.
Took a coupon brought it home. Put it on my desk by the computer (still there, I see out of the corner of my eye).
Thought about buying yarn from her several times before Jan but didn’t.
Bought yarn from her, full price, no discount, last month. Because I found a pattern I liked and wanted to knit, remembered her yarn and thought it would work well with this pattern.
Did the discount make a difference? Maybe. It maybe inspired me to go to her website and browse more times than I would have otherwise, thus imprinting her yarn on my brain.
As for teleclasses, I have pondered this myself. For the same reason as Maryann. Something new. Trying it out. Maybe there is something about me not being sure I have something of value to give? and thus I feel bad about charging? Not sure. But maybe just hte fact that I,ve spent time organizing and thinking about a structure is enough. A deep discount might work like the $12 massage in your example. Must think about this.
JoVEs last blog post..The politics of research funding
@Maryann A teleseminar has a deadline, after which you can no longer cash in the free offer, so it forces a decision. In that way it’s different to (some) vouchers which have no expiry date. However, others have said they’ve let vouchers expire.
I would guess a free teleseminar would be informal, more chatty and relaxed. A cheap one on offer could still be informal, but I would perceive it differently, like a tester pot of paint (to see if it goes, evaluate) rather than a taster sample of cheese (grab a snack and only react if it really grabs me).
James | Dancing Geeks last blog post..The journey to nowhere
Wonderful insights, as always, in both the post and the comments.
In my own life, it’s like what Minerva said about “feel good insurance.” I hoard my massage certificates for special treats (my mom gets them for my for my birthday), but, like the desk guy, I’d get a massage every week if it were only $12. Or even $20. (But, like Sarah, I’d feel totally guilty because the masseuse wasn’t making anything on it and I’d leave a huge tip on top of that.)
Lori Paximadiss last blog post..Sproing!
Very interesting and insightful post. I used to give free 20 min consultations, for potential clients to see if they’d like to work with me, but found as it was “free” they didn’t take my advice as serious than if I charged them for it. Amazing how the exact same information, once paid for, increases it’s value.
I now charge a small fee for my consultation and I get a much better response. Besides, those who are really serious about improving their health and gaining control of their weight are the ones who now contact me. And they are the ones who are ready to step up to the plate, and have the greatest success.
Dinneen | Eat Without Guilts last blog post..Interview: The French Diet Connection
Brandon W just summed it up nicely. I’d like to offer my two cents as it relates to a different type of business.
A few months ago, I would have scoffed at a free offer by an illustrator. OK, I sort of still do. I see artists posting free icon sets and web graphics that probably took hours to create. Hey… free download. Just click. Ouch. It actually hurts my brain. But here’s a difference.
I also offer free illustrations, but (whisper) they aren’t actually free. The price is attention. The rate for the monthly illustration is an e-mail address and then receiving my message every month. That has value to me. To someone else, it might sound like a big ol’ nothing. Big deal.
For what I need to accomplish, it’s a huge deal. Plus, the people who subscribe *know* they’re giving something of value. Giving out your e-mail address for anything online can be a risky proposition (spammy spam spam), so it’s as tangible as a cash sale.
In the post you linked to, Mark Silver mentions this and I think that’s the way to offer something free without everyone losing.
Massage and drawin’ stuff are very different businesses, but the principle of the $12 vs free holds true for both because the point is that giving anything to get something feels better. Can I go out on a limb and say that a $2 massage would create the same effect?
Tangent time. This is also why Kiva works. If money was donated to those businesses, they wouldn’t last long. The fact that they’re loans gives the business owners a feeling of worth; there’s an exchange happening rather than a handout.
It’s the same as walking through downtown. If you hand a dollar to a homeless person, it’s a one-sided, no-value deal. If you ask for something in return (like directions), it’s an exchange. Even someone who is mentally ill and living on the street wants to give something to get something (appearances to the contrary). It’s different for everyone, but it makes all the difference.
Mr. Pantss last blog post..Client Profile: Womb to Bloom
THIS IS SO TRUE!! I’m actually working on helping my local coffee shop set up a web site, and we’re going to promote the site by giving COUPONS instead of FREE stuff. Something to encourage customers to
A: Sign up to get emails from the website when we update with new menus and specials. So now, our reach is extended BEYOND the one time coupon deal.
B: Come in and SPEND MONEY in the store. Once we have them there, selling them more than the coupon is worth is easy. 🙂
LOVE your ideas and information. I’ve shared you on more than one occasion with my bosses.
rachel whetzels last blog post..From Janet
I feel like I’ve got exclamation marks and question marks whizzing around in my head.
What an amazing insight. And so true!
I run group programs in which participants get 20-minute one-on-one calls during the week for individual support on what they’re workign on. We practically have to apply thumb-screws to get people to USE these sessions, even though we tell them over and over how useful they are. In fact, in one program we just told them to schedule 20-minute calls as part of the week’s homework!
There are two hour-long calls, one with me, one with my partner. Again – I hear over and over that participants are “saving” the calls for when they “need them.”
We already realized that we have to change the structure (we’ll be having more hour-long calls and they’ll be scheduled monthly, instead of “whenever you want it”), but how fascinating to read this description of the thought process!
Thanks, Havi.
Grace Judsons last blog post..What’s your specialty?
This is absolutely fascinating, says the massage therapist writing up her newsletter as we speak. Fascinating.
But, OK. Not taking up a massage offer b/c it’s free and you’re saving it up for when you really need it? Wow. That was eye-opener. If I were that receptionist I’d have my appt. book out and I’d be walking around setting up my one massage per week for the next few months.
But then, I’m not a massage therapist for nothing (*groan* that was unintended, really!) There’s a reason I am a massage therapist: I lovvvvvve massages. It’s a big reason I went to massage school.
(And must say too, that if I were the massage therapist working at that place? Unless the place was paying me to work on all their front desk people for free, I’d be quite annoyed by the arrangement. Just like it totally annoys me how many therapists offer free chair massage — I think it undervalues what we do).
But this opens my eyes in an enormous way. I think everyone thinks like me, but they don’t!
I cannot wait to hear more!
Heidi Fischbachs last blog post..April Blog Series: "Taking the S out of Scared"
One thing that was suggested to me, and I tried (fairly successfully) in my shiatsu practice was to give away a half-hour free with an opportunity to upgrade to an hour for $25. Which everyone did.
This worked great for awhile, which was interesting in itself, and then completely stopped working, so that’s interesting too. And your observations above this are really intriguing, and once again testament to the fact that humans are truly odd creatures.
Can’t wait to hear more, and ponder this a bit. Especially to wonder if I behave this way and why…
Gina Loree Markss last blog post..‘The Garden of the Soul’ Now on Amazon
@Sarah Brey – I like what you say. In Havi’s example the recipient is providing a different kind of value which is equal to the services rendered. It’s the ability to clearly be able to tell paying clients who’s service will best match their need for a masseuse or chiro or accupuncturist or whatever else is goes on there.
Also because psychologically these two things are not valued the same way, it’s harder to make them equal each other and thus leave all parties feeling equally sated emotionally.
Now that I’ve written that I think – well maybe the receptionist feels like ‘making recommendations without more of something'(I don’t know what something is, knowledge, training, licensing, experience?) is too high a price to pay for the free offer.
Specifically in the case of the “hippie-healing acupuncture-massage-chiro place” Havi or some other person would need to do more investigative research. How many of the desk people actually suggest a specific masseuse? How many people calling in to schedule are new and don’t already have a masseuse they like? How much knowledge do the different people have about the service and what each one actually helps with? Which will then reveal a better way to make that happen if it’s worth it. Or it will reveal that it’s not worth it and something else may be required.
Sounds like many assumptions about many things.
Hey even I’m assuming that this hasn’t been done or that it’s needed or that this is important enough to them to merit attention.
Hi Havi,
For me, I see delayed gratification all over this story. (Of course, that might be because delaying gratification is one of my patterns. *smile*)
I have to work really hard to enjoy and use things in the moment. I’m the girl who’s stays out doing errands until I’m STARVING and then comes home and hangs the wet laundry, changes the cat box, and puts away the groceries BEFORE I’ll make myself something to eat. Ignoring every time that stopping to eat would make all those chores, feel less like chores because I wouldn’t be trying to get the done in a cranky, low-blood sugar state.
I also think there’s something to feelings of scarcity making us save (hoard) good or special things. I’ve been working to shift to a place of believing that the universe will provide. In other words, if I use my free massage certificate and then I really need a massage next week, the universe — maybe in the form of my own chutzpah or ingenuity — will find a way for me to get that massage.
A really interesting post.
thx!
sg
Sarah M. Greers last blog post..I’ve Got a Feeling
If something is free and I’m not familiar with the person or company giving it away I have no interest in it.
If someone gives me a gift certificate to something I’m already familiar with, I have no problem spending it.
I think there’s something inherently suspicious about ‘free’ if you don’t already have a relationship with the party offering, because how does the saying go? You don’t get something for nothing. And PT Barnum said “There’s a sucker born every minute.” No one wants to be that sucker.
lindas last blog post..The Burt Reynolds of Painting
hey mr. pants! thanks for that homeless person bon mot…i was just wondering about that today…how to create some value for my dollar? i don’t need directions, i have an iphone…and i could probably use a smile!
chass last blog post..true wheel tuesday! week 1: assessment
I’m curious if the person behind the desk would jump on it if there was no expiration date to the $12 offer.
From what it sounds like, the offer would have to be available to be fulfilled RIGHT NOW in order to motivate a purchase, and there would have to be just one available per person.
Duffs last blog post..The Dangers of Transformation
Hm, this is very interesting. I think it was _Predictably Irrational_ that “proved” that free was more valuable than very cheap, through some kind of experiment.
But this shows that there are so many different factors, and you can’t just say “free is the way to go.” Especially now, because there’s so much free stuff online, and some of it is amazing and some of it is garbage that you get mad about wasting your time on.
I think Linda’s on to something, that people don’t want to feel obligated when we’re talking about a personal service relatonship. (Coaching or massage or something.) If we have a service, we sometimes offer free consults or free first sessions to reduce the feeling of risk for our potential customers, but maybe it’s actually making them feel less safe, because they worry about being guilted into buying more.
A free download or teleseminar might be a different question, the issue of whether or not this thing is good enough to spend time with.
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Hm, that is very interesting observation. A few thoughts came to mind:
1. Like what Sarah Bray said, we don’t want to feel like we owe someone something.
2. Like Alison said, we have anxiety of using something up.
3. My co-worker saves his free flight tickets from frequent flyer mileage. He buys his own tickets for shorter, less expensive tickets and use the free tickets for longer, more expensive trips. In this case, it’s sort of like thinking that massages will go up in value (like people piling up on forever stamps), so a free massage redeemed later will be a better deal than one redeemed right now.
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@Tom McKay – oh, definitely. I’m certainly not in favor of eliminating “free” in all situations … especially considering that I run my whole business through the hour and a half of my time that I give away for free every day (aka “the blog”). Free in small, digestible doses is really powerful.
What interests me is — related to what Gina and Grace are talking about in this thread — what steps we can take to help people actually *use* our service once they have access to it.
And I’m not sure what has to happen, but I think it’s so interesting that free (and not to contradict Dan Ariely who is a total life-changing genius) is so attractive and yet can still be a barrier rather than a doorway.
@Kelvin – yes! Some things feel as though they go up in value the longer we wait for them. So the special feels even more special.
@Grace – that example was exactly the sort of thing I was hoping someone would bring up! So interesting!
@Heidi – yay! Valuable massage therapist perspective! Perfect.
This is by far my favorite post. It’s counter-intuitive, but it’s how we all think. I find it strangely liberating.
Now apply the same concept to dating.. I think it will really help women rethink being too available.
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So Havi,
I loved the post: made me think a little bit about some stuff that others have written about and talked about: when you valuate your services, people take it a bit more seriously. Neat, and good to think about.
I thought about this… I think the problem in this specific instance is less that it’s free, and more that the staff have been left with the idea that having a free massage is optional, and a ‘perk’ when it’s really intended to help them with their work, and should be part of the induction. It’s the same situation as when you say to someone, oh, come for coffee… and then it never happens because you haven’t been specific enough, and then you wonder why that person didn’t come… If the free massage was scheduled for early on in their service, then they would indeed turn up for it…and probably enjoy it. If the therapists then had a staff rate…the staff would probably use it regularly. Making everyone happy :-). I think ‘free’ should equate with ‘win-win’; if it doesn’t, we’re offering something that is of no value either to ourselves or to others…
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Isn’t it a completely different situation with these employees? If they offered the free message to the public the doors would come crashing down. I’d guess there’d be at least a fair percentage of folks who’d pay for more. And more. And more.
This is utterly fascinating, and I can see why it might not work. Several people touched on those issues.
I’m an artist. I don’t do “freebies,” but I DO offer free shipping to other local Etsy sellers, and I often will enclose a little something extra with a customer order. That’s really it.
Now, in terms of RECEIVING freebies, it depends on what the freebie is. I will often use relevant freebies up as soon as I need the item/service in question, but I am a frugal sort by nature.
Interesting stuff!
Jen M.
JenniferLynn Productions, LLC
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I’ve been thinking about why people don’t redeem gift cards and coupons…and maybe we’ve covered this already, but sometimes I [subconsciously?] think the gift card or coupon is the gift in itself. Just having it around means I have something, and once it’s used I’ll only have a memory…
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