The question of why give away information free and how much should be given often comes up for entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants. This week I was talking with a client who was discouraged because she had been doing free workshops and felt too many people were taking advantage of the freebie and nothing more. She was considering no longer giving away anything free, although she was getting paying business from the workshops too. Unfortunately that is the conclusion many draw when they offer something free and it does not work, that they get taken advantage of when they give something away free and they shouldn’t do it.

Giving it away free is a strategy that can and does work brilliantly, just ask Seth Godin who does it with his new Domino Project. He certainly does not have too, he already has many bestselling books, the credibility and the tribe built to sell pretty much anything.  It can also work brilliantly for any entrepreneur; it may take time to figure out the best method for you and your products or services.

Here are a few tips that can help you get more out of giving it away free.

It is your sales call – every business needs sales, view your free giveaway as your sales call. It is an easy way to stop making cold calls and generate a lot of warm calls.

You can still sell it – just because you use the information as part of a free giveaway, whether it is a free report, free teleseminar or workshop does not mean you cannot also use that information again. That same information can be used and most likely expanded on in other programs.

Use it as an interest test – test different free offers to track client interest. I have changed free offers and seen interest double in the exact same program. It can help you gauge interest for developing new programs, try something as a freebie, if there is big interest chances are it will do well as a full-blown program.

Always make them want more – Don’t give everything away. Don’t give so much away that the potential client wants no more. Leave them wanting more information.

Always have a Call to Action – this is a BIG ONE! Often I see a freebie intended to get people on an email list which is great but that’s the end of it. Make that freebie more enticing and have a call to action at the end. Keep your prospective client moving through your programs as long as you can help them.  If you are giving a free speech or interview that you do not want to make a sales pitch, that’s great too, but don’t miss out on a chance to leave them with a call to action. If you want more specific ideas on this one simply send me an email with CALL TO ACTION in the subject line to edie@getyourcourgeon.com.

Don’t give away junk – giving away your low value items because it keeps your costs down or is easy will be seen as just that. It will not create value for you or the customer. It is a waste of time.

Know your conversion factor – it is great to giveaway a free report or eBook when asking someone to join your email address, bigger returns on bigger giveaways require strategy, planning and tracking. If you are doing a free in-person workshop to sell a five-week program you’re investing more in the giveaway.  It may be just as easy to do this with a teleseminar and save the costs.

Giving away free information gives you a chance to reach potential customers in a way nothing else does. It is a great opportunity when used wisely. Will some people take the free stuff and run, absolutely, be ready to accept some will buy and some will not! When you are doing sales calls many people will say no too, it is all a part of being in business.  Figuring out your successful strategy for giving it away free is well worth the time, effort and investment.