Three Ways To Supersize Your Profits (Part 2 - Selling Commitment)

Selling MORE Strategy Number Two: Sell Commitment

Just today, my credit card got dinged for about $70 bucks by a local winery called Arrington Vineyards. Early on in my relocation to Nashville, my girlfriend Samantha and I went out there on a nice fall day to check it out with another couple.

The place was pretty cool, and they had a wine tasting room, and at the end of the tasting, they made a pitch to join their wine club. If you joined the club, your tastings that day were free.

We all joined.

The funny thing was, while enjoyed going there, and would recommend it, their wine is not $30-a-bottle good. Plus, I always end up paying the extra ten bucks to have it shipped because I'm not going to drive 30 minutes, one-way, to pick up two bottles of wine.

And...I've been a member for two and a half years now.

The club ships quarterly, so in the spring I'll get dinged for another $70 bucks. I'll curse under my breath, mutter that I need to quit, and then quickly forget until ninety days later.

They sold MORE by selling commitment.

And the smartest part was that it wasn't a big commitment. It's only quarterly…so why not join? Plus, you can quit any time after your first order, so there was a very low barrier to join.

Can you sell MORE by selling them commitment?

It's normal at gyms, Netflix, or even barbershops.

I go to a barbershop called 'Scotch and Scissors,' (pictured to the right.)

That's the actual waiting area for getting your haircut. There's no Cosmo magazines or anything frilly. Instead, it's really comfortable leather chairs, whiskey and, tv's with something 'manly' playing...like a soccer match. (Kidding!)

I'm a 'member' there, and because I committed to getting twelve haircuts there, I get a 13th free. Plus, obviously, now that I joined, I'm a lifer given my history.

Can you take what you sell and turn it into a subscription?

Just try to buy computer software nowadays and NOT have to buy a subscription. You used to buy Microsoft office once and then had it forever. Now you pay monthly or annually. It's the same with nearly every software or online application nowadays.

What used to be standard to sell for a one-time fee is now standard to sell monthly. So don't tell me it's not possible in your business.

The truth is I wish that I could buy more things on subscription…stuff you'd never think you'd buy on subscription…something like slippers.

I never wore slippers until four or five years ago when the house I was in had lots of ceramic tile floors. In the winters in Chicago, ceramic tiles get pretty cold, and I needed all the motivation possible to get out of bed, and that wasn't helping. That's where slippers came into play.

Soon, I started wearing them all the time around my house…and I still do. Problem is, the most comfortable slippers don't have much of a sole on them, and the padding wears out pretty quickly.

I forget how much nicer and more comfortable NEW slippers are than ones that are 6 (or God forbid 12) months old until I slip a new pair on. They are one of those things that are perennially on my Christmas list.

Thing is, if I could get a new pair delivered every six months, I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat.

Instead, it's usually a year plus in between purchases, and that's only if Santa feels that I've been good that year. At times it takes a few years to get new ones.

While this is kind of a strange example, and I'm not sure it's a sentiment shared by all, there are probably other slipper-life people out there who welcome this as well.

By the way, I'll commit to getting new socks, underwear, t-shirts, and more delivered several times a year as well.

Out with the old and worn, in with the new!

And it's not just for goods.

Service businesses should do this too, just like my barber does.

What if an accountant offered a monthly plan and met with you a few times a year instead of just doing your taxes?

What if it didn't even cost much more but instead generated business for them and locked you into using them come tax time.

Say they just did a mid-year check-in meeting and discussed any significant life changes. Maybe they brought in an investment advisor as well to dispense some free advice (lead generation for the financial planner.) Or they brought in an attorney for clients who'd become parents to talk about a will or the other adult stuff that you need to think about once you have kids.

At worst, they could ask if you had any friends or neighbors who were new in town who'd like a free meeting.

For many families making a certain level of income, having a 'family bookkeeping' service would be welcome. The bookkeeper would pay bills, handle the budget and make suggestions on keeping more of your hard-earned income.

You may not see the immediate opportunities right now, and that's ok. Just know that there IS an opportunity here whether you see it or not, and try to find the answer.

Whether you sell goods, services, software, online, in-person, whatever, there's an opportunity to sell MORE by selling people on commitment. It's now your job to figure out what that looks like for you.

While you do that, comment below and let me know your thoughts or questions, also join me tomorrow for the series finale where we'll look at how you sell more by spreading out payments.

Until then…