Why We Give So Much Away For Free
Posted by: bflorez in StarterSeries on
Dec 28, 2008
Before we start today's newsletter, I wanted to take a moment and address an important issue. One common challenge I receive from others - especially other businesspeople - concerns the amount and quality of information we give away for free. Even just between the Prologue and this Starter Series of e-mails, you've already been given over 120 pages of useful information, and if you stick with us, you'll see that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Because of this, people often ask me, "Brendan, why would you give away that much valuable information for free? Wouldn't it make more sense to give away less and charge for more? Why would someone even bother to buy your products or services when they get so much for free?"
Fair enough questions, all. But I think they're wrong. Here's why:
First of all, we're practicing what we preach. One of the key things you should take away from this Starter Series is that the most important thing you need to do to improve your ability to master social situations is provide value. If you're not willing to take the first step and offer value - without expecting something in return - other people will see you for the mooch that you are and stay away. A business relationship is no different. We at Social Charm understand that we need to first give value to you as a sign of our goodwill (and to prove to you we know what we're talking about), and that if you see value in what we're providing, your business will follow in due course.
Second, it actually does make business sense. Studies have consistently demonstrated that providing free information and gifts to people result in higher sales, a phenomenon know as reciprocity (which is really just a desire to return value to someone who has a lot of it - something you'll learn more about later.) It also makes business sense in a non-monetary way as well. Though making money is a necessary step in running a business, it's certainly not sufficient, at least not for us. There are plenty of other businesses that require less work for more pay, but we're in this business for a reason - because we are passionate about helping people grow.
Finally, what you've seen is only the beginning. You think what you've seen so far is good? You haven't see anything yet. If we're giving away this information for free, imagine what you get when you pay. We've got audio and video so you can actually see and hear what we're talking about. We've got step-by-step instructions so you know exactly what to do any say. We've got exercises so you can practice, we've got measurements so you know if you're doing things correctly. You can get custom feedback, support-on-demand, and we're working on a host of other things that we hope will simply rock your world.
So that's the story. Here at Social Charm, we're dedicated to helping you understand and master the skills necessary to dramatically improve your ability to navigate social situations and improve the number and quality of relationships in your life. We firmly believe that providing you with quality information every step of the way - even for free - will ultimately lead to more satisfied clients, more enthused employees, and more money on the bottom line. If we can do well while doing good, that's all we can hope for.
Sincerely Yours,
Brendan Florez
Founder & CEO, Social Charm
brendan.florez@socialcharm.net
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