We’re back with another question from our newsletter archives! Today, we’re looking at a marketing buzzword that gets tossed around by all kinds of self-proclaimed experts…

And while this approach can be a valuable part of your marketing toolkit, most of the gurus aren’t giving you the whole story.

Here’s the question that was sent in:

QUESTION: “Hi Charlie, what do you think about tripwire offers? It seems like every marketing guru out there is claiming that’s the way to go. What do you think?”

ANSWER:

Great question!

For those unfamiliar with the term “tripwire” – this is a low cost, introductory product designed to pull people into a marketing funnel.

For example, it could be a free book (just pay $7.00 in shipping) or the classic tripwire used for years by Columbia House Record Club: “13 records for $1.00.”

Tripwires work. They’ve been around for years, and have made companies LOTS of money – there’s no disputing that…

Keep in mind: that’s only ONE way to grow your business (not the “only way to go”).

Tripwires are only “one spoke in the Money Wheel.” 

Of course, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that the more spokes in your money wheel, the more predictable, reliable, and robust your profits.

A popular misconception is that you “need” a tripwire or it’s the “only way to go,” so allow me to give you another perspective…

Over the last week, I spoke with two 8-figure entrepreneurs who refuse to use tripwires in their businesses. They claim it’s because they receive higher-value/higher quality customers when they make an offer for a more expensive purchase, rather than teasing them with a $7.00 intro product.

A tripwire is simply one more way to attract buyers into your business. There are people who need nurturing before they buy… Or prefer a lower risk method of testing the waters before spending a lot of money with you – in these cases, a tripwire is valuable.

For other consumers, if properly marketed to, they’ll jump right into your more expensive products – and skip right over the popular tripwire offers.

As far as my experience goes, I’ve sold more with +$1,000 products (in industries littered with tripwires) than the income I’ve generated from tripwires.

So, in summary… The only “right” answer is to cast a wider net by creating a multitude of varying offers – tripwires and more expensive offers alike.

Hope this helps!

In your corner,

Charlie