How to Create an Irresistible Offer: 8 Psychological Triggers

Not all offers are created equal. Some are downright awful. Others aren’t horrible but leave a lot to be desired. And then there are the irresistible offers. That’s the one we’re talking about today. Keep reading to find out how to create an irresistible offer.

Your old car is a wreck—the paint is peeling off, the windshield is cracked, and the seats are stained. “I’ll get it serviced soon,” you keep telling yourself, but you keep putting it off.

Then your friend shows up and offers to take it to the service center.

You’re glad you don’t have to spend a day fixing that bucket of bolts. 

It gets better. He is friends with the garage owner, so he gets a 50 percent discount.

You’re elated.

It doesn’t stop there. Your friend says he’ll change the tire and fill up the gas.

You’re over the moon. You just got an offer you can’t turn down.

We can’t all have friends like that, but we can learn how to make irresistible offers like your friend did.

What is an irresistible offer?

As the name implies, an irresistible offer is a marketing offer that just can’t be refused. It’s the proverbial “no-brainer.” The key is to understand what your customer wants and needs. Once you know that, you can craft an offer that’s too good to pass up.

How to create irresistible offers

If you want to make an irresistible offer, you need to understand your potential customer’s emotional triggers and the transformation they’re seeking. Buyer persona research can help you find these triggers. Once that’s clear, it’s just a matter of showing them how you’ll deliver that transformation.

Many people believe you need a unique product to create a compelling offer. That’s simply not true. You can create an irresistible offer even with the most boring product. The key to making a successful offer is focusing on your customer and not bragging about yourself. Show them how your product can take them from point A to point B.

For example, let’s say you offer business coaching to small business owners. You know that your potential customers want to grow their business, but they don’t know how to do it. They’re also worried about making the wrong decisions and wasting money.

Your marketing offer could be: “I’ll help grow your business by 30 percent in the next six months with my proven system. And if you’re not happy with the results, I’ll give you your money back.”

You’re more likely to get a yes if your offer is tailored to your target customers.

The psychology of an irresistible offer

Despite what we think, people don’t make decisions based on facts. We make decisions based on our emotions and then use logic to justify those decisions. That’s why it’s important to understand what makes an irresistible offer when crafting your message. There are nine psychological triggers that you can use to create an irresistible offer:

Scarcity

Scarcity indirectly acts as social proof. It gives the sense that an offer is popular or selling out fast making people more likely to buy the product before it runs out. It’s a powerful marketing tool that can make your offers more appealing. For example, if you’re selling tickets to an event, you might announce that there are only a limited number of tickets available.

Words like “limited edition,” “selling fast,” and “only x number left” are some other ways to create scarcity. These terms create a sense of urgency and motivate people to act fast.

You can see this in action on the Booking.com website. It displays the remaining number of rooms in bright red font.

Urgency FOMO (fear of missing out)

FOMO is the feeling that someone experiences when they think they might miss out on something. FOMO is the psychological trigger that encourages people to buy your products when you create urgency.

Although urgency is closely related to scarcity, it’s not limited to the scarce availability of the product. Urgency can be created in other ways such as time-sensitive offers, flash sales, early bird offers, or exclusive access to content.

Here’s Amazon using it on their homepage. They even have a countdown timer under each product.

Build trust through social proof

The concept of social proof is simple: when people see that others are doing something, they’re more likely to do it themselves. There is a bandwagon effect. And when it comes to making an irresistible offer, social proof can be a powerful tool. Social proof can be in the form of testimonials from happy customers, social media posts from satisfied clients, or even stories about how you’ve helped others in the past.

Tony Robbins does this on his website by displaying testimonials from Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce; Serena Williams, professional tennis player; and Maria Menounos, actress, and TV host.

If you’re an established brand, another way to build social proof is to show the number number of clients you have served or by featuring press releases about your brand in the media. 

Reduce friction

By making it easy for your customers to say “yes”, you can increase your conversion rate and boost your bottom line. So how can you reduce friction in your offers? Here are a few simple strategies to reduce entry friction:

• Make sure your offer is clear and easy to understand. Use plain language and avoid jargon.
• Include all the essential information upfront. Don’t make your customers hunt for details.
• Remove any barriers to acceptance. If there’s anything standing in the way of your customers taking advantage of your offer, get rid of it.
• Simplify the decision-making process. Help your customers weigh the pros and cons so they can make an informed decision quickly
• Handle objections in advance. If you can anticipate your customers’ objections, address them head-on in your offer.
• Offer payment plans. Give your customers flexibility with their payments.
• Provide customer support. If your customers have questions, make sure you have someone available to answer

Build up the perceived value

When it comes to making a sale, perceived value is everything. The more value your customer perceives in your offer, the more irresistible it will be. Bonuses and offer stacking are two great ways to build up perceived value and make your offer irresistible.

Bonuses are extra items or services that you include with your main offer. They don’t have to be expensive or complicated, but they should be something that your customer would want or need. For example, if you’re selling a course on how to start a business, your bonus could be templates for a business plan or a list of resources for starting a business.

Offer stacking or value stacking is when you include multiple products or services in one offer. This is a great way to increase the perceived value of your offer because it allows your customer to get more bang for their buck.

For example, if you’re selling a fitness program, your value stack could look something like this:

• 30-minute zoom session with the trainer to set your goals
• A 30-day diet plan to keep your energy levels up
• A workout schedule to follow at home
• Access to a private Facebook group for support and motivation
• One-on-one email support
• Access to the exclusive members-only Facebook group
• Exclusive discounts on supplements and add-on consulting sessions

Risk reversal

Risk reversal is a strategy where you remove the risk from your offer so that your customer can buy with confidence. There are a couple of ways to do this:

Offer a money-back guarantee. This is one of the most common ways to reduce risk because it takes all the risk off of your customer. If they’re not happy with the product or service, they can get their money back.

Pay only if you like it. This is a great way to reduce the risk for online shoppers. If they’re not happy with the product when they receive it, they can send it back without having to pay for it.

Include a trial period. This is a great way to reduce the risk of subscription-based services. Your customer can try out the service for a certain period of time before they’re charged.

Make your offer unique

Have you ever wondered why some offers are irresistible while others fall flat? It often has to do with how unique the offer is. When you make your offer unique, you make it more compelling and irresistible. Here are some ways to do that:

TOMS is a good example of a company championing a mission. For every purchase you make, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. By aligning their brand with a cause, they’ve made their offer more compelling and attractive to customers.

Nail the pricing

It’s no secret that everyone loves a great deal. Incredible offers are hard to resist, and they can be a powerful marketing tool. But what many people don’t realize is that getting the pricing right is just as important as creating an offer that’s irresistible.

Creating irresistible offers isn’t about giving your product away for free or slashing prices to the bone. It’s about finding the sweet spot where your price is low enough to persuade prospects but high enough to still make a profit. Testing different prices can help you find this sweet spot.

You need to understand your target audience to understand the pricing strategy that will work best for them.

Apple products, designer clothes, and fine wine are all examples of products that command a premium price.

But how do they get away with charging so much?

It’s because they’ve done their research and they know that their target market is willing to pay a higher price for the quality.

On the other hand, fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King use a value-based pricing strategy. They know that their target market is price-sensitive, so they keep their prices low to attract customers.

If you want to create an irresistible offer, you need to find the right balance between price and value. You also need to understand your target market and what they’re willing to pay for your product or service.

Conclusion

Creating irresistible offers is not about giving your product away for free or slashing prices to the bone. The goal is to strike the right balance between price and value for your target market. Put these techniques to use in your digital marketing strategy and see if it improves your results. What are some other ways to make an offer irresistible? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter.