An OTO, also known as a one time offer, is a proposal that is made to a potential customer at a time when they have only that single chance to make a purchase.
The one time offer was made popular by direct marketing, and has become a staple for internet marketers looking to increase profits without having to build entirely new websites.
The OTO is something that can make you a lot of money if you know what you’re doing, and this is why it’s so important to know exactly what an OTO is, how it works, and why it’s so popular.
The OTO is a limited time offer that is presented sometime during an existing offer that a sales lead is entertaining. Typically, the one time offer in its most true form is offered after a sale is made on an existing product, for a similar product or service that would enhance the current purchase.
When I worked for a direct marketing company, there were plenty of OTO’s to go around, and thus it was the easiest way to learn about the power of the OTO, as well as what an OTO is all about in terms of actual products or services being offered.
At the direct marketing company I worked with we sold shoes and insoles to people with foot discomfort. A lead would see our infomercial on television, call in to place an order, and be taken through a scripted series of OTO’s.
What we did for insoles and shoes, others have done for everything from knife sets to e-books. An OTO is applicable to any given situation that involves a sale.
This OTO was an interesting one because all the products we offered were meant to enhance the customer’s foot comfort.
So if customer X, we’ll call him Bob, orders a set of the comfort insoles for $19.99, we ask him if he’d like some peppermint massage spray to use on his feet before and after using the insoles.
Regardless of his answer the next offer was for special orthopedic socks that would help the foot rest comfortably with the new insoles. And this process would go on for about ten to fifteen minutes, or 5-10 separate OTO’s.
At this point you might be thinking that the customer probably turned all of them down, and hung up the phone to boot.
Wrong, the customer purchased about half of the OTO’s offered to him, and the company was able to take a $19.99 purchase and transform it into a $120 purchase just from pitching a few clever one time offers.
The above example best symbolizes what a one time offer is all about. It’s unexpected, exciting, relevant, and most importantly presented at the perfect time. Imagine a one time offer being similar to a proposal for marriage.
You wouldn’t propose to your significant other if the two of you were fighting with one and other would you? So why would you want to push a one time offer at a time when the customer feels uncomfortable and pressured?
You wouldn’t, and thus this book is as much about learning to know when to present a one time offer as it is about how or what to present the customer.
Back to the marriage example; think about the perfect setting for a proposal. While I can’t be sure what you’re thinking, it probably involves candles, a nice dinner, maybe a beautiful ocean view, and some type of ring being presented either to you or from you.
Think about what goes into that situation for a minute, and you’ll better understand the science behind OTO’s and what makes them so powerful.
