The trouble with trying to sell anything to anybody... especially 
with ads and sales letters... is buyer resistance. So how do you 
completely eliminate the resistance to your offer? 

It's easy when you learn this secret...

One of the most powerful offers you can use in your advertising 
is the word Free.

But, you may well ask... how can I make a profit giving my 
products and services away without charging for them?

Which is the exact reason why you need to understand the 'LVC 
Formula' - it stands for the Lifetime Value of a Client!

Here's how it works. Let's imagine for a moment you own a beauty 
salon. Now if you get a new customer, they may pay you $80 for 
their first treatment.

But how much is this $80 client really worth?

After all, most clients will continue to buy off you for many 
years to come.

For instance, let's imagine your average client returns for a 
beauty treatment 8 times a year... and remains a client for 2 
years.

$80 (price of consultation) x 8 (purchases a year) x 2 (number of 
years)

Now if you have a calculator handy, you'll work out the value of 
this client as $1280.00.

And if your profit margin is 40% this calculates to a $512 profit 
per client.

Let's imagine we sent a letter to all the nearby businesses 
offering women a free manicure valued at $30.00 (I'm not a beauty 
therapist, so please forgive me if all these figures are way 
out).

And if the manicure costs you $7 in products and 30 minutes of 
your time (which if you're not busy... you'd just be sitting on 
your butt anyway!)

So effectively the $7 investment could have just made you $512 in 
profit.

And how easy is it to give away a free manicure?

Or for other industries...

 * A free car service
 * A free dancing lesson
 * A free consultation
 * A free ice cream
 * A free report of some sort

The secret lies in giving away something which has a high 
perceived value, but actually costs you very little to produce.

Why does it work so well?

Using the word 'Free' in your advertising STOPS inertia. You see, 
people are happy with their current hairdresser... or their 
mechanic.

But when they get an opportunity to trial a product or service 
for FREE - there's something irresistible and risk free about it, 
isn't there?

A word of warning though. Make sure you offer the best possible 
service... otherwise people will not come back, and you'll get a 
bad name very quickly.

And of course, where possible, make sure you collect a 
database... and measure your results.

What could you offer for FREE? Write down a few ideas now... and 
start implementing this stuff.

It could have an almost overnight effect on your sales. 

Scott Bywater is a professional direct response copywriter and 
the author of Cash-Flow Advertising. To get a complimentary copy 
of his special report '7 Ways To Increase Your Turnover... No 
Matter What The State Of The Economy' (valued at $29.95) and a 
free subscription to his "Copywriting Selling Secrets" ezine 
where you'll discover how to write ads and sales letters that 
make people line up and practically beg you to do business 
with them visit his web site at: 
http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au