How Do-It-Yourself Increases Consumer Response

I've always wondered if a completely  done-for-you solution is the strongest product to sell. In the Internet Marketing world, we are often told to sell cheaply, or give away, the process to create something like a physical training program. But then in the up-sell, offer a "done-for-you program", because many people will take you up on that offer.

A study reported in strategy+business, though, refutes this approach.

The new study concludes that consumers will value a product more when they've had a hand in making it themselves, and when they've been given some creative opportunities along the way. In doing so, they satisfy a desire to show their competence.

There are a few conditions needed to maximize this response:

• The consumer should be prompted with a nostalgic memory to put them into a positive mindset.
• The customization and creativity have to be included during the assembly process - consumers have little patience for the tedium of completely planning a project before rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.
• The process works best where extreme effort rather than simple inspiration is required. Using the physical training plan as an example, the up-sell solution could be a plan that has options in each step along the way for the consumer to use. The plan could say "Ab Session: Choose either exercise A or B. No forethought needed. Today simply choose exercise A or B."

For marketers, look for any way you can offer creative options alongside all the practical choices.

By Kevin Rokosh