Closing the sale: Incentive or bribe?

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Dave J.

It’s no surprise when I say business is slow this year. We’ve tried a couple ‘special offers’ as incentives for inducing a buy-now urge in our clients.

But the offer I saw another company offering this morning shocked me. (I’ll leave the actual company out of this.)

A $300 gift card with purchase.

I’d guess the purchase would run in the range of $5K. The landing page for the offer was the product registration page.

Wow, $300 in my pocket if I submit an order for their equipment. Is that ethical? Is that a bribe?

Somehow the directness of the offer makes me unnerved. Sure they could spend that same amount of money on a golf outing and it wouldn’t seem so wrong.

What do you think?

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  • ianderthal

    Intriguing post. My thought: everyone has a price. Labeling that as "incentive" or "bribe" is easy as arguing whether hiroshima was a proactive war-ender or a crime against humanity.

  • ianderthal

    Intriguing post. My thought: everyone has a price. Labeling that as "incentive" or "bribe" is easy as arguing whether hiroshima was a proactive war-ender or a crime against humanity.

  • Marjorie

    It's like those stores that offer 10% off today's purchase if you open a credit card account. Is it a scam to get you to spend more money than you have on products, then pay even more money in interest fees? Yes. Have most of us succumbed to the scam at one time or another? I know I have.Perhaps "bribes" like this are seen differently in the consumer world, where we're used to being enticed with shiny offers. Is B2B commerce above this type of smoke and mirrors marketing?

  • Marjorie

    It's like those stores that offer 10% off today's purchase if you open a credit card account. Is it a scam to get you to spend more money than you have on products, then pay even more money in interest fees? Yes. Have most of us succumbed to the scam at one time or another? I know I have.

    Perhaps "bribes" like this are seen differently in the consumer world, where we're used to being enticed with shiny offers. Is B2B commerce above this type of smoke and mirrors marketing?

  • Nima

    In B2B that's definitely bribing (customer loyalty program in B2C?).It would be interesting to uncover the category they are targeting (or bribing)? Is the buyer they are targeting a senior or a junior? Which department?Funny, in our geographical market, often "influencers" force us to bribe them. They call it "commission" but the truth is that the end-user or the decision maker is often unaware of this "commission".I hate it, but we pay this “commission”, or we won’t be able to compete in the market and someone else will be awarded that big project.

  • Nima

    In B2B that's definitely bribing (customer loyalty program in B2C?).
    It would be interesting to uncover the category they are targeting (or bribing)? Is the buyer they are targeting a senior or a junior? Which department?
    Funny, in our geographical market, often "influencers" force us to bribe them. They call it "commission" but the truth is that the end-user or the decision maker is often unaware of this "commission".
    I hate it, but we pay this “commission”, or we won’t be able to compete in the market and someone else will be awarded that big project.

  • Sales Leads

    very intereting post, this is similar to microsoft paying you cash for using bing for searching the web….

  • Sales Leads

    very intereting post, this is similar to microsoft paying you cash for using bing for searching the web….

  • Mike Damphousse

    It's the same as those event promotion companies paying seminar attendees $100 for "parking". These huge ex-publishing houses are doing nothing except putting buts-in-seats. Is a but worth it? Is a professional taking $100 to sit through a two hour breakfast speech ethical? Green Leads competes with these folks occasionally and once we explain to clients how they operate, it's a no brainer: 100 people earning $100 a piece who don't care, or 25 people that want to be there and are qualified.

  • Mike Damphousse

    It's the same as those event promotion companies paying seminar attendees $100 for "parking". These huge ex-publishing houses are doing nothing except putting buts-in-seats. Is a but worth it? Is a professional taking $100 to sit through a two hour breakfast speech ethical?

    Green Leads competes with these folks occasionally and once we explain to clients how they operate, it's a no brainer: 100 people earning $100 a piece who don't care, or 25 people that want to be there and are qualified.

  • Jeff

    With a discount up front, the company who pays for you to go to the event saves some $. With the card offer, the card will likely end up in the attendees pocket and their company pays more. Hmmm.

  • Jeff

    With a discount up front, the company who pays for you to go to the event saves some $. With the card offer, the card will likely end up in the attendees pocket and their company pays more. Hmmm.