Every directory and SEM product newspapers sell the SMB now and in the near future are going to take them on an uncharted course. This will lead to (2) things- The sales executive not knowing how to set expectations and the SMB not understanding what to expect.

We are at the classic sales maturation point- We don’t know what we don’t know!

There are two parts to the introductory offer-

The Offer- The offer itself is where most companies make their mistake. An introductory offer isn’t the hated value added or the scary discount price. It is an advertising growth plan (plan being the keyword). The actual value of the product needs to be expressed (not like an infomercial). Explain to the decision maker that our goal is to be a business partner and we have set up this introductory offer to help you establish your footprint with this new audience.

I’ve seen the intro offer range from FREE to 25% of the actual cost. The goal is to build up the category to help increase traffic and sticky audience. If you have Business Center or Self Serve Interface push the introductory offers through there so you can collect credit card information and set up reoccurring billing.

Time Period-Introductory offers can help speed up the learning curve. An introductory period should be long enough so that the advertiser can build an internal value statement and better understand the reporting. For directory and SEM products I would recommend 3-6 months as a minimum and up to a year depending on the complexity of the program.

Oh yeah… Don’t worry about the potential revenue you aren’t getting because of the Introductory Offer because you didn’t have it anyway but if you stick to the plan and don’t forget to follow up with this new crop of advertisers you will have a new revenue stream for the future.

During the introductory period and after, The Market Leader Strategy will grow audience and increase traffic which will lead to the ability to target display advertising to the vertical.