So it’s Black Friday / Cyber Monday, and evvveryone is putting out their bestest most fantastically irressistible deal to gather as many new customers and $$ as possible.

It’s a buying and selling frenzy … perhaps the most live time for people spending people.

And what’s the most common approach here?

To make a discount.

90% off Black Friday only! Cyber Monday, all of our courses bundled 76% off! And every variation there-in.

But here’s a common problem with this …

Current customers see your major discount and think:

“Hol-up … I paid full price for that and you’re telling me I could have spent 90% less?”

And on the flip side …

Prospective customers think:

“Wait a moment … this $1k course is now $100 … is it actually worth $1k? Or is that number just something you pulled out of your behind?”

By taking advantage of the buying frenzy, slapping a huge discount on your stuff just to make money …

You send a clear message.

You create a clear dynamic.

One which people integrate into their subconscious understanding of you and your business.

Why do it?

Because it works!

Scarcity and Fomo are some of the most (if not THE most) powerful beasts of persuasion.

There’s nothing like saying “get this thing you always wanted, but couldn’t ever justify at full price, but save 75%.”

And “we may never do this again!”

(Spoiler alert, yes you will)

Before I get into A Different Way …

Major discounts aren’t inherently wrong.

(Unless you’re doing that thing where you raise your prices before the promotion and then discount it)

But if don't want to be establishing this kind of dynamic in your business…

You need A Different Way.

Here’s my favorite approach to ANY holiday or celebratory promotion …

First,

Don’t discount your core products, ever.

A discount is usually a crutch to create some kind of urgency in the prospects purchase decision.

Unfortunately, when your promotions are built around discounts, you teach people that you are actually less valuable than you usually present.

We want to harness Urgency and Scarcity, because they are powerful, but we must do so in creative unique ways.

Urgency is easy and built into the timeframe.

Only available Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or your christmas, or your birthday, etc).

For Scarcity …

Instead of a discount, offer something completely new and unique which they can’t otherwise get.

• A unique variation of your product.
• A unique design
• A special hangout / meeting with you
• A walk through workshop style execution of your course (do it live, nothing to make ahead of time)
• A presale type offer to something you haven’t made yet (early adopter supporters get huge benefits, they risk their money for nothing now on the promise of long term reward)

The limits are your imagination …

It doesn’t have to be a huge amount of investment on your end … your customers and prospects just need to see it as uniquely valuable and in alignment with your brand.

Here’s a final thought …

Every time you deep discount your core stuff, you put the question in your prospects mind … “is this actually worth what they sell it for” … or at the very least "if I can get this cheaper, I'm just gonna get it cheaper"

AND

You aren’t getting customers who are happy and pleased to buy it at full price.

Think about that dynamic.

And think about whether your business can build a different one, while still reaping the rewards of “buying events” like BFCM.