Free stuff

A theory based upon nothing but the need to make money was promoted vigourously by the cynical perpetrator and all of his pet parrots and budgerigars a few years ago. I maintain a gmail account so that I can be the recipient of the result of this theory LOADS OF FREE STUFF!

You only need to look into your spam folder (gmail especially) to see how this little theory has become the harbinger of a whole new way of life for marketers who cannot think a proposition through nor make their own decision on it.

The theory is that if you give good stuff away, you will receive good stuff in return and people who have received your good stuff will buy other good stuff from you.

Does this work?

No. It does not. Most people are quite happy to receive freebies and are seldom of a mind to find something to buy as the result of getting them. Indeed, the freebie culture has under-mined the basic commercial value of being an internet marketer.

There is a whole world of free stuff on the internet. A lot of this free stuff is high value and will easily replace stuff that is for sale. Open Office is as comprehensive as Microsoft Office, for example, without the price tag.

Looking at the free stuff that is now being used by wannabe marketers to "build their lists", the only observation to make is that most of it isn't even worth down-loading because you already have it.

In the real world, shop-keepers do not give stuff away unless it is a special occasion or as a small bonus for the purchase of something else. It is not possible to build a business by giving stuff away.

Free stuff is what it is - FREE! It has no value so why risk offending a potential customer by insulting him? Only a few gurus can beat you into believing that free stuff works and they can only do that if you read their ten foot long sales pages and buy the product that tells you how to give stuff away (Oh. If you haven't got any free stuff, buy some of his free stuff and give it away.)

Once your name is associated with free stuff, it becomes more difficult to persuade your list members to buy anything from you. Even the dimmest new wannabe marketer will soon realise that he doesn't have to buy anything - he simply has to Google it and find a free supplier.