How do you turn a service into an offer people act on?

Service versus offer

"We clean gutters" is a service. People read it, agree that gutters need cleaning, and move on. "Fall gutter clean and downspout check for single-story homes, $189, booking through November 15" is an offer. It tells people exactly what they get, what it costs and when to decide.

An offer does not need a discount. It needs to be something a reader can understand in seconds and picture saying yes to.

The five parts of a clear offer

1. The result. Name what changes for the customer, in their words. "Clear gutters before the winter rain" says more than "gutter maintenance service."
2. The scope. Say what is included and what is not. "Up to 200 feet of gutter, all downspouts flushed, photos of the roof edge sent to you after."
3. The price. A clear number, or a clear starting point. "From $189" is fine when it is honest about what raises the price.
4. The reason to act now. A real deadline, a limited number of slots, or a seasonal need. Only use one that is true.
5. The conditions. Anything that limits the offer, stated next to it: service area, home size, booking window, one per household.

If you cannot fill one in, that is usually the part customers will ask about.

Making the offer easy to say yes to

A few ways to make the decision feel smaller:

• Package the common case. A named package ("Bath, trim and nail clip for medium dogs") is easier to choose than a price list.
• Offer a smaller first step, such as a paid inspection or a sample box.
• Remove a known worry. If people fear surprise costs, put the price in writing. If they fear a mess, say how you clean up.

Lesson 11 covers finding those worries; lesson 5 covers the call to action.

Keep promotions honest and legal

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission has published guides on two common promotion claims.

"Free" offers. The FTC's guide on the word "free" says the terms and conditions of a free offer should be stated clearly and conspicuously at the outset, not hidden behind an asterisk in a footnote [1]. It also ties "buy one, get one free" style offers to the regular price, meaning the price the product was openly sold at over a reasonably substantial period, which the guide describes as 30 days [1]. The same guide suggests not running a free offer on the same product or service in one area for more than six months in any twelve [1].

"Was" prices and discounts. The FTC's guide on former price comparisons says the former price should be the actual price at which the item was openly offered to the public on a regular basis, for a reasonably substantial period, in good faith [2]. Raising a price for a few days so a "sale" looks bigger is the guide's own example of a misleading comparison [2].

Rules vary by state and industry, so check anything unusual. The simple test: would a customer who read every word feel they got what they were told?

Common mistakes

Listing the service, not the offer. A menu is not a reason to act.

Fake urgency. A "this week only" price that returns every week trains customers to wait (lesson 5).

Hidden conditions. If the price only applies to certain homes or days, say so beside the price.

Promising outcomes you cannot control. Describe what you will do, not results you cannot deliver every time.

Worked example

A bakery's posts say "We make custom cakes for any occasion!" Every request is different and hard to plan. The owner builds one offer for her most common request:

• Result: a birthday cake ready on the day, with the name and colors the customer chooses.
• Scope: an 8-inch round cake, serves about 12, choice of three flavors and two frosting colors, name written on top.
• Price: $65.
• Reason to act now: she can make a limited number per week, so orders need 5 days' notice.
• Conditions: pickup only, order by message or the website form.

Her post makes the remark first and ends with the question: "Birthday cakes, sorted. An 8-inch cake in your choice of three flavors with the name on top, $65, ready for pickup with 5 days' notice. Whose birthday are you planning for next?"

Customers know exactly what they get, and she can plan her week.

Checklist

• The offer names a result in the customer's words.
• The scope says what is included and what is not.
• The price is clear, or the starting price is honest about what changes it.
• The reason to act now is true.
• Every condition sits next to the offer, not in a footnote.
• Any "free," "sale" or "was" claim matches how I actually price.

Try it

Pick the service customers ask about most. Fill in the five parts on one index card. Read it to someone who does not know your business and ask them to explain back what they would get and what it costs. Fix whatever they get wrong, then use the card for your next post.

Tips

• Name your packages so customers can ask for them by name.
• Put the price in the post when you can; it answers the first question many people have.
• Keep a short list of what is not included to prevent disputes.
• Before any promotion, ask: would a careful customer feel misled?

Sources

1. "Guide Concerning Use of the Word 'Free' and Similar Representations," 16 CFR 251.1, Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/251.1
2. "Former price comparisons," 16 CFR 233.1, Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/233.1