A Self-Liquidating Offer (SLO) is a marketing strategy in which a business sells a product or service at a price that covers or nearly covers, the cost of acquiring a customer.
The primary objective of an SLO is not to profit from the initial sale but to break even or minimize the loss.
By doing so, businesses can acquire customers for “free” or at a very low cost.
Once these customers are acquired, businesses can upsell, cross-sell, or promote higher-priced products or services to achieve profitability in subsequent transactions.1
Visual Representation:
Purpose:
A self-liquidating offer aims to create an effective customer acquisition strategy that pays for itself.
By recovering the cost of customer acquisition, businesses can build a customer base without incurring losses, setting the stage for future profitability through back-end sales and long-term customer relationships.
Key Components:
- Front-end Offer: The initial product or service sold at a slight loss or break-even price. It’s the customer’s entry point into the sales funnel.
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): This is the total cost of acquiring a new customer. It includes advertising, marketing, and any other costs related to bringing in a new customer. The goal of an SLO is to have the revenue from the front-end offer cover this cost.
- Upsells & Cross-sells: Once a customer has been acquired through the SLO, businesses often present them with additional offers. These can be more expensive products, complementary products, or services that enhance the value of the initial purchase.
- Lifetime Value (LTV): This represents the total amount a customer is expected to spend with a business throughout their relationship. With an effective SLO strategy, the LTV should be significantly higher than the CAC, ensuring profitability in the long run.
Benefits of an SLO:
- Reduced Risk: By breaking even on the initial offer, businesses can mitigate the financial risks associated with customer acquisition.
- Customer Base Expansion: An SLO allows businesses to rapidly expand their customer base, as they can reinvest the revenue from the initial sales back into marketing.
- Higher Profit Potential: Once the customer is in the sales funnel, there’s potential for higher profitability through upsells, cross-sells, and repeat purchases.
- Competitive Advantage: Businesses using SLOs can outspend competitors in advertising because they recoup their investment faster, allowing them to dominate advertising spaces and acquire more customers.2
Usage:
Self-Liquidating Offers are widely used in digital marketing, especially in industries where the lifetime value of a customer is high.
They are common in e-commerce, online education, subscription services, and any business model where building a customer base is crucial for long-term success.
Example:
Imagine an online course platform that offers a basic introductory course for $10.
Advertising and getting a customer to purchase this course might also cost $10.
So, while the company doesn’t profit from this initial sale, it has effectively acquired a new customer without net expense.
Once the customer completes the introductory course, they are presented with an advanced course priced at $100.
If even a small percentage of customers go on to purchase the advanced course, the company stands to make a significant profit.
In this scenario, the introductory course serves as the SLO, paving the way for more lucrative sales.
Considerations:
While SLOs can be powerful, they require careful planning and execution. It’s crucial to:
- Ensure the front-end offer is attractive enough to entice purchases.
- Monitor and control the CAC to ensure it doesn’t exceed the revenue from the SLO.
- Have a clear strategy for upselling and cross-selling to maximize the LTV of each customer.
Related Terms:
References:
1. By. (n.d.). How to use self-liquidating offers in your Facebook ads. Social Media Examiner. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-use-self-liquidating-offers-in-facebook-ads/
2. Brunson, R. (2022). EPIPHANY VIDEO SALES LETTER (VSL) FUNNEL. In Expert secrets: The underground playbook for converting your online visitors into lifelong customers. essay, Hay House. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Expert_Secrets/ywhlEAAAQBAJ