How many users for a free trial for selling online services?
In order to persuade customers to sign up for our online service, a we choose to offer a free trail for 30 days.
Not more or less, as after 30 days people should know if they see or experienced a benefit or not.
15 days is too short.
Longer than 30 days will keep them pondering and will take too long.
Number of free accounts
One: the evangelist
As LEADSExplorer is intended for small, medium and even large companies, if we give only one user the opportunity to use and experience it, it won’t spread internally. Moreover he will have a hard time to sell it internally, even if he would become our evangelist.
Two: the evangelist and a wasted
When granting two users to use it for free, then probably his manager will get the second account. As managers are more interested in results and reports and are not into testing or trying new services, the second account has no value for our sales process.
Too many: too much hassle
Some web service companies give 10 or more free user accounts. We don’t see a value in that many free users:
- The organization of the trial: distribution of accounts
- Explaining the trial to employees
- Getting employees involved in testing and trying
- Organizing the feedback
This seems a lot of hassle and waste of time.
Moreover the more people involved in the decision, the higher likelihood several employees will oppose to decide anything.
Restricting for exclusivity
By restricting the access to the trial makes it more exclusive and important for those who are allowed participating.
The internal communication is easier between the testers.
The feedback to the provider is straightforward.
Four trial accounts for internal sales process
We decided to go for 4 free accounts:
The first account for the initiator.
The second account for the manager.
The third and fourth accounts are for colleagues who will use it.
The main goal is to get the internal sales process going.
Thus the more influential the colleagues the better:
- Influential to other colleagues
- Influential to the boss.
Typically it is not the employee who takes the initiative to sing up for a free trial, that is also the most influential in the company.
Thus the free trial has to score on several matters:
- Bringing a feasible solution to a problem
- Convincing of the use and benefit to several users and the manager(s)
- Acquiring an evangelist
- Proving the usability
- Spreading the concept positively: it has to be remarkable
That seems quite a lot for just a free trial during 30 days.
What are your experiences:
- Using a free trial
- Granting free trials?
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I think they should keep on giving free trials to get more possible customer. Because now a days it is really hard to gain trust from the customer especially when it comes to online shopping compared to a personal interaction.
The good thing here is that we are giving people the chance the decide and gain trust from them.