When bonuses backfire (& the fix!) ... [🐝U]

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Every “no” you get from a prospect comes down to 1 word:
BUT

Most business owners focus on the thing … their service, offer, or deliverable … instead of what it does for the prospect.

& because they’re so focused on their service, chances are there’s zero mention of bonuses to lean prospects into the “yes” column.

Marketers, on the other hand, we love piling on bonuses like toppings at a froyo bar.

But here’s the thing about bonuses … more isn’t always better.

In fact, not having bonuses can hurt.
But having too many (or the wrong kinds) hurts more.

That’s where buyer’s stop listening.
& they stop trusting.

Suddenly, the bonus ingredient meant to sweeten the deal makes you toxic

So how DO you find that balance … the right kind of bonus that helps instead of hurts your sales?

Putting Meat on Bonus Bones

Let’s start with what most bonuses get wrong … the kind that sound good but are duds on contact.

Bonuses don’t just add fluff to your offer. They’re not Cotton-Candy-Content that looks good, takes up a lot of space, but totally disintegrates when you bite into them.

When you hear a marketer tell you that bonuses should be worth more than the offer, technically that’s true.

But every time I saw a client pile on bonuses like whipped cream on a sundae, the whole campaign melted faster than it could be served up.

I get it. I’ve made those same mistakes.
But I kept testing & learning until things got cleaned up.

Your bonus needs meat on its bones.

Your bonuses are meant to banish the prospect’s ‘but’ … the little objections blocking them from getting to ‘yes’

Every single ‘but’ your prospect has is a roadblock to your sale. A smart bonus is the bulldozer that clears the way.

Don’t call it a bonus if they need it

This is where most offers fall apart … not because the core offer is weak … but because the line between essential & extra gets blurry.

Before you decide what extra(s) to add, we need to get clear on what’s already included.

Your offer’s “deliverable” is the thing they need to achieve what you promised as part of your offer

Your bonuses should never be things they need to make it work … because that just proves your offer’s incomplete & can’t do what it promises on its own.

Including essentials as bonuses leaves prospects questioning your offer’s value,
& they’ll wonder what else they’ll have to pay for later to have you deliver on the offer’s promise.

👉 It’s not a bonus if they need it.

You wouldn’t buy a car & hear the dealership say,
“as a bonus, we’ll throw in a set of tires”

Think of it like this … your prospect’s already nervous about getting burned (again). If the bonus is something they must have to get the offer’s promise, you just confirmed their fear: the offer’s not enough to help them … not really

The real job of a Bonus

Once your core offer stands on its own, then (& only then) do you add bonuses that remove reasons not to buy

Ideally, for every objection your prospect has, aim for a bonus that overcomes it
Your bonuses remove friction & make it easier to get to “yes”.

“I love it & I want it … BUT …”

Your bonus banishes the but
“But banishing bonuses” … sounds like something that comes with a gym membership

Some common objections:
→ “I don’t have time”
→ “This seems to complicated/overwhelming”

Bonus ideas to overcome them:
→ no time = quick-start checklist or a mini-implementation sprint
→ too hard = templates, cheat sheets, setup help, community support/groups

Remember, each bonus exists to neutralize 1 specific ‘but’ … not to pile on more “stuff”

Too Many Bonuses Backfire

We’ve all been guilty of over-compensating & mistaking it for over-delivering. Just 1 more bonus to make sure they “see the value”

It’s feels generous at the time, but all your prospect sees is a bit more clutter & confusion.

That’s usually a good sign the offer’s going to collapse under its own weight.

If 1 bonus clears a roadblock, adding 10 creates a new one.

Over-bonusing creates overwhelm & tells prospects you don’t believe your offer is strong enough on it’s own.

You don’t want your bonuses to breed like rabbits.
Less is more here.

Bonuses also can’t be random.
They need to stick to the area your offer helps in.

While doing something is usually better than nothing, adding random bonuses to an offer is an exception to that rule.

The big 3 focus areas for marketing a business are:
lead generation → conversion → retention

That means you need to find people → get them to buy → & encourage them to stick around (& give you more $$ while telling their friends about you)

If your offer helps with lead generation (get more people through the door), then that’s the focus. If you start dropping in retention-related things, there’s a disconnect … no matter how much it can help.

Your bonus stack isn’t a clearance bin of extras you couldn’t sell.

Once your bonuses are clear & clean, there’s 1 more plot twist most people miss … when you reveal your bonus can matter more than the what.

& here’s where it gets fun … even the timing of your bonus can change how your prospect feels about the offer.

The Secret Power of Surprise Bonuses

Bonuses don’t just help with sale, they also help keep it.
Sometimes sharing a bonus before the sale can hurt conversion, but offering that same bonus as a surprise afterward boosts satisfaction & retention.

Here’s why:
Even though a bonus is “free” prospects still feel like they’re paying for it
If they don’t see the relevant or useful, they’re more likely to say no.

For Example:
If your offer includes a bonus live session on a specific day/time, your prospect may create an objection …
→ “oh I’m busy that day so I can’t make it”
= not worth it because I can’t attend live (even though there’s a replay)
= “I don’t want to pay for something I can’t use”

But that same session revealed after the sale …
→ “oh I’m busy that day but I can watch later”
= there’s more than what I paid for
& I’m not missing anything

Same bonus.
Different timing.
Opposite effect.

You Bonus But-Check

Here’s your quick 5-step “but”-check to ensure you’re bonuses help instead of hurt your offer

1 - list your prospect’s objections
2 - match each with a potential bonus that overcomes it
3 - ask: does this bonus add clarity or clutter?
4 - never include the essentials … those belong in your offer’s deliverables
5 - name your bonus in a way that reinforces its benefit … “The 10-Minute Quick Start” vs “no time? no problem”

Your bonuses should feel like you just read their mind, not their credit card statement.

At the end of the day, people don’t say ‘yes’ because you stacked the most value in bonuses … they say ‘yes’ because you made them feel safe saying it.

That’s the real job of every great marketer.

If you remember 1 thing from this:
Bonuses don’t build trust … you (& your offer) do.
The right bonus just clears the objections on the way to ‘yes’

Make it a great “but-banishing“ week!
EG

PS: Want to get better at reading your prospect’s mind?

The Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp helps you understand why people hesitate & what really motivates them to buy from you.

It explains their levels of awareness, desires, & how to stand out from your competition without sleazy gimmicks

& because I’m sitting in again, my bonus to you for joining me is access to a small study group with 9 other attendees.

Here are my Bootcamp ‘but-busters’
→ more time … from the group helping you lock in your offer (& bonus) messaging
→ less intimidation … a small, comfortable space with your peers vs 100+ people with many far-more “successful” business-owners.

See how that fits?
It’s not fluff … it exactly what removes the ‘but’

5 of the 10 spots are taken & there’s only 1 more week to decide before Bootcamp starts.

You’ll find more details in last week’s email.
& remember to let me know you’re in because I won’t to share the secret knock into the study group.

PPS:

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