attached. Once the cleaner was in the home he checked for stains on the floor, rugs that needed stretching, holes or weak spots in the rug, and he even performed an air duct inspection. The result was an average of $60 to $80 dollars worth of services sold per free cleaning.   Case Study # 9 - House Cleaning   A house-cleaning service offered to do a full house-cleaning free in the month of December. They called it, "Santas Gift to Mommy." They were immediately deluged with requests. Once "Mommy" saw what they could do to their home and how good she felt with a clean house, 38% of them signed up for the regular service. The biggest problem the house-cleaning business owner had over the next 12 months was finding staff to do a good job of cleaning.   Case Study # 10 - Vacuum Cleaner Retailer   (I included this case study because David Oreck is such a fantastic direct marketer.) David Oreck, chairman of Oreck Vacuums gives away a free Cordless Speed Iron just for taking the "Oreck XL Challenge" and trying out his 8-pound vacuum cleaner. Even if you dont buy the Oreck XL vacuum cleaner you get to keep the Cordless Speed Iron! And if you end up purchasing the Oreck XL vacuum cleaner, you also get his Oreck Super Compact hand-held vacuum. Now heres a guy who knows what "total customer value" is all about!   Justify Any Deal Thats "Too Good To Be True"   If your offer that includes free giveaways appears "too good to be true" to your prospect, it could decrease its believability and your credibility. To avoid this you should always give the reason why you can offer such a great deal.   It might be that you goofed and are now overstocked, you got a great deal from your supplier, or you just want to say thank you in a meaningful way. Whatever the case may be, give a reason. It doesnt even have to be a good reason; it just needs to be believable.   Remember, your prospect is very skeptical and has good reason to be. Weve all been duped at one point in time by a "too good to be true" scam. Furnishing your prospects with the reason why you can offer them such a good deal helps them to logically reconcile your offer in their minds. In turn, this will give your prospect the comfort level needed to act on your offer.   Conclusion   Using free giveaways is an effective marketing strategy if used correctly. Think about what you can offer free-of-charge that your prospects would consider valuable, and that you can give at a low cost to you. Dont forget to compute your total customer value so you know how much you are able to invest in attracting a new customer. Lastly, make