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An ad come on the radio the other day and I was struck by how often they emphasized that they offered a free consultation. That was the only selling point. Yes, absolutely free. No strings attached. You know what I thought? Duh.

Who doesn’t offer that? We can call it a free initial consultation, an obligation-free quote or a no-risk trial, but it all boils down to the same thing. And because everyone does it, it seems silly to make such a big deal about it.

If that’s the only thing you have to offer or spotlight, you need to go back to the drawing board. That’s not an offer that is significant enough to make people raise their hand and say they want to buy. That’s just the price of admission.

Pull out your brochures, Web copy, radio scripts or whatever communication tools you use to sell. Circle any of these phrases that you find:

• Free consultation

• Free initial visit

• No-risk trial

• Obligation-free quote

• Money-back guarantee

• Convenient hours

• Guaranteed 100 percent satisfaction

Are these important elements of your offering? Sure. Should they be bolded, highlighted and put in the center? No. They are givens. Does including some of this language reassure your audience? Maybe, but if they need that reassurance, you’ve still got a lot of work ahead of you.

I’m not suggesting that you can’t or shouldn’t make such offers. But be sure it’s in the background, not front and center. Customers expect you to promise them convenience and satisfaction. That’s the foundation you build on. The question is … what comes next?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan