We've all seen the flashing banners, annoying pop-up ads and
junk emails with the too-good-to-be-true free gift offers, like
"Free iPod!" or "Free Laptop" or "Free Digital Camera."
Many of us simply think to ourselves, nothing is free; this is
just
a scam, right?
Not necessarily. The plain and simple fact is, many incentive
programs actually do work, according to their Terms &
Conditions. But who really wants to read all of that legal
mumbo jumbo?
Well I'm here to tell you that I have read the fine print for
many
of these free gift incentive programs, and even completed a
few. That's right. I have received a few free gifts from these
programs, including a Sony Vaio Laptop, an Apple iPod, and
several free gift cards.
This is quite fortunate for you. Since I have already been
through some of these free gift incentive programs, I know
what to expect, and how to avoid any hassles, and I've written
this article to show you how.
Wait. So you are saying these programs are legit?
Yes. Most of them are anyway. As long as you complete all of
the requirements for the free gift incentive program within the
time period allowed you will receive a "free gift."
How can these companies afford to just give stuff
away?
It's all pretty simple. Free gift incentive programs are
created to
drive prospective customers to "sponsors" who then pay the
incentive program for each lead sent. This money is then used
to buy and ship your free gift.
For example, imagine a free gift incentive program offering a
$50 Wal-Mart gift card. In order to receive this gift, you are
required to complete 6 sponsor offers. If the guys running the
incentive program receive $10 for each lead, then they have
enough money for your gift and a few dollars profit as well.
So how can I make this easy?
As long as you are careful, receiving your free gift should
only
take a few hours of your time over the course of a month or so,
depending on the program you choose and the free gift you
want to receive.
It's best to plan to complete all of the requirements for the
free
gift incentive at once. Do not start one of these programs if
you
will not have time to spend on it. You will only have one shot
at
each incentive program.
**Pitfall Preventing** These free gift incentive programs
usually have time restrictions, so complete all offers as
quickly as possible. Some companies will give you up to 90
days from the time you complete all the offers to claim
your free gift but others may only give you 90 days from
the time you register. Quickly scan the Terms and
Conditions to be sure you know the time restrictions.
The most important thing you can do during this process is
to
keep some simple documentation of what you are doing. Write
down every piece of information that you send or receive along
with the respective dates, including the date that you
registered,
and the websites and cancellation information for each of the
offers you complete.
Most offers will probably involve some sort of subscription
with a free trial period, after which you will be billed
automatically. Be sure to cancel these before the trial period
ends. Set schedule alarms, place reminder sticky notes around
your house, whatever it takes, but DO NOT forget to cancel
them.
You will definitely have to spend a few bucks here and there
for shipping and spend some time filling out forms and making
phone calls to cancel memberships, but the free gifts will
almost
always outweigh the cost to you.
The bottom line here is that these incentive programs DO work
if you know how to complete them correctly. Hopefully these
tips will be helpful for you in your next free gift incentive
program. Best of luck!
About the author:
Elijah Klay is an Internet Marketing Associate for Family
Marketing Inc. who has scoured the web to find the easiest free
offers and incentives. To take advantage of tons of simple
offers for great free stuff, check out
http://www.PlanningFamily.com
