The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

2. Most of us like to buy, but we don’t usually like to be sold.
An  offer  you  can’t  refuse  may  apply  subtle  pressure,  but  nobody  likes  a
hard sell. Instead, compelling offers often create an illusion that a purchase
is an invitation, not a pitch. Social shopping services such as Groupon (see
Chapter  8
)  and  Living  Social  have  been  successful  in  recruiting  their
customers  to  do  most  of  their  marketing  for  them.  Indeed,  the  biggest
complaint  about  these  businesses  is  often  that  they  sell  out  of  deals  too
quickly, also known as “They won’t let me give them my money!”
As  you  might  imagine,  the  path  of  least  resistance  is  a  good  place  to
stand.  Visitors  to  Alaska  quickly  understand  why  a  $100  coupon  book  is
worth much more than $100. Marathon runners do not need to be sold on
the  benefits  of  fresh  oranges  after  three  hours  of  running.  Adventurous
college students will grasp the value of a $20,000 “go travel somewhere and
do what you want” fellowship without much explaining.