Issue 029: How Zogics Boosted Email Clicks by 360%, Handling Sales Objections Like Miyagi & More

Plus: Science-backed discount strategies that boost sales.
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April 02, 2025 | #029 | Free Version

Hi friend and happy Wednesday!

Welcome to Startup Blitz, a weekly newsletter full of timeless ideas and insights you can use in your online business.

This week, we discuss –

📧 How Zogics increased their email click-through rate by 360%

🔬 The science-backed way to use discounts for more sales

📞 The Mr. Miyagi method for handling any sales objections

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How Zogics Increased Their Email Click-Through Rate by 360%

Zogics is a manufacturer of cleaning products.

They have found a simple way to boost email engagement. After customers make a purchase from their website, they receive a standard confirmation email.

Several hours later, typically at the end of the day, customers receive a second, more personalized email. It looks like this:

They include an image of an employee holding a clipboard that says, “Thanks, [Customer Name]!”

This small gesture makes a big difference. Before using the personalized image, only 4.5% of customers watched the video. After adding it, the view rate jumped to 20.7%. This is super impressive for first-time e-commerce purchasers.
Zogics creates a personalized video for each customer. These videos take less than a minute to make. They are simple and don’t require high production. When customers watch, they hear a short message:

“Hi [Customer Name]! Laura from Zogics here . . .

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for your order and let you know we’re here to help with anything that you may need.

We love to see our products in action, so please feel free to upload a photo or video to social media using the hashtag #zogicslove.

Thanks again for your wipe and dispenser order. We hope to hear from you soon!”

By investing just a minute of their time in each customer, Zogics creates a lasting impression. This is crucial in fostering loyalty and encouraging repeat business.

Source: Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman

🔬 Scientific Research: How to Use Discounts to Boost Sales

Discounts can be incredibly effective at driving sales. According to one survey, 74% of U.S. online shoppers consider discounts a major factor in their purchasing decisions.

But how can you use discounts most effectively? Here are three scientifically backed tips you can use:

🔹 Use Non-Rounded Discount Numbers

In one study, researchers conducted nine experiments with around 2,000 people. They were trying to buy a range of products – like portable hard drives, water bottles, coffee mugs, and camping chairs. All products were priced between $8 and $50.

Researchers found that using a non-rounded discount number (e.g., 6.8% vs. 7%) increased purchase intent by 13%-21%.

If you are selling lower-priced items (under $100), percentage discounts work best. A “6.8% off” discount feels more compelling than “$3 off.”

For products over $100, consumers prefer absolute dollar discounts. Use “$50 off” instead of “9.8% off.”

🔹 Offer More Product Instead of a Discount

In a field study, researchers sold a hand lotion in a small retail store. One version had a 35% discount. The other came with a bonus pack with 50% more product.

After 16 weeks, they found that the bonus pack version outsold the discounted version by 81%.

The reason? Consumers tend to favour larger percentages. A “50% more” offer feels more valuable than “35% off.” Even if both provide the same financial benefit.

But this only works for low-cost products. If you are selling expensive items, direct price discounts are more effective.

🔹 Unrelated Freebies Can Outperform Discounts

Imagine you’re buying canned dog food. The store offers either a $1.99 discount (regular price: $10.99) or a free can opener. Which one would you choose?

Two researchers ran a three-month experiment at a pet shop. They sold two products – a large can ($10.99) and a small ($6.99) can. They offered customers either a $1.99 discount or a free can opener.

The can opener was also sold elsewhere in the store for $1.99.
Here’s what they found:
The discount for the small can was 28% and for the large one 18%. When the promotion featured a price discount, sales increased for small cans. But it had little impact on large cans.
However, when customers received a free can opener instead of a discount, sales improved for both.

According to the researchers, offering a free, incommensurate product can create a stronger sense of value than a small price cut. If you can’t afford to discount heavily, try adding a bonus item instead.

📖 Book of the Week: The Mr. Miyagi Method for Handling Sales Objections

This week, I want to highlight Cold Calling Sucks (and That’s Why It Works) by Armand Farrokh & Nick Cegelski.

In this book, the authors share how to make cold calls, win the first 60 seconds, handle any objections, and book meetings.
Cold calling is tough. People often treat you like dirt, swear at you and hang up. That’s why most don’t try it or give up very soon.
Instead, they rely on things like cold emails. You can send hundreds of emails with just a few clicks. And you don’t have to have any awkward conversations.
But that’s the problem. Cold email is too easy. So everyone’s doing it, flooding their prospects’ inboxes daily. Cutting through that noise has become almost impossible.
Cold calling, on the other hand, has less competition. Very few people do it. So it’s easier to catch attention.
The biggest challenge with cold call – you have to handle objections on the spot. There is no time to craft the perfect reply like in an email.
In this book, Farrokh and Cegelski share how to do exactly that and make prospects interested in your product.

How to Handle Objections Like Mr. Miyagi

“The first objection is almost always a knee-jerk reaction, not their real objection. They’re not actually considering the pros and cons of anything you’re trying to sell them. They’re just telling you that they don’t like [being interrupted with a cold call].
“This is where most sellers screw up. They try to “handle” those objections by pressuring the prospect with logic. They hurl their pitch at the prospect, reiterate the value of their product, or push for the meeting … but this only makes them push away more.
“You can’t overcome emotion with logic. You need to disarm the emotional reaction first. You need to move them from reacting to listening. To do that, you need some sort of pattern break that gets them to realize you’re an actual human capable of having a conversation.”

Step 01: Agree With the Objection

“When you agree with the objection, your prospect wakes up because it’s a complete pattern break from every other telemarketer who’d normally pitch.
“But you can’t just say … you’re right! You need to agree with their specific objection for it to be believable. Here’s what that looks like for a few common objections:
  • Not Interested. Ah, my bad. You probably would’ve reached out to us if you needed help.
  • No Budget. I hear ya. Nowadays, it’s hard enough to keep something that’s in the budget, let alone ask for something new.
  • Competitor. I should’ve assumed you’d be all set. Honestly, most of the time, it doesn’t make sense to switch when you’ve got something in place.”

Step 02: Incentivize Conversation

“People will resist recommendations until they feel like you understand their situation. If you can get them talking, you allow them to air out their concerns, which makes them far more likely to hear you out in return.

“But it’s not easy to get a stranger talking, so we’ll provide an incentive … no more cold calls:

  • Not Interested. Just so no one reaches out again, is it that you’ve got something in place, you’re doing it yourself, or you just hate getting cold calls?
  • No Budget. Just so no one reaches out again, is it that there’s no budget for this cycle, or you get put through the wringer any time you try to spend it?
  • Competitor. Just so no one reaches out again, are you sponsoring Sales Goon, Commission Carl, or someone else?”

Step 03: Sell the Test Drive

“Selling the product now will only reapply the pressure you just worked hard to remove. Instead, sell the test drive—what they will get out of the meeting—even if they never buy the car.

“If you get them in the car, you will have all the time in the world to ask more about their current car, what sucks about it, and how you can make it better.

“For example, here’s how you sell the test drive:

  • Not Interested (due to an in-house solution). You probably won’t outgrow your solution for a while. But would you be opposed to taking a look, and if nothing else you might get some ideas to add to your own process?
  • No Budget. Hey, you’re probably not gonna buy this thing now. But if budget ever frees up, the people who get it at least have a directional sense of what they’d want. Open to taking a look, and if nothing else you can add it to your wishlist?
  • Competitor. Honestly, it rarely makes sense to replace Sales Goon, but we’ve had a few customers switch due to X, Y, and Z. Would you be completely against taking a look, if for no other reason than to get a sense of the tradeoffs?

“I know it feels counterintuitive, but they’re far more likely to try a test drive if they feel you’re not going to hard-pressure them to buy the car.”

(Lightly edited for brevity)

You can find the book on Amazon or any major bookstore. I highly recommend reading the full book.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have found at least some of these tips helpful.

Until next week!

Sayed Bin Habib

Co-Founder, Startup Blitz

Follow me on LinkedIn / Website

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