Sales Incentives # 19: Personalization

Personalization differs from customization in that the value added element does not serve a practical purpose. A baseball hat or mousepad personalized with the buyer's initials does not function better than the same item without the buyer's initials, but the initialed version will create a far stronger emotional bond--and will be kept around longer.

Personalization does not have to be complicated. Offering a computer monitor buyer their choice of screen saver software--perhaps their choice of photographic subjects--might be enough to convert interest into a commitment to purchase.