Discounted offers make sales teams feel that prospects are "ready to spend," overcoming their limiting beliefs about selling. This increased conviction is a key mental benefit, even if upsell conversion rates are the same as with free leads. It makes the team more invested in the sales process.
For businesses where employee time is a real cost (e.g., doctors, consultants), a free offer can lead to costly no-shows. A small, discounted offer ensures prospects have "skin in the game," dramatically increasing show-up rates to 85-90% and protecting valuable appointment slots.
Constantly discounting your main product trains customers to wait for sales and devalues your brand. Instead, splinter off a small component of your core offer and discount that piece heavily. This acquires customers and builds trust without cannibalizing the perceived value of your full-priced core offer.
The perceived value of a discount changes based on its presentation. Test framing it as a percentage off, an absolute amount off, a relative equivalent (e.g., "save a steak dinner"), or simply the final discounted price to see which one drives the most action from your target audience.