Negative split testing

In sales, primarily written stuff like web pages, emails, or old-school mailings, there’s a concept of split testing, whereby one sends out two versions of some sales material with one difference between them and then compares the response between the two.  The winner becomes the “control,” and then new tests are done to try to beat it.

Sometimes, though, a higher response isn’t a good thing.

I had a chance to think about this with some emails I was sending out to prospects recently (personal, individual responses to queries about potential projects, but this concept would work for a mass mailing too.) There are some things I’m still testing out to improve my response rates, like how much to put in a mail, how big to make the paragraphs, how quick to respond, and so on, but there are other things I’m effectively negative split testing on right now.

Put another way, there are some elements to my process where I want to beat the “control” with fewer sales. Because some clients are more expensive than others.

I have my list of what I look for in a client, for sure. It comes down to the type of job, the length of the engagement, the type of work being done, the potential for future work, the possibility of referrals, how much I can reliably outsource vs do in house, and about a dozen other factors that I actually have written down in a checklist, because it’s really important.

But equally if not more important is my list of what makes me want to run away. Well, run away with good reason anyway; lots of things make me want to run away if they’re in that magic spot just outside of my comfort zone, but that’s part of the things I look for.

Anyway, there are things that I look to in the pre-sales phase for signs of danger, and over time I’ve been gradually refining my messaging and communication style to test for these.

The end result? Fewer sales! But, I’m convinced, in a good way.  I’m not sure I’m properly managing both positive and negative split tests at the same time, especially with current volumes, but if nothing else this practice has reinforced the mindset that just as clients choose me, I’m choosing them, and a rejection on either side isn’t the end of the world; it might just save months of heartache (or heartburn, if you prefer) for everyone.

Photo by KB35