is the key to attracting prospects.   2. Bait and Switch Gimmick   First of all the bait and switch gimmick is illegal. Nonetheless, it is still practiced. The bait and switch gimmick advertises a very low price for a product and then when the prospect comes in to buy it, the business has "sold out" and the prospect is then steered toward a higher priced product.   3. The Down Payment/Monthly Payment Gimmick   Car dealerships are famous for using the down payment / monthly payment gimmick. In fact, I have a newspaper advertisement as I sit here writing that says, "Used Cars to Be Sold For As Low As $69 Plus TTL. Millions of Dollars in Unclaimed Vehicles."   Do you believe that this car dealership is going to sell a car for $69? Of course not! The $69 is a down payment; however, it is presented as the total price of the auto. It is very convincing and many people flock to these car sales every weekend.   The monthly payment gimmick is done the same way. A low monthly payment is presented as though it is the entire price of the product.   4. The Free Gimmick   The free gimmick is great for giving away teaser or trial test products without losing your shirt. If youve been watching television lately youve probably seen the CEO of the Video Professor computer training company. They sell computer training courses on CD- ROM.   The CEO offers you a free CD-ROM of your choice. He says, "Why am I giving these away? Because I know if you try just one of my CD-ROM training courses, youll come back for more." However, in small print youll see that he charges $6.95 for shipping.   The $6.95 will not only cover his shipping, but also the manufacturing cost of the CD- ROM. He loses nothing in the offer. When you call up (like I did) youll find out that they try to up-sell you like crazy.   5. The Shipping Charge Gimmick   A spin off of the Free Gimmick is the shipping charge gimmick in which a low price is advertised. But when the order is made an exorbitant shipping fee is charged. So the real profit is hidden in the shipping fee.   There are no restrictions on how much you can charge for shipping. The higher your product is priced, the easier it is to hide profit in the shipping fee.   Successful Discounting Strategies