I got a new iPhone.

Which means I have an old iPhone.

It was whilst Googling my donation options (and following a series of broken links to programs that no longer exist) that I found Gazelle.

Gazelle was willing to pay me $52 for my old iPhone. I wasn’t sure it was worth the effort of finding, repackaging, and sending my iPhone away for $52, as I really wanted to donate to a cause.

Then Gazelle offered me books.

Gazelle offers a bonus if you choose to get your phone money delivered as an Amazon gift card.  In my world, that means my old iPhone becomes a pile of books.  (Insert screaming “Yaaaaay!” Kristen here.)

It wasn’t until my phone looked like something I looooove that I was willing to go through the effort of getting it all cashed in.

The same principle applies to your clients, my dear.

A $50 discount doesn’t appeal to anyone but cheap consumers — particularly after the storm of discounts that have taken place on Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

To stand out, forget the discount and offer an incredible incentive to purchase instead.

An Amazon gift card. A basket of handcrafted chocolates from a secret supplier. An accordion album that solves the problem of what to give Grandma for Christmas this year.

Make your incentive a bonus, not a mere discount, and you’ll have a better chance of succeeding in being heard above the fury of consumerism that’s happening this time of year.

If your store is empty or your calendar is full, now is the time to craft a killer incentive for getting a jump start on NEXT year.

iPhone 4s report for the curious: Siri translates all the inappropriate words I can think of quite accurately via text message or dictation.  Money well spent.