What is the basic formula for running an effective sale?

The formula is: Incentive plus Scarcity times Attention. The incentive is the reason to buy now—a discount, free shipping, a bonus, or something else that motivates action. Scarcity is the real, enforced deadline; without it, people simply don’t act. Attention is your omnichannel push—getting your message out across every surface you own: email, social media, website banners, SMS, etc. Together, these three elements create the conditions for a successful sale. It’s pure math: no deadline means no urgency, and no multichannel presence means your message doesn’t break through.

Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-04-23