A guy working a booth for the US Airways VISA card at the Phoenix airport stood in the middle of the concourse yelling to anyone who would listen, “Free stuff!”

He apparently was giving away some type of t-shirt or stuffed animal for signing up for their card. I wasn’t quite sure, since I, like everyone else, went out of my way to avoid him and not make eye contact. (I already have the card anyway.)

A radio commercial the other day offered a special report on preventing some physical malady, and at the end said, “Call right now! The phone call is FREE!”

What’s my point? “Free” is not a benefit in and of itself.

However too many marketers and salespeople must think so, and use it often.

Here’s an important point: if the product, service, or thing that is the main deliverable is not desirable, it doesn’t matter if it is free.

Here’s how you know if free is good: if they ask for it for free. Then you have some leverage to get what you want.