Have you ever noticed that people get incredibly happy whenever you unexpectedly think of them or do something for them?
It
doesn’t matter if it’s related to your business or personal life. Take
Oprah Winfrey for example. At a live event a few years ago, she
mentioned how she loves to purchase makeup whenever it’s “Clinique
Bonus Time” as she gets a gift.
Here we have a woman worth over a
billion dollars who she loves receiving the cheap little makeup bag
with free blush and lipstick, in colors she will never wear, just
because they are FREE.
F*ree gifts, particularly those that are
unexpected and just “show up” go a long way in reminding your clients
that you are thinking of them – even when they’re not paying you to!
I
recently spent two weeks in Hawaii. While there, I picked up a t-shirt
for a special client and also got one for her 2 ½ year-old-son. It
didn’t cost much, it didn’t weigh anything (I even mailed it from Maui
so I wouldn’t have to think about it), but it was unexpected and meant
a lot to my client (and to her son).
With the holiday season fast approaching (sorry, but it’s true), think about what you can send your clients as a “thank you”.
This
year, I’ll be sending Thanksgiving Day cards to all my clients as a
“thank you” for being my client – can you think of a better time to say
“thanks”? While I’ll also be sending holiday cards, I fully expect them
to get buried with the onslaught of holiday cards that tends to arrive
each December.
If you sell widgets, you can send a coupon for a
free item with a $50 purchase. If you sell services, you can send
something related to what you offer.
Are you stuck?
Send a
gift card: Starbucks, book stores and Dunkin Donuts (in the Northeast)
are all good choices. Plus, with so many shopping online these days, an
Amazon.com (or any online retailer) gift card is a great option.
Still stuck?
You can always find something at either Harry and David (www.harryanddavid.com) or Dale & Thomas (www.daleandthomas.com).
Don’t
think it needs to be expensive or unique. It’s amazing how you can
change someone’s day just by giving them the unexpected. I even get
happy when receiving the sample pens that arrive every few months –
it’s a pleasure to receive something other than a bill or solicitation
in my mailbox!
Need to send several things without breaking the bank? Check out Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com) for inexpensive goodies that you can send out to everyone on your list.
Gifts
and goodies are an inexpensive way to help with client and customer
retention – remember it’s much less expensive to keep an existing
customer than it is to get a new one. This is a great and simple way to
stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds.
For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by
implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot.
Visit Sandra at www.SandraMartini.com
for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple
and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.