Gifts that Delight
Last Thursday I had coffee with Joan Schlaefer of Gift to It!. Joan refers to her business as offering “client appreciation services” and that resonates with me because I think one of the most important marketing activities we can do as business owners is to let clients know what their business means to us.
It’s also something that falls through the cracks for most business owners. It does for me.
Joan knows this and it’s the reason she started Gift to It. She told me most smart business owners understand the importance of saying “thank you” but rarely follow through. And if they do follow through, they are inconsistent.
Another issue for a lot of business owners is the expense of giving gifts. They balk at the idea of sending customers a $25 gift saying that “they can’t afford that.” Joan looks at it differently:
“Let’s say you divide your clients up into 3 groups: A, B, and C in order of importance to your business. Now, if you send your “A” clients four $25 gifts a year, that’s $100 a year. That’s less than $1 a day. If you think about repeat business from your best customers as well as referrals, isn’t it worth $100 per year to say “thank you” so that these folks feel appreciated?”
“Now some people will argue that they would get the business regardless of whether they send a gift or not and that may be true. But, when you send someone a gift that shows you truly thought about them as human beings, nothing has a more positive effect. I hear recipients say things like, ‘they didn’t have to do that,’ but the fact that they did, makes a huge positive impression.”
I often view marketing as activities you do to improve the odds of getting selected. I don’t mean this in a cold or manipulative way. But marketing consists of doing a lot of small, positive things that have a cumulative effect in the mind of your prospect. Add enough relevant value over the course of a year, and if the propect truly needs what you offer, they will buy from you.
Get My RSS Feed