Customer Gifts Don't Have to Be Big to Be Effective?

O n e o f t h e e x e r c i s e s I e n j o y m o s t w h e n p r e s e n t i n g a s a l e s p r o g r a m i s a s k i n g t h e a u d i e n c e t o t e l l m e w h a t i s s t a n d i n g b e t w e e n t h e m a n d t u r n i n g t h e i r n u m b e r o n e p r o s p e c t i n t o a c u s t o m e r . T h e a n s w e r s v a r y w i d e l y , b u t o n e t h a t I c a n a l m o s t a l w a y s c o u n t o n i s , ” I c a n ’ t c o m p e t e w i t h t h e p r e m i u m p r o g r a m s a p a r t i c u l a r c o m p e t i t o r o f f e r s . ” O r , “ M y m a i n c o m p e t i t o r g i v e s c u s t o m e r s i n m y m a r k e t c o u p o n s f o r a d i n n e r f o r t w o a t a l o c a l r e s t a u r a n t . ” O r , “ M y c o m p e t i t o r ’ s i n c e n t i v e t r a v e l p r o g r a m s a r e k i l l i n g m e . ” I e s p e c i a l l y e n j o y d i s c u s s i n g t h e s e k i n d s o f s e l l i n g o b s t a c l e s b e c a u s e s e v e r a l y e a r s a g o I h e a d e d u p m y c o m p a n y ’ s i n c e n t i v e t r a v e l d i v i s i o n , s o i t ’ s a n a r e a I ’ v e h a d s o m e e x p e r i e n c e w i t h , o n b o t h s i d e s o f t h e t a b l e . P l u s I h a v e s o m e s t r o n g f e e l i n g s a b o u t t h e p o w e r o f r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l c u s t o m e r g i f t s . I n c e n t i v e t r a v e l c o m e s a n d g o e s i n m o s t i n d u s t r i e s , a s d o c a t a l o g o f f e r s , r e b a t e p r o g r a m s , e t c . B u t a s y o u l o o k a r o u n d y o u r i n d u s t r y t o d a y , I ’ l l b e t y o u s t i l l s e e q u i t e a f e w c o m p a n i e s t h a t c o n t i n u e t o o f f e r v a r i o u s t y p e s o f i n c e n t i v e s a s a n i n d u c e m e n t f o r c u s t o m e r s t o b u y . I d o b e l i e v e i n t h e v a l u e o f B I G G I F T S s u c h a s i n c e n t i v e t r a v e l . T h e y c a n f r e q u e n t l y b e q u i t e e f f e c t i v e . B u t i n c e n t i v e p r o g r a m s s u c h a s t h e s e a r e d e s i g n e d b y c o r p o r a t i o n s , n o t b y t h e s a l e s p e o p l e t h e m s e l v e s . I n n o v a t i v e s a l e s p e o p l e m u s t c o m e u p w i t h t h e i r o w n w a y s t o c o m p e t e . B u t o v e r t h e p a s t f e w m o n t h s , I h a v e b e c o m e c o n v i n c e d t h a t r e l a t i v e l y S M A L L , b u t t h o u g h t f u l c u s t o m e r G I F T S c a n a l s o c a r r y a p o w e r f u l p u n c h . I ’ m r e f e r r i n g t o a g i f t t h a t c r e a t e s a m e m o r y , m a k i n g t h e r e c i p i e n t t h i n k p o s i t i v e t h o u g h t s a b o u t t h e g i f t g i v e r - - Y O U . Y O U , t h e s a l e s p e r s o n , c a n c o m p e t e w i t h c o m p e t i t o r ’ s c o r p o r a t e p r o g r a m s i f y o u a r e s o m o t i v a t e d . J u s t l a s t w e e k , a n o l d f r i e n d a n d I t r a v e l e d t o a s m a l l t o w n i n s o u t h e a s t e r n M e x i c o t o w o r k a t a c h i l d r e n ’ s h o m e w e s u p p o r t . E a c h d a y , w e w a l k e d a b o u t a h a l f - m i l e f r o m o u r h o t e l t o t h e c h i l d r e n ’ s h o m e , p a s s i n g d o z e n s o f s m a l l s t o r e f r o n t b u s i n e s s e s . O n e o f t h e m - - a s m a l l g r o c e r y s t o r e - - o w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d b y E m m a , a l a d y w h o m I w o u l d g u e s s t o b e i n h e r l a t e 6 0 s . I h a d m e t E m m a o n a t r i p a m o n t h e a r l i e r w h e n I r a n d o m l y c h o s e h e r s t o r e t o p u r c h a s e s o m e l o n g d i s t a n c e p h o n e c a r d s . S h e w e n t o u t o f h e r w a y t o t e l l m e h o w m u c h s h e a n d t h e t o w n s p e o p l e r e s p e c t e d u s f o r t h e w o r k w e d i d a t t h e h o m e . S o h e r e I a m b a c k i n M e x i c o n e e d i n g m o r e L D p h o n e c a r d s ; w h o w o u l d y o u g u e s s I b o u g h t t h e m f r o m ? A f t e r p a y i n g E m m a f o r t h e p h o n e c a r d s , s h e a s k e d i f I w o u l d a l l o w h e r t o g i v e m e a s m a l l g i f t . I s a i d , “ Y e s , I w o u l d b e h o n o r e d t o a c c e p t i t . ” I n a m o m e n t , E m m a h a d r e t r i e v e d f r o m u n d e r h e r s a l e s c o u n t e r a s m a l l s a l t s h a k e r a n d t o o t h p i c k h o l d e r , b o t h h a n d m a d e f r o m M e x i c a n p i n e . A s s h e h a n d e d t h e t w o s m a l l g i f t s t o m e , s h e s a i d , “ W h e n y o u u s e t h e s e , p l e a s e t h i n k o f E m m a . ” I w a l k e d o u t o f h e r s m a l l s t o r e f e e l i n g r e a l l y s p e c i a l . S m a l l g i f t s , e s p e c i a l l y g i f t s w i t h a d e g r e e o f u n i q u e n e s s , g i v e n i n t h e s p i r i t o f a p p r e c i a t i o n c a n b e r e a l l y p o w e r f u l . E m m a t a u g h t m e t o s h o w m o r e a p p r e c i a t i o n t o m y c l i e n t s . S h e m a d e m e r e a l i z e t h a t i t ’ s n o t n e c e s s a r y t o s p e n d a h u g e a m o u n t o f m o n e y t o m a k e y o u r c l i e n t s f e e l l i k e t h e i r s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l . I d e a # 1 : O n e s u c h g i f t I h a v e f o u n d t o b e a p p r o p r i a t e i s a s m a l l b o o k : L e a d e r s h i p 1 0 1 b y J o h n C . M a x w e l l . W h a t a p o w e r f u l l i t t l e b o o k f o r m a n a g e r s w h o w o u l d l i k e t o i m p r o v e t h e i r l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s . w w w . a m a z o n . c o m I d e a # 2 : F o l l o w i n g a s e m i n a r p r e s e n t a t i o n o r c o n s u l t i n g a s s i g n m e n t , I a l w a y s s e n d m y c l i e n t s a c o p y o f m y c h u r c h c o o k b o o k , L e t U s K e e p t h e F e a s t : F o o d f r o m t h e F o o t h i l l s o f S o u t h C a r o l i n a . I t i s a h a r d b a c k c o o k b o o k t h a t I k n o w t h e i r f a m i l y w i l l e n j o y . I t ’ s n o t j u s t a n y c o o k b o o k , i t ’ s M Y c h u r c h c o o k b o o k , w h i c h m a k e s i t s p e c i a l . w w w . a m a z o n . c o m I d e a # 3 : T h e l i t t l e b o o k , T h e F r e d F a c t o r , b y M a r k S a n b o r n i s a n o t h e r e x a m p l e . T h e h e r o i n S a n b o r n ’ s b o o k i s F r e d , S a n b o r n ’ s p o s t m a n . I n f e w e r t h a n o n e h u n d r e d p a g e s , t h e a u t h o r u s e s F r e d t o t e a c h a n y e m p l o y e e n o m a t t e r h o w m u n d a n e h i s o r h e r j o b m a y b e c a n - - a r m e d w i t h t h e r i g h t a t t i t u d e - - m a k e t h a t j o b s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l . I k n o w m y c l i e n t s w i l l f i n d i d e a s f r o m t h i s l i t t l e b o o k t h a t t h e y c a n i m p l e m e n t i n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n s . w w w . m a r k s a n b o r n . c o m I d e a # 4 : P i v o t i s a b o o k b y D r . A l a n Z i m m e r m a n t h a t u s e s m a n y q u o t e s a n d a l l k i n d s o f r e s e a r c h t o i l l u s t r a t e t o t h e r e a d e r h o w i m p o r t a n t a t t i t u d e i s t o s u c c e s s . Z i m m e r m a n i s h i g h l y c o n v i n c i n g a s h e m a k e s t h e p o i n t t h a t a p o s i t i v e a t t i t u d e i s a p e r s o n ’ s c h o i c e . w w w . d r z i m m e r m a n . c o m I d e a # 5 : W h a t a r e y o u r p r o s p e c t s ’ h o b b i e s ? O n e o f m y p r o s p e c t s i s p r a c t i c a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h h i s S c o t t i s h h e r i t a g e . I r a n a G o o g l e s e a r c h o n h i s s u r n a m e a n d t u r n e d u p a l l s o r t s o f i n f o r m a t i o n o n h i s f a m i l y n a m e t h a t I s h a r e d w i t h h i m . M y c o s t : a f e w m i n u t e s o f t i m e . M y r e w a r d : a p r o s p e c t w h o b e c a m e a c u s t o m e r t h r e e w e e k s l a t e r . S c o u t o u t o t h e r i n f o r m a t i v e b o o k s a n d i n e x p e n s i v e g i f t s t h a t y o u b e l i e v e “ f i t ” t h e p e r s o n a l i t y o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l c u s t o m e r . C o m p i l e y o u r o w n l i s t . C o n t r o l w h a t y o u c a n c o n t r o l . D o n ’ t w a s t e t i m e w o r r y i n g a b o u t w h a t y o u c a n n o t c o n t r o l . B u t t a k e a c t i o n , p o s i t i v e a c t i o n . T h e w o r s t r e s p o n s e t o t h e m a r k e t i n g a c t i v i t i e s o f a c o m p e t i t o r i s n o r e s p o n s e . G o o d s e l l i n g !

Author: Bill Lee

Author Bio:

Bill Lee

Bill Lee is a highly successful business man and author. He is a charter member of Master Speakers International and a member of National Speakers Association.

He and his partners grew BMA, a South Carolina-based distribution business from a start up to a $640 million business in just 20 years. Today, Bill is a business consultant who works with owners and managers who want to improve their bottom line and salespeople who want to improve sales and gross margin.

Bill is author of 30 Ways Managers Shoot Themselves in the Foot ($21.95) and Gross Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line ($29.95).

For more information, call Bill at 800-277-7888 or email him at blee3paris@aol.com

This article can be searched using: customer service tips, good customer service, customer self service, customer support systems

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