Customer Gift Giving Tips

To gift or not to gift that is the question. My opinion is that when it comes to giving gifts in a business environment it is the thought that counts more than the gift. Why? Unlike giving gifts to family to celebrate an event, a gift can be misconstrued by the recipient and there always seems to be strings attached.

Geoffrey James, an accomplished business writer and author of “The Tao of Programming” interviewed Jerry Acuff author of “The Relationship Edge in Business” about gift giving and here are their thoughts:

Gifts are for friends not contacts
You use a gift to deepen a relationship not to develop one. Giving a gift too early in a relationship seems phony and desperate.

Gifts are for customers not prospects
In most cases, you won’t have enough of a relationship with a prospect to justify the giving of a gift. So don’t even think about gifting until you’ve got an ongoing business relationship.

Gifts must be inexpensive or free
If a gift is too big, it’s going to be perceived as a bribe. You want to show that you care, not make the customer feel obligated to buy.

Gifts should be highly personalized
Think about their interests and try to find something that shows you know them and that you have a sincere connection.

Promotional items are not gifts
If a “gift” has your logo on it, you are asking the recipient to provide you with free advertising, so it is not really a gift.

Some of the best ways to show your appreciation is a simple thank card, a lunch, a round of golf, taking your client to an event or dropping off lunch for the office.

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Prospecting Giveaway Idea # 1

In honor of earth day my first prospecting giveaway idea will not only have a big impact on your clients and prospects, but on the earth too. What is it? A re-usable grocery bag.

A re-usable grocery bag can really make an impact. They are estimated to:

1. replace 2 paper bags or up to 4 plastic bags each time it is used.
2. be used weekly for two years or more.
3. replace up to 416 plastic bags over its entire lifetime.

Why should we be giving away re-usable grocery bags?

Even if your clients are not aware of the problem plastic bags are creating they soon will be and you will make them a leader in change.

From their manufacture to their disposal, bags have a bigger impact on our cities and our environment than many people think.

How many bags are being used?
No one really knows. Estimates for annual US usage range from 14 billion bags annually to over 300 billion bags. World wide estimates range in the trillions per year.

• A study at UC Berkeley estimated 14 billion plastic bags per year.
• The Wall Street Journal put the number at 100 billion a year in the US alone.
• The EPA has estimated that if you count all bags, sacks, and wraps, the number may be as high as 380 billion.
• Some world wide estimates place the number of plastic bags used annually at a trillion bags a year-that’s about a million per minute!

But others say that 3-4 trillion plastic bags are produced each year.

Why is it so hard to estimate the number of plastic bags used?

Perhaps it is because no one wants you to know, and also perhaps because we ourselves don’t want to think about it. Manufacturers don’t want to be associated with the problems these bags cause. Stores and even consumers are embarrassed about their own bag usage. Yet, stores and consumers continue to use them daily.

There are many web sites where you can shop for re-usable grocery bags, but here are a few that you might want to start with.

1 Bag at a Time
ReusableBags.com
EcoLife Products

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Energize Your Database Marketing

I am a fan and believer in the power of database marketing. Why spend money attracting total strangers when you have a database of raving fans who already trust you and do business with you?

I create monthly programs for a number of clients. We send their database a compelling letter on a different topic each month or 6 weeks and enclose some item of value most of the time. This can be a Calendar of Events, memo pad, directory of restaurants in the area or a newsletter as examples.

I created a March program for a new Realtor which was centered on daylight savings time. We all know you are supposed to change the battery in your smoke detector so we sent a 9 volt battery as the item of value.

The letter started out with:

There are two things you can count on in March; the clocks will spring forward and homeowners will be speculating about what the real estate market is going to do this year. Well there are…….but I can make sure you have a battery so you can change the one in your smoke detector…..As for energizing…..

We taped the battery to a small, white postcard and mailed it in the envelope with the letter. This is a great example of lumpy mail. The battery was a huge success and generated more calls and activity than any other item of value. Click on the image for a larger version.

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Thanks go to Cari Gililland for the idea.

Discover and Unleash the Branding Power of Food

Okay this headline might be a bit over the top, but think about it for a minute…

When you are sitting in a meeting and someone brings in donuts, snacks, a pizza or even bagels to munch on what is the first thing that comes to your mind? “Boy could I ever use a bite right now” or “What a great idea?” or “I wish I thought of that.”

Everybody loves getting fresh donuts in the morning and delivering them in your custom donut box is a great way to capture new clients and solidify existing relationships.

Sales reps are already taking in food on their sales calls. Does it make sense for them to drop off donuts in a box that says “Joe’s Donut Shop” or a custom made branding tool designed specifically for their company?

It’s kinda obvious isn’t it?

Clients have used Thanks A Dozen® custom donut boxes for sales visits, golf outings, fund raisers, trade shows and more. Our custom donut boxes are also great for “Lunch and Learn” Programs which give sales reps a captive audience without the typical distractions in a restaurant or food service setting.

The success of any business depends upon developing and nurturing relationships…using Thanks A Dozen® products takes care of it one bite at a time.

And now the good news. If you place an order for custom designed, candy, cookie, donut, bagel, pizza or tissue boxes before April 15, 2008 we have lowered our minimum order from 250 pieces to only 50 pieces. For example you can order 50 custom designed, 4 color donut boxes for only $ 3.49 per box.*

Call Mike Blaney at 800-568-8338 to Discover and Unleash the Branding Power of Food

* A one-time set-up fee of $ 75.00 is required and shipping is extra.

Low Tech Business Card Holder

A subscriber to this blog mentioned a cool, new, low-tech idea for displaying your business cards that I think is worth a mention. The company is called CardCues and they have come up with a great new idea that makes you think “Why didn’t I think of this?”.

Quite simply CardCues make your business cards stand out! It is perfect for bulletin boards, trade shows, open houses, direct marketing events and more!

Each holder can display 40 business cards and either pins to a bulletin board or stands up-right on a desk.

You can order a retail pack which includes two sets of five eye-catching pre-printed designs. (10 holders total)

CardCues fold together in seconds and display easily on bulletin boards or any flat surface. Each holder displays over 40 cards. The cost is only $6.99 + $3.95 shipping.

If you are interested, but in a hurry give me a call at 800-568-8338 and I can get the ball rolling for you.
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Promotional Pen - With a Billboard!

I am always on the lookout for promotional items and think this latest find is a winner. It is a pen with a 2.5″ x 7″ banner rolled up inside of it that can be easily pulled out and viewed by the user.

It is not only a novelty that will get people showing and telling, but a great way to communicate information about your product or service. Think about what information you would like to have in front of your customers every day.

• Mortgage rate calculator
• Metric conversions
• Map to your business
• Calendar
• Price List
• Contact Information
• Sizes and dimensions

The good news is you can order as few as 500 and the cost will be under $ 1.00 per pen. In quantities of 1,000 the price will drop to about $ 0.60 and at 3,000 pens the price can be as low as $ 0.40 per pen. Call me at 800-568-8338 (Mike Blaney) for more information or email me at marketingguy@shaw.ca.

The sample below shows a calendar on one side of the banner and promotional information on the other.

Following is my crude attempt at amateur photography, but it gives you the idea of what the pen looks like.

If you are interested in ordering pens you can provide the design or alternatively we supply a complete design service so all you need is to provide your logo and the information you would like displayed.

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Want To Generate Some Goodwill? Try a Coloring Contest

Depending on what industry you are in you may be wanting to make a more personal connection in your community. This is especially important for Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, Insurance Brokers, Investment Advisors and retailers.

A great way to build some buzz in the neighborhood is to sponsor a coloring contest for kids. Here are a few things to think about:

1) Source an appropriate image for the kids to color.

2) Have prizes for different age ranges to make sure everyone gets a chance to win.

3) Offer prizes that are age appropriate and have an option for a boy and a girl winner if the item is not gender neutral.

4) Determine the best distribution method; through your storefront, as an insert in your local newspaper, as a direct mail piece or find a retailer such as a grocery store to distribute the coloring pages.

5) Determine the best collection method. Mail to an address, drop off at your storefront or at the same business that helped you distribute them initially.

6) Announce the winners and ensure as many people as possible know that there were in fact winners.

Here is a Sample Coloring Contest

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Top 10 Reasons to Use Food In Your Marketing

As a distributor for Thanks a Dozen, the leader in Branding, Relationships and Results, I have had first hand experience with the impact that donuts, cookies and candy can have on your business when they are delivered in a custom-branded box.

Everybody knows that when you give a gift of food dopamine and serotonin levels increase in the recipient’s brains chemically associating you and your company with positive feelings and emotions…. Well if you didn’t know that you are excused, but it’s true. In a special Mind and Body issue of Time Magazine in January 2005, a researcher discovered something incredible about the “Science of Happiness” and what actually takes place in our brain. The researcher is quoted as saying “With more dopamine, more neurons are involved in memory and emotion become activated , reinforcing feelings of joy.”

Scientists have discovered there are two main triggers which cause this automatic response; food is one of them.

So how does this play out with delivering donuts, bagels, cookies, candies or pizza in a box covered with your branding? People see the food, relate the feeling of pleasure with your brand and it makes them happy you stopped by and reinforces your brand in their memory.

Okay let’s put it another way. If you are making a sales call and take food such as donuts, cookies, bagels or sandwiches to a client in a bag or box with the store’s branding on it you are just taking them a donut, bagel, sandwich or cookie with limited impact on their perception of you or your business. But if you take the same gift of food in a branded box you are going to make them say “WOW” and positively reinforce the relationship with you and your company.

Top 10 Reasons Your Sales Force Should Use Food and Branded Packaging For Their Deliveries

1. Every single potential client you’ll meet regardless of their profession loves getting treats and snacks to get them through the busy work day so of course they’ll eagerly take them off your hands.
2. The alternative of taking people out to lunch can create jealousies.
3. Your custom donut, bagel, cookie, candy and pizza brand building tools from “Thanks A Dozen”® act like your own personal “silent salesman” in their break room next to the coffee pot all day long!
4. Cookies, donuts and candies cost much less than lunches and dinners and are 100% deductible.
5. You can customize the box and communicate important messages that will be remembered by your clients.
6. Taking food on a sales call can increase your “face time” by 10 - 20 minutes.
7. Branded boxes with food give you a reason to drop in on hard to reach prospects.
8. The branded boxes are a great conversation piece to build relationships with receptionists, secretaries and other gatekeepers.
9. The person you call on becomes a mini-hero for sharing the goodies.
10. Remember the dopamine and serotonin!

Give me a call at 800-568-8338 to discuss how you can start making your sales calls more effective. Custom candy boxes start as low as $ 1.47 each with a minimum order of 300 boxes. Or try one of our stock designs. Minimum order is only 25 and donut boxes are only $ 3.79 each.

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Great Marketing Idea - Mouse Pad, Calendar, Memo Pad

What is the one thing almost everyone has on their desk? I would think a mouse pad is almost universal followed closely by a memo pad and a calendar. What if you could send your clients all three in one package?

The answer is the Note Paper Calendar Mouse Pad. One supplier that I have located is called Digispec which specializes in mouse pads. In fact their slogan which is great is “Mouse pads are all we make!” Couldn’t get much simpler than that.

Quite simply this is a 12 month calendar that also serves as a mouse pad and a memo pad.

• The 28 themes they provide would work for almost any industry.
• There is a 2¼”x5½” area on each page for your color marketing message.
• The back is anti-skid.
• You can choose to have just a picture in the top left corner with a white background behind the calendar or you can have the image as part of the background.
• You can start the calendar at any month.
• You can even insert coupons and other marketing tools between the pages.
• If they already have a mouse pad they can’t bear to part with, they can either use it as a desk jotter pad or hang it on the wall with the fold-up hang tab.

This is the kind of giveaway that I think people will not only appreciate, but will be in front of them for the next 12 months reinforcing your brand, product and/or service. And they will want a new one every year.

It is a cost-effective promotion with the unit price for 250 pads being about $ 4.50 including set-up charges. If you add 6 additional pages between the calendar pages the cost is only about $ 0.25 per calendar. What a great way to include marketing information or seasonal specials.

If you are interested in more information you can call the company directly or call me, Mike Blaney at 800-568-8338. We can lay out your ad and take care of all of the ordering for you.

Click here for a complete brochure Mouse Pad Calendar brochure

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Sneak Preview on a Great Holiday Marketing Idea

When is the right time to advertise Christmas promotional ideas? When the deadline is only weeks away.

If you are looking for a way to “Spread Cheer & Build Your Brand” at the same time then customized, candy, cookie or donut boxes are the answer. Give yourself or your reps a reason to get out this season and visit your customers and referral centers.

Below are two sample with all three sizes displayed. Click here to go to my online store for more information.

These are just two samples of the fantastic designs available. There are 4 non-holiday, winter scenes and 4 designs with holiday messages. Click below for specific brochures with sizes and pricing.

Brochure on boxes with Winter Scenes

Brochure on boxes with Seasonal Greetings

The white oval is where we can imprint a full color logo and/or message to promote your brand like this:

What do they cost?

As an example for an order of 100.

Candy Boxes - only $ 0.99 each (min order 50 @ $ 1.49 each)
Cookie Boxes - only $ 1.99 each (min order 50 @ $ 2.09 each)
Donut Boxes - only $3.09 each (min order 25 @ $ 3.79 each)

Click here to go to my online store for more information.

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