Gifting To Customers

I was speaking to an IT support guy who wanted to increase his business.

His plan was to print and post a load of leaflets. He expected at best 1% response rate. At 32 pence for a stamp, plus leaflet printing, packing etc, he could be looking at £40 per response.

His leaflet was getting an absolute hammering for style, impact etc. So I suggested how about targeting existing customers - making sure they come back and aiming for them to pass on referrals - which is my own business model.

My suggestion was a cheap promotional mousemat. Every time he works on a computer leave a mouse mat or two behind. The one I suggested costs from only 55p. So for about the price of 150 leaflets - enough maybe to get one phone call in, he could have 100 mouse mats. No distribution costs, just leave one with every customer.

What are the benefits? Well, for a start, you are giving the customer something extra. Don't free gifts always go down a treat?

When in a few weeks or months the computers need a bit of TLC - where's your number? Right under their hand. Who are they likely to call? And what when a friend, colleague or associate asks who to recommend? Well your number has been on their desk under their hand.

Maybe distributing 100 mouse mats to existing customers won't bring in the business as fast as sending thousands of leaflets out, but in a few weeks the leaflets are probably recycled. But hopefully the mouse mats are still sitting on the desks. Which is going to bring in most business - 100 mousemats or 1 or 2 phone calls from leaflets?