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October 13, 2010

Are Your Customers Worth Tchotchkes?

Filed under: Blog — Jon @ 3:55 pm
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Some companies send out coffee cups with their name on it. Or pens, or calendars. Other companies give away polo shirts. Some have boxes at sports arenas, and take clients out for a big ol’ rooting for the team and as much beer and nachos as they can handle.

Those things are all fine and good (especially the beer and nachos). But what does it say to how much you care about your client’s success? After all, if they aren’t successful, they won’t be your client for long.

Today, I talked to someone who had a great idea of starting a marketing program where they gave potential clients a particular book – a book that would give them knowledge and would lead them to further areas of knowledge. That knowledge could help their business grow. Pens are important too, but I’m sure you can see the difference.

What do you give your clients, or potential clients? Knowledge, or just advertising?

The really great thing, is that we can help you do both.

Comments (3)
  • Christi

    To celebrate our company’s 10th anniversary, we recognized our long-term clients and supporters by making a donation in their honor to a local charity. We wrote them a letter, thanking them for the unique opportunities their partnership with us brought in our first decade. We received an overwhelmingly positive response, and everyone appreciated that they did NOT receive yet another coffee mug.

  • http://pointoforder.squarespace.com prof.tyler durden

    Jinkies! I know EXACTLY where you are with this- I hate another piece of damn trinket & trash. In fact, that phrase kept me out of my current industry. Disclosure- I sell swag- And many in my field carpet bomb the planet with koozies, then wonder why the world looks down us as peddlers. Rightly so.
    Yep, you nailed it- a book is the penultimate thingy, second only to an idea. Ideas, ideally as story, are the best swag on Earth. Most stories deserve MUCH more intentionality than a cheap plastic pens and ceramic c handle 11 oz cup, with one color,one side decoration. And koozies are wrong, 99 44/100% of the time. Books are right, 99 44/100% of the time. Thanks for spreading them!

  • http://www.800ceoread.com Jon Mueller

    Thanks for chiming in, Prof. Actually, a book AND a koozie might just be the perfect summer gift, right?





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