Business Marketing Monday: Free Lunch For A Client
February 4, 2008 by Bridget Wright
Filed under Business
Who doesn’t like free lunches? Everyone does! Call one of your clients up and tell them you’d like to treat them to lunch. They’ll love it! You decide the winning factors, i.e.,
The Best Client
The Worst Client (that should get some orders!)
The Client Who Hasn’t Ordered In A While
The Fairly New Client
You get the idea. The point is to get your name and your business in front of them. The client will think they’re just getting a “free lunch” but what you’re doing is actually setting the stage for future business. Trust me…I’ve tried this and it does work.
Oh, one other thing – have lunch selection places for the client to choose from. That makes it easier and less awkward for you and your budget.
Bridget
Great idea, Bridget! Love it. :)
kk
That’s a clever idea. We try to treat clients from time to time – drinks are also appreciated!
While that’s a good idea, in this increasingly telecommuting workplace – not always feasible.
All my clients but 1 are out of province and only 1 of those is in my own country. The rest are in the US (I’m in Canada).
Many of our clients are in Europe – when they’re in town, whether there to see us or not, we always try to work in a drink.
And we also send “gift boxes” of local specialties – even overseas – from time to time to let clients know that we haven’t forgotten about them.
Another good “eating” idea is a gift box full of sausage and cheeses that are of that area’s culture. Very similar to Kelly’s idea of gift boxes. Client’s love to get gifts. Finding out what they like, what they prefer and even what they DON’T like can help you choose the right gift. The most important thing is to stay in their faces!
Or if that doesn’t work, a card that says, “Have lunch on me!” with an American Express or Visa gift card is also a good option.
Kristen
Sometimes just a card at birthdays or for no reason at all is great – it says that you’re thinking about the client. I did a post on this at MOB about keeping a few on hand “just in case”: http://www.myorganizedbiz.com/24-tips-to-get-organized-in-january-tip-14-keep-cards-and-gifts-on-hand/
Kristen, I really like the idea of the gift card. That will let the client choose what they like and prefer to have for lunch.
Kelly, cards for no reason…a definite plus!