It’s not the Value, it’s the Thought that Counts
Thoughtfulness on your part could translate into repeat business on their part.
What does it take to make a customer happy? Good service, an efficient and reliable product? A knowledgeable sales person? Sure, but it maybe even easier than that.
At the end of a mundane day, when you walk into the grocery store, do you love it when there’s free food samples? Inside our grocery store there is a Starbucks. When the barista was standing near the entrance, unexpectedly handing out free, delightful samples of white chocolate mocha, my dreaded grocery trip suddenly became a frothy, sweet respite in a busy day. I couldn’t even remember why I was there.
How about when you find some money? Studies show that finding as little as a dime can brighten your day. According to a study by psychologist Norbert Schwarz, at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, moods often determine our overall satisfaction with our lives. And, he says, "Very minimal things can temporarily put you in a good mood," and thus brighten everything else.
According to the 1999 article in the Baltimore Sun, Schwarz placed a dime on a copy machine for the next user to find. "Those who found the dime were more happy and more satisfied and wanted to change their lives less than those who didn't find a dime," says Schwarz.
What? A dime?! "It's not the value of what you find. It's that something positive happened to you," and surprised you, according to Roger Dooley of Neuromarketing.
If you translate that into marketing ideas, how can you surprise your customer or client? As Schwarz points out, it’s not the value that change someone’s mood, but the surprise. Surprising clients with something unexpected, even if it is a pad of sticky notes, may give them a little lift to their life on a day when they least expect it.
Thoughtfulness on your part could translate into repeat business on their part. Seriously, who doesn’t like sticky notes?
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