The freebie is a powerful force. This month we give tips on how to master this powerful force.

There are two freebie recipients we will discuss in this newsletter, internal customers and external customers.

Internal customers are those that you work with, bosses, co-workers, secretaries, sales staff, etc. External customers are customers you invoice. For either type of customer, the promotional item serves the same purpose: building name recognition, and improving customer relationship.

The Internal Customer

A friend of mine worked in the call center as a customer service representative, for one of the largest banks in the USA. Their representatives were trained to always offer a financial service to incoming callers. This was one of the ways they broadened their customer relationship (up selling). If the representative got 10 customers to apply in a day, the representative got a little key ring shaped like a piggy bank. Well, my friend took great pride in his little piggys! He wore ten of them on his ID lanyard. Many representatives at the call center wore piggys on their lanyards, and the more pigs you had, the more respect you got (because everyone knew it took hard work and good customer service to get 10 applications in a day).

In the final analysis, the internal freebie was a powerful tool. The piggys cost $1.00 each with one color imprint. The bank had a 30% approval rate on their applications and a minimum profit of $10/month on an approved application. For each piggy they gave to an employee, they made $29.00/month! Additionally, the promotional items are a form of advertising. The representatives generally gave piggys to friends outside the workplace which was more advertising for the bank. Plus, they increased sales through positive reinforcement. It was also a great positive morale booster that increased competitiveness.

Your internal freebie should be well thought out and empower your staff to reach a specific goal in order to maximize the force of the freebie. If internal freebies are given willy-nilly, it can create discontent and confusion.

You would obviously want to pick a freebie that is appropriate to the goal reached for the freebie, and frequency that the freebie is given. You should make certain that the freebie is on hand. Part of the power of the freebie is immediate gratification. You should consider having various reward levels of freebies for your internal customers; dollar freebies, ten dollar freebies, and maybe a few thirty to fifty dollar freebies. If your top sales person sells a two million dollar contract a dollar freebie may not be appropriate.

The External Customer

External customers are ones we most often associate with freebies. When ABC business gives a client a freebie,

·         The client feels good about doing business with ABC.

·         The client feels comfortable with the purchase they made with ABC.

·         The clients' (internal and external) customers are exposed to the freebie.

·        Even inexpensive freebies serve as a tangible reminder to your customers that you appreciate their patronage.

Whatever is sent as a freebie, it builds name recognition, and broadens your relationships with your customers. This extra step can separate you from the competition.

Becoming one with the force

As with any form of marketing, you need to maximize your message and your media. We have over 500,000 promotional items available. Additionally, we have representatives that can save you time, and money in your quest for the most effective and efficient promotional campaign. Below are some examples.