Naomi and Tyger work for two paperback book distributors. Heather from Crazy Seashell Bookshop purchases books from both of them. Let’s look at Heather’s interactions with these two salespeople and see if we can guess which company she is more likely to call next time she needs a shipment of books.
Interaction #1:
Naomi: Okay, Heather, thanks for meeting with me today. You’ll receive your shipment of books by the end of the week. Oh, and did I give you a business card? Well, here’s a business card. Oh, and have a random pen. Have a nice day!
Heather: Thanks!
Interaction #2
Tyger: Okay, Heather, thanks for meeting with me today. You’ll receive your shipment of books by the end of the week. And I brought a little gift for you today. It’s one of those new magnetic bookmarks that you can use to mark your spot in a book, right down to the line. They’re actually really cool.
Heather: Ooh, I’ve never seen one of those before. That’s handy!
Tyger: Yeah, I thought that might be something you’d find useful. And if you ever need to get in touch with me, my contact info is right on the other side of the bookmark. Well, you take it easy, and have a nice day!
Heather: Thanks!
Okay, how many people think Crazy Seashell Bookshop will be doing most of their future business with Naomi? We didn’t think so. Now, Heather’s interaction with Naomi was fine and all, but it really didn’t compare to her chat with Tyger. And really, the difference came down to the promotional item that each of them chose to bring to Heather.
Since we know that Heather works at a bookstore, we can safely assume that she likes to read. And since Heather is a human residing on Planet Earth, we can also assume that she has received a free pen at some point prior to her interactions with Naomi. When Naomi haphazardly handed her the pen, she was neither remotely interested in it nor impressed by it. But when Tyger smoothly slipped her the fancy bookmark, she was intrigued because it was a gift that was tailored to her interests and it was an item she had never seen before. It opened up more dialogue between them, and later it will be something she’ll use often.
Business owners have a tendency to gravitate toward pens as a promotional item because everybody uses them. But that’s just the problem with them. Since they are used universally, the Heathers of the world know that they aren’t a personalized gift. If you pick something out that targets a client’s interests or is something new and different, you are going to look like you care more about your client, and that will make your company stand out.
Tyger knows that every interaction he has makes an impression, and he wants that impression to be a good one.
Even if that interaction is with an individual who opted to name her store “Crazy Seashell Bookshop.”
