It doesn't matter if it's related to your business or personal life. Take Oprah Winfrey for example. At a live event a few years ago, she mentioned how she loves to purchase makeup whenever it's "Clinique Bonus Time" as she gets a gift.
Here we have a woman worth over a billion dollars who she loves receiving the cheap little makeup bag with free blush and lipstick, in colors she will never wear, just because they are FREE.
Free gifts, particularly those that are unexpected and just "show up" go a long way in reminding your clients that you are thinking of them - even when they're not paying you to!
I recently spent two weeks in Hawaii. While there, I picked up a t-shirt for a special client and also got one for her 2 ½ year-old-son. It didn't cost much, it didn't weigh anything (I even mailed it from Maui so I wouldn't have to think about it), but it was unexpected and meant a lot to my client (and to her son).
With the holiday season fast approaching (sorry, but it's true), think about what you can send your clients as a "thank you".
This year, I'll be sending Thanksgiving Day cards to all my clients as a "thank you" for being my client - can you think of a better time to say "thanks"? While I'll also be sending holiday cards, I fully expect them to get buried with the onslaught of holiday cards that tends to arrive each December.
If you sell widgets, you can send a coupon for a free item with a $50 purchase. If you sell services, you can send something related to what you offer.
Are you stuck?
Send a gift card: Starbucks, book stores and Dunkin Donuts (in the Northeast) are all good choices. Plus, with so many shopping online these days, an Amazon.com (or any online retailer) gift card is a great option.
Still stuck?
You can always find something at either Harry and David (www.harryanddavid.com) or Dale & Thomas (www.daleandthomas.com).
Don't think it needs to be expensive or unique. It's amazing how you can change someone's day just by giving them the unexpected. I even get happy when receiving the sample pens that arrive every few months - it's a pleasure to receive something other than a bill or solicitation in my mailbox!
Need to send several things without breaking the bank? Check out Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com) for inexpensive goodies that you can send out to everyone on your list.
Gifts and goodies are an inexpensive way to help with client and customer retention - remember it's much less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to get a new one. This is a great and simple way to stay at the forefront of your customers' minds.
Although you may feel that you don't have extra money to help others in need right now; you do have the opportunity to earn, save and grow your money. Use the cause that you're passionate about as motivation to take control of your personal finances. And while you're building up your bank account, donate time to support your cause. An hour a month is a great start.
"The need is great", according to Mr. Charles Fisher, Chairman & Founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council. "There are many opportunities for our youths to make a difference in their school, home, and community in the United States and abroad. Today's youth can make a difference on a global scale which was evident when we worked with the United Nations to break the 2006 Guinness World Record of 23.5 million to get 43.7 million people in 2007 to Stand-Up and Speak-Out Against Poverty." ended Fisher.
To truly receive all you can out of life, you need to give back. What you give—time, money, or both—is an individual choice. But the role that giving back can make in your life cannot be denied. By donating time to a charity, you will learn more about yourself, meet people interested in the same cause, gain a broader view of the world and appreciate what you have more.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
If your family or friends are in financial trouble wouldn't it be great to be able to give back and help them out? Don't you agree that it feel great when you know you personally helped someone? If your car breaks down in the middle of the desert and you have no phone, water or food—how would you feel about the good Samaritan that stops to help you?
In order to help more people and make a greater impact on the causes that you are passionate about - you need money. The more financially sound you are the greater impact you can have, the more you can donate to charities your passionate about, the more you can give back to people in need and the more free time you will have to pursue the causes that you are important to you.
The more you give, the more you receive. Many experts agree. Giving back, whether of your time or money, has an energy about it that changes lives and creates happiness.
All this goodwill that you create will flow back to you. When you give back from the heart, it feels great and that should be reward enough. But you will receive a lot more when you donate your time or money, so get in the habit of giving back and improving others lives while you improve your own.
The first step to finding a cause to support is to find something that you really care about. There are numerous non-profits where your help is desperately needed. Find a charity to support where your skills are needed. Answer the following questions:
1) How can you use your interests, skills, and resources to give back and create a positive change in the world?
2) Is there something going on in the world that makes you upset, that you want to change or people that you want donate your time to help?
There are many online resources that will make finding a charity a breeze.
Each of us can make a difference. I urge you to seize the day, instead of waiting until "I make more money" to begin a life of charitable giving. Start today and see the results tomorrow.
Both Sandra P. Martini & Vince Shorb are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sandra P. Martini has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Shopping and Marketing. For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at. Sandra P. Martini's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.
Vince Shorb has sinced written about articles on various topics from Free Credit Report Score, self improvement and motivation and Family. Start working with the causes that you are most passionate about now and visit to get your fre. Vince Shorb's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.