My daughter sent me a gift card to Outback Steakhouse for Father’s Day. My wife and I were at the restaurant at 5 PM and not surprisingly, it was crowded.
We ordered a “Bloomin Onion” as a starter. We were served bread and drinks but a long time passed and no Onion. The waiter finally came over and apologized. He said they were backed up with orders for the Onion and it would be out in a couple of minutes.
No worries. It really wasn’t that long a wait. I had bread. I could see the San Antonio-Miami game on the TV screen and kept busy giving my wife reports of the score.
A couple minutes later the waiter brought the Onion and thanked us for being so patient. He said he checked with his manager and there would be no charge for the Onion.
Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.
So naturally, I took out my iPhone and made a note to share this story with you. I wrote “comp clients onions”. And here I am.
When you give your clients something free, either to apologize for something like making them wait a few minutes because you were running late or to reward them for being a good client, you earn Brownie points. Your clients love it. And love you. And remember you. And come back to you. And tell their friends about you.
So look for reasons to give your clients free onion rings. “I should have returned your call last night instead of this morning. I’m sorry. I’m not going to charge you anything for the letter to Smith and Co. Thanks for understanding”.
Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.
Your clients will say what my wife and I said when the waiter told us there would be no charge: “Wow. Thank you.”
It was a small gesture, but we will remember it. The next time my wife says, “Where do you want to eat?” there’s a good chance I’ll say, “Outback”.
And now, because I’ve told you this story, you may also go to Outback. May I suggest you try the “Bloomin Onion”.
Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s how to get more.
