Freebies - Make Your Sale Extra Special

You want to give buyers something extra but not sure which way to go, here are some tips to make the sale memorable!

An excellent freebie can do a lot for your business. It will make the buy more valuable and memorable for your customers; it also allows you to leave an item with your store address and contact info in their hands. Also, you can use freebies to advertise other products available in your store. Consider the following scenario; an eBay client buys a book from a store; the seller sends the book with a free bookmark. On the bookmark, there is an image of other items available at the store making them known to the customer.

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Give your customer something extra - freebies are good, but they do require some additional thought and consideration. You have to make sure that the freebie will be valuable to the person getting it. I’ll give you an example, about a decade ago I ordered a couple of design prints to my home (I was redecorating the living room at the time). When I got the prints I also got a couple of freebies; one was a string that was a hit with iPhone users who used to tie it to their iPhone cover (iPhone was still relatively new back then), the other was a kind of unique stamp for mouse pads. I didn't have an iPhone and wasn't using a mouse pad at the time.  The gifts were nice but pretty useless. The seller assumed I had items that were very popular at the time while I didn’t have them. Don’t assume.  Even something that’s free deserves some extra thought.So what are good freebies?

A simple bookmark can go a long way...

• A bookmark for a book
• A family recipe for spices or other ingredients
• Tips for gardening for people who bought seeds
• Avoiding rust when storing power tools after a customer purchased a power tool
• A postcard of the destination where the store is located when the customer is living in another country or remote region
• An empty greeting card for the customers to use after they asked you to add a wrap to the shipment

All of the above are examples of freebies that can be useful for your clients. Do mind that all the items above are not very expensive and it’s pretty important not to giveaway costly things. Freebies are small feel-good gifts to make your customer know you go the extra mile, don’t overdo it. Two things can give you an indication of what your customers might find valuable: a. the item they bought b. Their location.  Items are the place to start as it is reasonable to think that a person buying spices is either interested in cooking or in Naturopathy, and a person who just bought a book would like a bookmark, etc. Power tools and other machinery might be expensive, and it is in the clients’ best interest to keep them running so tips about keeping them in order over time might come in handy.What about location then? It depends on the location of the store and mainly the sellers. Think about a lawn mower business that works and delivers its products to a particular region. It may provide tips for

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Postcards are a nice gift for a buyer living in another countryKeeping the grass green in a specific area; let’s say Tampa Fl. or Kansas City. This can become useful for the customers while establishing the business’ reputation as an expert in its field. After you thought about an item, think about the way to make it last. For example, a recipe can be printed on any regular paper, but adding a magnet on the top of it would make it easier for customers to place it on the fridge door. For tips, a print on a magnet can be useful. A magnet is thicker than paper which will make it more durable. Don’t forget to add the name of the store and contact details on the freebie (when possible). Can’t think of tips or a gift? Try a hand-written note. A classic. Wish your customers joy, success or just tell them that you appreciate their business.

Tips Recap:

• Think of something that is valuable to your clients based on items bought or location
• Don’t overdo it - a freebie should be cheap
• Add your store name and contact info
• Print on something that may last, such as magnets

That’s it; I hope that you found it helpful. Can’t decide on what freebie to give your customers, tell us about it, we promise to reply. Add any thoughts, questions or requests to the comments below.

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