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One of the easiest ways to turn a customer into a fan is to make them feel like they're getting a special deal. Here's a few tips on how to do it:
1> Give them the change
2> Give them the insider's discount
3> Give them something special
4> Check it out: Add bacon to any website
1> Give them the change
What's a few pennies here and there? If you've ever heard a friendly cashier say, "keep the change," you might know just how powerful the phrase can be. Potbelly, the sandwich chain based here in Chicago, routinely rounds the leftover pennies off your order when paying with cash. It's unclear whether this is a corporate-wide policy, but the location near our office has done it several times to different members of our team — and they always walk away talking about it, even though it's usually less than ten cents.
The Lessons: Letting your customers keep the pennies is a pretty cheap way to create instant word of mouth.
2> Give them the insider's discount
If you offer an insider discount that anyone can sign up for, try giving it to new customers right away as a special freebie. Jewell-Osco, a major Midwestern grocer, offers a membership card that lets customers take a small percentage off most items in the store. Anyone can get the card by filling out a short registration form, but people new to the area or out-of-town visitors don't have one — yet the cashier almost always puts in a code to give you the discount anyway. Even though anyone can get the card for free, it makes you feel like you're really getting a deal when you see the receipt outlining how much you saved.
The Lesson: Promote your membership program while at the same time making the customer feel special by giving them the insider's deal.
3> Give them something special
Find a simple giveaway you can offer that will both surprise your guests and make them feel like they're getting a special gift. L'Express, a small bistro in Montreal, sends a big jar of pickles to your table along with fresh bread. The pickles are fresh, unexpected, and make it feel like you're getting a nice gift — even though you're about to spend $25 on a dish of classic French cuisine. Try a free sample, an extra dish of dessert, or an extended free trial to make your customers really feel like they're getting a unique deal.
The Lesson: It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy — the smallest giveaway can be a pleasant surprise that will earn you new fans.
4> Check it out: Add bacon to any website
Here at GasPedal, we're generally in agreement that everything tastes better with bacon — websites included. So just imagine our excitement when we discovered Bacolicio.us, a handy tool for adding a side of bacon to any website by simply inserting the Bacolicio.us url before a domain.
Check it out: http://bacolicio.us/
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