Ordinarily I do not suggest stressing or even mentioning your business when you send a birthday card to a client or prospect, but there is a way you can combine a birthday greeting with a special mention of your business. That method is a strictly limited time offer that is linked to the recipient’s birthday.
If you run a restaurant or ice cream shop, I mentioned in the previous tip the idea of making the birthday card essentially a coupon that can be shown to receive free ice cream or a free appetizer. That approach is used fairly commonly and it certainly works, but this tip goes way beyond the coupon-level gift.
The strategy I’m suggesting is more appropriate for businesses with medium to large ticket items. The idea is to give the birthday card recipient a huge deal, one that goes far above typical coupon gifts that may be available from many outlets. For example, if you typically give 10% off coupons in ads or other promotions, using this once-a-year per person event I would suggest 30% or more off your pricing. If you’re a carpet company for example, where you’ll often include installation or pads for your cost or deeply discounted, with this strategy, you’d include either, or maybe both, for free – and not jack up the price of the carpet.
The goal of this type of campaign, which you might only run one every two or three years – and publicize it that way, too – is to cause genuine excitement over the very high value available in association with a birthday card from your business. If you do implement the program but want to limit the years it’s offered, combine it with your product and customer knowledge – for example, if you know that people replace carpet once every 6 years, then why not over the over-the-top dea on their birthday during the 5th year after purchase.
The concept of giving outrageous deals, even irregularly, combined with a birthday card can be powerful if implemented well, but you do have to balance the discount with business costs – in the end you should at least break even on any deal.
