After you have created an enticing atmosphere at your place of business like the one Dick Snow describes, the next step is to dream up some inventive ways to let prospective customers know about your fun-friendly environment. Lynn McDonald, another Ben and Jerry s franchisee, printed up prescription pads that she distributed to the pediatricians in her town. After each visit, the doctors could reward their youthful patients with a prescription for a free ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry s. I saw what you did. The police officers would use these tickets for people they caught performing random acts of kindness and these good Samaritans who had been caught in the act could exchange their tickets for free ice cream cones, which not only promoted McDonald s business to random strangers in the community, but also gave her a chance to reward the citizens of her hometown of Sarasota, FL for their good deeds.
Many successful companies are well known for relationship selling.
Successful salespeople at these companies know that the intentional use of laughter and fun can help to distinguish them from the competition and establish a good feeling between themselves and prospective customers. Brian Palmer, vice president of the National Speakers Bureau, recalls a time that he had a good working relationship with a client at a large investment firm. There was another executive in the firm at a higher level with whom Palmer did not do much business. Palmer asked his client about this and she told him that her boss had told her jokingly that, Brian doesn t suck up nearly enough. His client assured Palmer that this was intended as some sort of a backhanded compliment because her boss had delivered this comment with good humor.