Manners promote peace, friendship…and sales! Growing up, my sisters and brother and I were fortunate to have a mother who taught us good manners. Yai Yai gave us a rule that if you are going to visit someone, you should bring a gift.
Bringing a gift is a lovely way to break the ice with new friends and it’s a gesture of respect and gratitude to old friends. Spiritual author Deepak Chopra says, “It doesn’t have to be a material gift. You can bring a flower or a note. You can bring a prayer.” Be creative and mix things up. Neat!
In my latest clip from The Wells Fargo Works Project, Deundra and James Hundon of Universal Martial Arts Academy get some cool new promotional items with their logo. Then they engage Yai Yai’s tip as they reach out to their community.
“Don’t worry about making a sale. Make a friend.”
~Sales Guru Jeffrey Gitomer
Here are a few ideas for gift giving for your neighbors and fellow biz owners…
- Bring tea or coffee. In a branded mug. Create your own at Custom Ink.
- Bring trivia cards or suggest a cool new smartphone app. I like Quiz Up!
- You could share a testimonial video of you bragging on them for them to use on their website. (They may offer to give you one, too.)
- Share a Top Tips Lists – for fun things to do in your community, resources, helpful household tips.
- Offer flowers, or herbs from your garden.
- Share a local farmer’s almanac.
- Do you know they have a dog? Pet toys and treats are nice.
- Do create appropriate-for-your-biz items, like James and Deundra did. Headbands for a fitness company. Jar openers for a specialty food store. You can get about any promotional item at Identity Links.
- So many people have food allergies or restrictions. You wouldn’t want to unknowingly bring a cheese plate to a vegan. Tread carefully with food gifts. Having said that, my friend Howard Partridge grew his company by bringing donuts...to thousands of folks over the years. You decide.
- And don’t forget to checkout Pinterest. It’s gold mine of fun, inexpensive gift ideas!
- Don’t forget to include your business card. Better yet, demonstrate a digital business card scanning app and get yourself into their contact list.
So, get out there. Introduce yourself to new folks in your neighborhood. Look up old friends, too. And bring a gift. You might even remind them to enter this cool contest! I’m stoked to be one of Wells Fargo’s sponsored small business experts and excited to spread the word. Enter the contest yourself, share the link with friends. It’s easy, and you could win $25,000, plus lots of business help and rockin’ publicity!
