Member Article

Give people free stuff, not indentured servitude.

This begins, as all good ramblings should, with a story.

I previously worked at a large multinational recruitment firm (if you’re imagining Wolf of Wall Street-esque escapades, I have no idea what you’re talking about…)

Whilst at this bastion of moderation and work life balance I decided to take the air and forage for my lunch. There are a number of options within a stone’s throw of my old office (conveniently located in the centre of Leeds) one can easily become bewildered by the sheer choice of eateries, so it’s best not to travel alone. My companion on this occasion was a senior manager from my team, chosen for his wit, discerning palate and decision making prowess.

It’s safe to assume that as a senior manager he had a fair amount of disposable income, he liked a good lunch and we’d had a good week. I was feeling flush and the prospect of slightly more expensive feed had put a spring in my step. We set off walking up the riverside and through the train station, it was 13:00 and the place was buzzing. For those that don’t know the station itself has quite a few good options for lunch; I’m sure the sandwich section at M&S was making eyes at me.

I turned to my companion, head to toe in Hawes and Curtis, and suggested we give M&S a try. He nodded in agreement and we took half a step in the right direction, then something horrifying happened. Out the corner of his eye, through the crowd, he had seen something. He turned his head and shouted “OOOOOOO free stuff!” and set off at pace (expensive shoes squeaking) towards a group of people wearing matching T-shirts handing out food based freebies.

When I caught up with him he had a hand and a mouthful of free food, “I’ll probably just eat this, meet you back at the office?”

As a man of principle I carried on to M&S, although an accidental detour back through the station may have taken place.

So where am I going with this?

No matter where we come from, what background or level of income, people love a bargain. More importantly they love freebies. Many will take a freebie when offered even if they have one already, have no use for it, don’t particularly want one and have nowhere to put it. Let’s be honest we all come back from events with several pens, lots of post-it pads and at least one new USB stick.

So how do we turn this wonderfully human affliction to our advantage?

Consider this; People don’t like being sold to, but they love to buy things.

The Savvy of both consumers and businesses is growing exponentially, they have alternatives and information at their fingertips, decisions take time and invariably decision makers are well informed. Get their attention by giving them freebies, sell indirectly, if they get something free with no obligations you will get their consideration and attention in return. I don’t mean offer them discounts or money off vouchers, that’s been done before and if you’re selling a ‘premium’ product can have a negative effect. Instead consider offering knowledge, advice or something of genuine interest.

When selling to businesses offering industry insight is a pretty easy (and common) freebie that some prospects will genuinely appreciate. Try to be a little more creative, if a client has another need that you can’t service, help them find someone who can. Guess who will get the first call when they do have a need.

Other creative freebies are flexibility and transparency.

It still astounds me when speaking to prospective clients, how frequently they are locked into a 6-9-12 month contract and they are having issues. Why would you effectively agree to a prolonged spell of indentured servitude? It’s no surprise that service levels drop and performance can dwindle, the supplier is effectively un-incentivised. (I appreciate this predominantly applies to service based business but it can be tweaked to fit most industries.)

Try this for a freebie, when dealing with a new client, don’t tie them into a contract, tell them if it doesn’t work they can leave. Be transparent, clients will appreciate results aren’t always instant, by keeping them regularly well informed of all the facts you avoid nasty surprises.

Retain your clients through the merit of your work and not the length of a contract, imagine how powerful that sounds when talking to new businesses.

Give people free stuff, not indentured servitude.

By Tom Selby

Boutique Media Communications

tom@weareboutique.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Selby .