In a world that is often impersonal, it is more fun to do business with friends. And while sending business gifts is common, when you send a gift to a friend, it is usually unique. Personal. If you really want to go to a deeper level, it celebrates an inside joke. Take it one step further and it makes someone laugh because it is completely unexpected.
My receipts use a term for this concept that has become a line item in-house...Crockpot Marketing.
It was inadvertently started by a conference ten years ago where three of our clients came to participate in a workshop we organized. Part of the workshop was a spoof contest. Brian Elwell--with a bit of hilarious improv--gushed endlessly about the grand prize...a crockpot...which he used for his famous "beenie weenies."
After the conference as a thank you gift, we sent custom packaged miniature crock pots to the speakers. They were filled with jelly bellies in a real "bean" color. Over time, anytime I sent a thank you gift that celebrated a moment, it became "crockpot marketing." The flip side to the term is that it is like taking a covered dish to a friend.
Since then I’ve been on a mission to send memorable items that affirm relationship and shared experience. At the very least, making that particular day just a little less ordinary. The best part is that I'm not the only one on this mission.
Once when I had a scratch on my eye, I had to go to a meeting in those horribly ugly sunglasses that the ophthalmologist gives you to protect your eye. The next day, I received a package with a collection of the most outrageous collection of sunglasses I had ever seen. It made me laugh out loud to open it, and more importantly, I have never forgotten the individual who sent them.