My husband celebrated his 48th birthday in July. We had to postpone his birthday party for a few weeks for scheduling reasons (we have a big family and it's tough to get everyone together at one time) so his mom decided to take us out for dinner on his birthday to celebrate.
We didn't go anywhere fancy, just to our local Mimi's Cafe. It was a Wednesday night and I was surprised how busy the restaurant was for a weekday.
My mother-in-law made sure to let our waitress know that it was my husband's birthday. And, as it fairly typical, when he finished his meal, they brought him a free dessert with a candle and we all sang "Happy Birthday."
But it's what ELSE they did that caught my attention, especially after reading the chapter on restaurant direct marketing in Dan Kennedy's book, "No B.S. Direct Marketing." Along with the free dessert, they brought my husband a birthday card. And inside that birthday card, they inserted a coupon for a free appetizer. The waitress made sure to call my husband's attention to it before we left saying, "Be sure to come back - there's a coupon for a free appetizer in there." What a great client retention tool!
The next morning I noticed the little coupon card stuck on our refrigerator door. There it was, staring me in the face when I opened the refrigerator looking for something to eat. A little ad for Mimi's Cafe, promising me free food.
How smart is that? Every restaurant does the free birthday dessert. But I have never seen a restaurant deliver a birthday card along with it and include a free coupon. Do you think there's a better chance we'll go back to Mimi's Cafe knowing we can get something free? You bet!
This is a great example of doing a little something extra for your current clients (or guests), to encourage them to do business with you more often. How could you apply this idea to your business?