It’s a Tuesday after a long weekend, and you’re back in the office trying to get your brain into work mode. You’ve spent the past hour musing over the changing leaves outside of your window and your coffee sits in front of you, half full and cold. Then, your coworker Jenny comes back into the office and swings by your desk to present you with a warm, perfectly baked chocolate croissant from your favourite local patisserie. In that moment the sun shines a little brighter, your mood lifts, your heart swells and your mouth starts to water at the prospect of indulging in this decadent masterpiece! And that my friends, is what I like to call romancing the ordinary.
Coming up with ideas and ways to surprise and delight our clients here at Rock & Bloom is something I love to do! Whether that be sending a handwritten card, having their favourite beverage prepared and waiting for their arrival to a meeting, or providing some fun brand assets outside of our scope of work, we can elevate the human experience and be reminded that behind all of these wonderful businesses are unique individuals.
Simply make your client feel special and appreciated
Now, this may sound a little daunting but it doesn’t have to be! The best part about this is that this can be achieved with minimal investment of time and financial resources. The goal here is to simply make your client feel special and appreciated, there are no set rules for budget, frequency, or how you go about doing that.
Here are a few steps we can take to integrate this into our client process:
- Observe – Notice what they bring to meetings, which treats they reach for, how they like their coffee, do they talk about their favourite restaurant?
- Note – Keep a record somewhere of these details — right in their contact on your phone is a great place, or perhaps a spreadsheet if you’re working with a team to execute.
- Plan – Decide on frequency, and note that this can totally change! Perhaps you’d like to send something at the end of a project, or for their birthday, etc.
- Delight – Designate a time throughout the month where you’ll source items (if required) or sit down and put together your delight.
Some fun ideas to get those creative juices flowing:
- Donut delivery for site launch day
- A new notebook for the avid notetaker
- Customized sugar cookies with their new logo on it
- Shout out on your company’s social media accounts
- Handwritten note of appreciation
- Lunch at their favourite restaurant
- Reserved parking sign with their name on it
- Invitation to a client only mixer/event
Whenever possible, I like to be able to see their reaction in person. There is no greater feeling than that of seeing pure joy on someone’s face! Sometimes that’s not feasible, but I still take great joy in knowing that when they receive it it will leave a lasting impression.
Have fun with this exercise and let us know some of your favourite ways to surprise and delight your clients.