Let’s be honest: A lot of companies don’t have an obvious edge on their competitors. If the proprietors are lucky, customers might keep coming back out of force of habit. Whole industries (think commercial banking) are based on that kind of zombie behavior.
That’s why success often falls squarely in the hands of silver-tongued salespeople–and they need all the help they can get. Once-fat entertainment budgets have gone on a diet, and many small businesses never had much to play with in the first place.
Plenty of business is still won on the links. But then not everyone plays golf. If a tee time is your only weapon when it comes to entertaining clients, you’re not thinking creatively enough.
Top Tips: 10 Fun And Affordable Ways To Entertain Clients
Here are some proven ways of luring customers and avoiding going broke in the process. For a complete list of 10, see our slideshow.
Host a Wine Dinner at Home
Invite a wine
expert as a keynote speaker and pair her selections with food from the
same region. Andy Abramson, CEO of Comunicano, a communications agency
in Del Mar, Calif., has hosted such get-togethers for representatives
from Skype,
AT&T
,
Verizon
and
Qualcomm
. Abramson says "it leverages everyone’s passion for the juice as a way to build common bonds and inspire conversations.”
Captain Your Own Ship
Three hours on a
yacht in a city like Chicago can cost $1,200. But if you rent a big
enough vessel, you can invite a lot of clients. Suddenly what seems like
a luxury becomes eminently affordable. Shawn Taylor, president of
Treetop Consulting, a media advisory in Chicago, took 30 of his clients
on a sunset cruise on Lake Michigan. "The event paid for itself,” he
says. "Two of my clients re-upped their contracts the following week,
and everybody is still talking about it.”
Make a Short Film
Judy Shapiro, CEO of
technology marketing firm engageSIMPLY, uses an application on YouTube
called "Search Stories” to create videos for potential clients. The
clips aren’t just sales pitches–they’re entertainment. Shapiro created a
30-second video, set to highly percussive classical music, about what
pops up on Google when people searched for her client’s name (see the video here).
The videos "take me about 10 minutes to create, and it’s a great
starting point for a conversation or further discussion with a client,”
says Shapiro. Better yet, they’re free.
Organize a "Meetup”
To woo younger clients,
executives at Manhattans Pierre Hotel came up with Twitter strategy
called the "#sangriasocial.” The goal: to get media-savvy bloggers to
spend a weeknight at their bar and then spread the word over Twitter.
The Pierre asks some official hosts (bloggers and public relations
types) to work their networks and fill the room. Anyone who tweeted
about the event while on-site got a free sangria. Donnetta Campbell, a
publicist and one of the hosts, said The Pierre quickly saw a younger
crowd at its bar afterward. For more ideas about using Twitter to
generate business, check out "Twenty-One Top Twitter Tips.”