See Andy's other stuff:

Contact Me >>

Newsletter #701: The “How To Surprise People” Issue

{Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That Email Newsletter.  This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received.  Sign yourself up using the handy form on the left.}

 

The "How To Surprise People" Issue

1> Never a normal thank you
2> Surprising speaker handouts
3> Do something special

 
1> Never a normal thank you

Only send gifts that make people say "wow". No one wants to receive a gift basket full of weird food that you don’t want to eat. Try this: Flamingo Surprise will cover a lawn with 100 pink flamingos or happy faces. Ship the best BBQ from Tennessee. Send a cheesecake from the Carnegie Deli for less than you’d spend on a boring gift basket.

The Lesson: If you’re going to send a gift, make sure it’s worth talking about.

More Info: http://www.flamingosurprise.com

 
2> Surprising speaker handouts

Most speakers give the audience something boring (or nothing at all!). Hand out something unusual before you start speaking and you’ll get everyone’s attention. Put funny stickers on mini boxes of cereal or give everyone a chocolate bar–before 8:30am. Best of all, give them something to take back to the office and they’ll tell everyone they just saw you speak.

The Lesson: Make sure you’re the one that they remember and talk about.

 
3> Do something special

Surprise your customers by giving them something unexpected. Delaware Dental in Chicago gives new parents a hand-mixed CD with music for baby girls or boys. Restaurant Nacional 27 has a guy in a suit whose only job is to bring diners tasty treats from the chef. Restaurant Lou Mitchell gives people donuts while they’re waiting for their table.

The Lesson: It’s easy to create a remarkable moment.

[contact-form-7 id="27185" title="contact-form 3 TellAFriend-Post"]