Hi all,
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the holidays coming up, in part because I struggle in a somewhat unusual way as a business owner. Ideologically, I’m no Warren Buffett or Donald Trump. Rather, I’m a strong proponent of the synergistic model of doing business. It’s not about outdoing your competition, but rather through targeted synergy with those same companies to coordinate our strengths to shine at the brightest sheen we can muster.
My struggles don’t stop there, though. I go further and think deep thoughts about capitalism and creeping commercialization. Whatever your values or feelings on these, I at least feel that the efforts of businesses large and small to capitalize on the holiday season in order to spur revenues higher is somewhat distasteful. And while I’m sure many would agree in theory with me, it becomes a different story when you run a business and see the holiday slump approaching.
The great news is, I have thought up a clever way to address this concern while still participating in the promotional fervor. How, you ask? Through gift giving. By this, I do not mean a promotional offer like I could offer you anytime throughout the year, like “a free hour of consulting with sign-up for monthly services!” (Sidenote: That is a perennial offer to all non-monthly clients, but that is not the point of this post.)
I offer instead this “promo” in the spirit of the rural country doctor trope:
If you present me with a gift of Martinelli’s Apple Cider (I’m not fussy about the flavors, I love them all), I will take up to $50 off an invoice for my services in exchange. Whether you get me one bottle or a variety pack is up to you; since it doesn’t impact the size of the invoice credit, it focuses the attention more on the act of giving and less on the money. All I ask is that the bottle is at least the standard 750ml bottle size – otherwise, I’ll go through it too quickly 😀
That’s my holiday promo! I hope you all are inspired to think outside of the box and help us break away from some of the commercialization of the holiday and get back to the original point: community, and giving.
Thanks!