Make the gift match the relationship

I received a direct mail package from my cell phone service provider this morning.

It was a nicely produced piece in an invitation-style envelope, including a short letter thanking me for being a loyal customer for a number of years.

In return for my loyalty, they offered me a choice of free gifts.

Sending the letter was a good idea. It’s easy to switch providers, and it was smart of them to thank me and offer a gift.

The trouble is, the gift choices sucked.

Gift choice #1: A pouch for my cell phone. Like I don’t already have half a dozen of those gathering dust.

Gift choice #2: A 6-month subscription to a magazine. Sure. I can get the same offer from a dozen places online.

Gift choice #3: A music CD. Are they kidding? Why not offer me some free downloads instead?

As soon as I read the list of gift choices, I dropped the package in the garbage.

And that’s a pity, because I toss 99% of junk mail without even reading the outer envelope.

These guys achieved the near impossible of getting me to actually read the letter and then glance at the brochure with the featured gifts.

I was feeling positive right up to the moment I saw the gift choices. And then those positive feelings turned to negative within the blink of a neuron.

The moral of the story is, if you’re going to try to hold onto your customers with a gift offer, make it meaningful. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to have some perceived value and meaning.

Like everyone else, I like free gifts. I just don’t like to be insulted.