0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

Customer Service ● 255
One of my friends—a person who once advised President Clinton and
was later appointed by President Obama to head a high-profile, bipartisan
commission—still sends me handwritten notes. And, of course, I send him
a handwritten note in response.
If you really can’t bear to write personal notes, check out Send Out
Cards. The company makes it easy to go online and keep in touch with
customers, friends, and family members. (Read my exclusive interview
with founder Kody Bateman at the end of Great Idea #99.)
GREAT
Wrap It Up
One of the nicest things you can do for your customers
is send them out the door with their mer-
IDEA
chandise beautifully gift wrapped. It saves time and money, and great
packaging is one of the smartest and most cost-effective advertisements
for your retail business.
Think of Tiffany’s signature turquoise box and how much excitement
that creates.
Before it closed during the Great Recession, I loved shopping at
Takashimaya, an elegant Japanese-owned department store on Fifth
Avenue in Manhattan. In addition to selling unique clothes, jewelry, and
housewares, the store was known for its amazing gift wrapping.
Gift items were nestled in layers of tissue paper and tucked into a triangular
paper box. No matter what you purchased, whether it was a $15
scented candle or $1,500 earrings, the gift was made more special because
of the elaborate gift wrapping and triangular bag.
As an avid shopper, I’m always surprised when a merchant hands me
my purchase in a generic paper or plastic bag. If you can’t gift wrap merchandise,
at least invest in colorful paper bags and customize it with a
sticker featuring your company logo, address, and phone number. Turn
every customer into a walking billboard for your business.
One last note on gifts: it doesn’t matter how much you spend as long
as you really think about what the person would enjoy and not necessarily