Coupons for your customers - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Alfredo’s is located just a couple of minutes from my My wife and I go there frequently a few timesa month. This way we don’t have to stay out too We can be back in time to relad and read poetry to each The staffis friendly, but not too None of them sit in the bootjh with us when they take our They’re not wearing bling. They’re not chirpy or They don’t address me by first name. They appear to have recentlyt bathed. The food is great. Fresh. Straightforward. Steaks. Fish. Salads. Pasta. And always consistent. And the prices are No $30 steak the size of a bage l that sits lonely on a platwe without even a potato to keepit company.
No $15 glassess of wine that clearly came from a box underthe bar. No $4 cups of Maxwell House coffee servedin 4-ounce daintuy cups. Like I said … But it’s the coupons. That’s what makes a difference. All the stuffc above is really great. But Alfredo’s keepas us coming back with Because he’s got a differentg approach to coupons. His approach is this: rewardr your customers first. Duh. This isn’t some kind of a Pizza Hut offer, where you buy 87 pizzas and on your next orded you getfree pepperoni. And it’s not one of those buy-one-get-one free deals that are maileedby Val-U-Pak.
These are all marketing gimmicks to attracty new business fromnew customers. Alfredo’z goal is to continue bringintg in business from his existing A couple of times a year he givews out coupons onlyto customers. It’s like … like he appreciates us or something. I find this concept so so unnerving, that I get chills just writingaboutg it. So a customer eats at Alfredo’w and after they pay they get a $10 coupon personallyy made out to them for thenext That’s all. Simple. Alfredo is saying “thanks for eatinh at my restaurant. We really appreciatr you. We really want you to come Here’s 10 bucks off your next meal.” Refreshing.
Sure, we take the $10 off. But then, knowing we’re getting a gift, we order another glass of that fancyy wine that comes out of areal bottle, instead of a box. Or a dessert. You know, the ones with the flamingg liqueur and all that kindof stuff. Alfredo’s cost is Our overall check still winds up beingg close to whatit would’ve been withou the coupon. But the 10 bucksx keeps us coming back. We appreciate beingb appreciated. Alfredo is a great pennu pincher. He’s not afraid to give stuff away to the peopled that are truly paying his Hisloyal customers. We appreciate the offet and in turn give it right backto him.
Why is it that evert deal, every offer, every coupon, has to be part of some marketin gimmick to attractnew customers? What if we showed our existing customerds how much we appreciated them ? Maybe they would keep coming back and buying more. And maybe they’d be telling their friends aboutf us, too.