However, let us investigate the analogy of a customer being a friend. At first your new friend is an unknown entity to you. Their personality, likes dislikes and idiosyncrasies are unknown.
Over a period of time, you establish a relationship with this person that allows you insight into their personality and thus you become an extension of them and they of you. When you go out on shopping for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas, you are able to pick out gifts that create an optimal positive response. Your gifts are well received because they are well thought out; meet a need of your friend and your relationship further prospers. In the same way, when you invite them around for dinner, you prepare dishes that you believe will delight their palates and enhance your reputation as host/hostess.
Creating a true and lasting friendship requires input that focuses on how much you value this person and how much you wish to demonstrate this to them, not on what you can get out of them. It is about connecting and forming a bond.
The law of reciprocation will demonstrate that if their needs are met through you, they will reciprocate with corresponding dinner invitations, remembering your birthday, picking up your children from school, relaying opportunities that may be suitable to you etc.
Why do we see our clients and different to our friends? They are at first unknown entities. Once we get to understand them we tailor-make proposals that will meet their needs and once successful, create an opportunity for further business and even referrals from our client.
In the Pre-CRM age our gifting strategy was a cost centre, instead of an investment center, which runs on an input-output equilibrium basis. At the same time,a true gift is not a method of payment. In fact many companies are becoming increasingly sensitive to the risk of perceived bribery. Rather a gift is an expression of appreciation for the individual with whom you have a relationship.
The English word ''gift'' comes from the Greek word ''charis'', which means grace or undeserved gift. Think back on the times when you have received gifts from friends and loved ones. There are event gifts, such as birthdays and anniversaries. The response to these expected gifts solely depends on the level of need that the gift meets, the level of appropriateness to the recipient. The unexpected gift, the surprise flowers, book, airline tickets or dinner reservations are expression of affection by the giver. The level of gratitude for unexpected gifts is enhanced by the fact that this gift was unsolicited/ undeserved.
The benefits of gifting are numerous. Branded gifts that are used introduce your brand name into everyday use by keeping your brand top-of-mind. Gifting promotes positive relationships between you and your client. Gifting is an added tool for your sales force in creating positive relationships. Gifting reduces wasted advertising spend, by concentrating your marketing budget on the direct user.
Translated on a corporate level, the ''Creating Friends out of Customers'' strategy of managing responses in your client is called client relationship management. Your client is an extension of your sales force, a creator of goodwill for you in the market place.