Even though I write a column called Mr. Penny Pincher, I’ve never been a coupon person. I understand the appeal and they can save you money, but the effort and the amount of coupons needed to save $5 here or there always seemed to be a bit of a chore for me. I’d much rather use a different and what I consider easier method to receive a discount on your favorite products.
Companies are always looking for ways to improve. There’s no better way for them to do this than by receiving feedback from us, the customer. There are companies that spend hundreds if not millions of dollars each year to receive customer feedback. Outside agencies are hired and focus groups are set up to dive deeper into what customers think about new and/or current products. Sometimes these focus groups work (Tide constantly evolving is a good example) and sometimes they don’t (mid-1980s New Coke is a great example of what not to do). The point is, companies want to hear from us.
That’s why I began sending emails to the parent company of the products I use on a daily basis. Because I have a marketing background, I originally did it as a way to say “thanks” for bringing what I considered to be a great product to market. I didn’t necessarily expect anything in return, but I wouldn’t have been floored if they sent a $1 off coupon or something similar. What I experienced was a much better return than I expected.
For the purposes of this exercise, I’ll use two of the more recent responses I received. My daughter suffers from very dry hands. Similar to myself, when the winter time hits, her hands become ashy and extremely dry to the point of cracking. She was even being picked on at school because of it, which of course impacted her confidence. We had tried many of the OTC hand lotions and none of them seemed to work. I happened to see O’Keefe’s Working Hands at Wal-Mart and figured we’d give it a try. Not only did it work, it essentially cured my daughter of her dry hands.
I was so thankful, I sent an email to their corporate office to tell our story and explain why we were so grateful their product existed and at an affordable price. I received an email back within 24 hours along with an ask to send my address. About a week later, we received a care package in the mail (pictured) containing multiple products along with some branded wearables. The whole package had to cost north of $50 retail, all because I sent a nice email thanking them for offering their product.
I had a similar experience with Kingsford charcoal. I consider myself a bit of a “grill master” on the weekends, but I’m a pretty staunch charcoal grill advocate. Although I use other brands of charcoal depending on the situation, Kingsford is my main brand of choice. I sent an email to Kingsford customer service basically stating this and they responded within a couple of days. They also asked for my address. I received a coupon in the mail for a free bag of charcoal. Not the same level of “swag” received from O’Keefe’s, but it’s still way better than a $1 off coupon you’d normally see in your supermarket circular.
Companies want to hear from us. The small amount they’ll pay in providing you with free lotions or a free bag of charcoal is a drop in the bucket to their overall marketing budget. Plus, you’re providing them with free info they didn’t have to pay a third party to receive. It’s a winning proposition for all involved. You simply need to take 10 minutes out of your day to send a short email to say thanks. It doesn’t work every time of course, plenty of companies have never responded at all. However, you’ll be surprised at what you can get with the ones that do.
Now, where’s that Ferrari customer service email?
Nevermind. I wouldn’t want to pay for the maintenance anyway.
