Over the July 4th holiday, my husband went to the hill at the back of our property and told me, “oh, by the way, there are some black raspberries up on the hill”. Wow, really? That’s cool! I couldn’t wait to go check it out myself. Indeed, there was wild berries growing up there, but they were blackberries. Excited, I immediately went up and picked about a pint. I washed them, then I ate some and gave some to my 4 year old son to try. He loved them too. Later, I scoured the net to see what I could make with the blackberries. I settled on some blackberry liquor, which is currently fermenting in my house and will have an uncorking with my closest neighbor friends when it has aged.
So, what does this have to do with business and marketing? Surprises are a great motivator. We’ve lived in this house for 3 years. We have a small lot and I never noticed the berries growing on the bank. But once I did, I had to share them and tell others about them. Surprises spark people’s interest. Think of when you can incorporate the element of surprise. In your writing, can you put in a funny (yet appropriate) comment, or when speaking, can you throw out a good quote or statistic? Can you make people laugh? Can you give them a small gift? Do you send them lumpy mail? How can you use the element of surprise to keep your clients and prospects awake and interested?
There’s no easy answer. The solution has to be uniquely yours. Think of the fresh blackberries your customers would love to find in the hill full of weeds.