Free give-aways and treats are offered almost everywhere. Most don’t work at all, or only in a very marginal way, but sometimes at high cost. But anything done for a customer in an emotional state is something he will remember.

I was at my hairdressers the other day, getting my hair cut and a cup of delicious cappuccino. It is actually one of the best cappuccinos in the city. Though it was nice, it wasn’t a memorable experience. I remember it right now, but I doubt it will have great meaning to me in a few years.

Am I about to tell my friends to get their hair cut there because they offer free cappuccino? Hardly. My friends are rather more interested in getting the right hair cut. If I make a recommendation, my reputation is on the line, too, so I want to be fairly certain that the service I am recommending is consistently good.

There is a place for giveaways to enhance customer satisfaction and that are consistent with the product you sell. IF the nice lady in the perfume shop puts a few samples in, that makes sense. If the gifts amount to mere bribery, it won't work. Bribes may boost survey satisfaction scores slightly, but they generally won't do what you really want them to do; create a lasting, positive impression on the customer in relation to your products or services.

I believe a better way to give something to a customer is to do it in the correct context, i.e. business related. A further context is one in which the customer is in an emotional state. A give-away to a customer in an emotional state is a lasting impression.

When we moved into my new apartment, my son and I invited mixed friends in for a drink in a small house warming party. I went to the little store over the road to purchase wine, beer and liquor for the evening. The owners, a Turkish family living in the same house as the shop, knew me by sight as we had blocked their shop window with the van when moving in. They gave me a discount on this rather large purchase, even though I was prepared to make the purchase at full price, and threw in a bottle of Champagne as a welcome gift to a new neighbour. I always remembered that, and have told many people about it. This is in a completely different category from a hairdresser giving away free coffee. I have, in effect, tied the experience to the positive emotional feelings that go along with a new apartment. It made me feel welcome in the neighbourhood as well.

There are many opportunities for businesses to come through for someone who is in an emotional state. My example is one of a positive state. Often, the emotional state may be negative. Like my parents arriving on the Virgin Islands to find their luggage had been sent by Swissair to Mexico instead. They had to be at the Governor’s House for a private dinner the same evening, and an official reception would be held the next day for which they had an invite, too. The then still existing Swissair reacted instantly and gave instructions to the local carrier. Accordingly, a lady was dispatched with my mother into town to buy her several dresses fit for state dinners, afternoon teas and whatever, plus anything else they required. The purchase was not quite a Palin one, but it cost several times what the tickets had cost.

It is in circumstances such as these when a business has the opportunity to stand up to the plate and hit a home run. Policies are meaningless to someone in an emotional state. Anything you can do to set aside a policy and make an exception for a customer in such a state will generate strong, positive feelings about your business. My parents never changed airlines, no matter where they went, other than under duress, like flying to Australia. And they told all their friends over and over about it. That is positive marketing coming out of a very negative situation.