Page 1 from the "How to market your wares" book

[OWJones 1,981]

We have a soup kitchen here in town called Blessings Soup Kitchen.  Unlike what most people think of when they hear "soup kitchen" this one is a lunch-only restaurant where you pay only what you can afford - if you can afford anything.  Each day of the week is a different meal, and it's usually not soup...

 

Anyway, shortly after they opened, I made 20 "I (heart) Blessings Soup Kitchen" buttons and took them down along with a $0 invoice.  I told them that they were welcome to wear them, sell them for a profit, whatever, and if they wanted more to give me a call some day.

 

Flash forward a few months and I get a call today that starts out with "Are you Michael from Ottumwa Decal?  Did you make us some free buttons a while back?"  and she proceeds to tell me that she would like to get a few more.  They're starting a Blessings Baking Club with various church groups that will donate baked goods to the kitchen and she would like to give buttons to the church ladies who volunteer.

 

She asks how much they would cost, and I tell her it all depends on quantity and she then proceeds to order 200 buttons and insists that she be allowed to pay for them.

 

Well, if you insist... I guess I'll take your money...  ow, ow, quit twisting my arm!

 

Buttons cost me ~$0.10 each to make, so I put $2.00 into the original free gift and now plan to earn that back plus a lot more and I don't even feel guilty about it.

 

Not everyone can see the value in inexpensive promotional items - until they get their hands on them and see that people actually want them...  Then they're willing to place an order and spend money.