My golden retriever, Theo, has a twin. 🐕

His name is Milo and he’s a red golden retriever (from another mother) that we see almost every morning on our walk.

His owner is a kind British woman who always stops to chat with me and gives me tips on living in the neighborhood and the best places to take a dog.

On Monday, I noticed her dog Milo sporting a festive bandana, so I asked her if it was from his Halloween costume.

She said no, I actually took him to the groomer for the full work-up, and they gave him this bandana.

I did a closer inspection, which involved lots of pets and scratches for Milo, and I was impressed.

He smelled wonderful.

His trim was neat.

His teeth were pearly white.

I went home and called up Just for Paws right away.

When she asked what I wanted done, I said give me what Juliette had done to Milo. And…because I was a new client and a referral, she gave me 20% off!

I was booked for the next day.

Theo looking very handsome with his own bandana

So what does my dog’s hygiene have to do with your business?

Just for Paws uses a marketing tactic that small business owners often overlook.

Notice how we got on the topic of the groom?

Milo’s bandana.

This is a bonus gift that works incredibly well for 2 reasons:

1. Dog parents love seeing their fresh pup in a cute, festive bandana (I can attest to this)
2. It’s an easily visible talking point that makes word-of-mouth marketing inevitable

With the Holidays coming up, it’s the perfect time to focus on surprising and delighting your current clients.

Last year, I did this by sending personalized coffee table books to my 1:1 clients as Holiday gifts.

Two of my clients have since told me, “People always ask about my beautiful book!”

Not only do they remember me often when they see the book lying on their coffee tables, but it’s also an easy talking point for those who bring it up.

Plus, the gift was personalized for each client so that I could show my appreciation for how wonderful it’s been to work with them.🥰

You might not be able to send personalized gifts to all of your clients, but there are other (low cost) ways I’ve seen practitioners nail this –

💆‍♀️After an Ayurvedic Bodywork session, my practitioner gifted me the leftover oil that she had custom blended for our appointment. It was one of my favorite oils EVER, and I recommend people to her all the time.

🧏When my morning sickness was at an all-time high, an acupuncturist gave me ear seeds to keep in. They weren’t super visible (and I don’t think this was his intention), but I often showed them to people anyway.

📝I love getting (and posting) any hand-written notes or small bonus gifts that come with purchases from small shops. The woman I bought my wedding shoes from wrote me a note and sent me a bonus shoe cleaner, and I told everyone about her.

If you’re an online business, here are a few more ways you can delight and surprise your clients:

• Share a small eBook of your favorite Holiday recipes
• Email digital gift cards to a local coffee or tea shop
• Gift an opportunity for clients to submit their loved one’s names for a Distance Group Reiki share
• Host a local meet-up
• Do a giveaway so 1-3 people can win a bundle of holistic gifts from your favorite local shops

Get creative! Not only is it fun to give, but the thought counts more than the size of the gift. ✨

Milo’s bandana probably cost <$1 and it took less than 30 seconds to put over his head.

Yet, it led to a new customer (me, we’re talking about me) booking a full grooming appointment, spending more money to buy treats while in the shop, and even sharing Theo’s picture with his own bandana in her newsletter.

That’s the simple power of going above and beyond to delight and surprise your clients.

Gosh, I love the magic of the Holidays.🎅