How many of you love food ... for free? Today, I would like to share with you a practical way to build stronger client relationships through the art of giving food. In cultures around the world, food is an essential part of life. Food touches all senses — taste, sight, smell, touch and even auditory. The language of food needs no interpretation. It means the same. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Malaysia, the USA, Greece or Mexico. Giving food is a symbol of generosity. It says, “I like you. You’re my friend.”
Last year, while attending the Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, I took the opportunity to buy some shortcakes and treats for my clients. Among them were some shortcakes that I bought from a bakery in LA. I brought them as a gift to Michael’s house. Michael is a client who I knew would love such a treat. When I met Michael, I said, “Michael, thanks for being my client all these years. Here are some shortcakes from Ellie’s Famous Yummy Cake House. I hope your kids will love them.” Michael was very grateful for the gesture and expressed how thoughtful it was on my part. I remembered to bring something back for him and his family. Now I continue and say, “Oh, Michael, don’t worry about it. It is just my way of saying thank you.” By doing a simple gesture of kindness, our relationship blossomed from a business relationship to a close friendship between our families.
Now, I have been doing this for the past 15 years, and I learned about this during a presentation at the MDRT Experience in Japan. It was an idea that was easy to implement and that would result in building stronger lasting client relationships with my clients. And today, I would like to share with you the simple idea that has proven to be very successful for me. There are some simple rules to this that you must follow.
No. 1 is easiness. Your gift must be small, simple and easy to eat. For example, biscuits, cakes, chocolates, fruits or even snacks. This applies especially if it is something that you bought overseas to bring back home for your clients.
No. 2 is convenience. It must be easy to deliver and easy to carry home by your clients. You do not want to cause an inconvenience with a gift rather than an excitement.
No. 3 is personalization. Your gift must be nicely decorated, with good personalized packaging. It should have a nice package with a warm family greeting card with 1,000 words on how much effort you put into it. The difference is in the detail.
No. 4 is price. Your gift doesn’t need to be expensive. Anything around $5 to $20 is best. Remember, it is a token of appreciation and not a display of luxury. Clients might feel reluctant to accept a very expensive gift. A small gift with good intentions is always better than an expensive one with ulterior motives.
No. 5 is uniqueness. It must be a unique food that your clients couldn’t get from their local store. For example, a special selection biscuit from Walmart, homemade cookies made by you, pastries from a nearby, well-known bakery or even fruits and vegetables from your own garden.
And lastly, No. 6 is you. You deliver the gift personally. That’s what matters most.
So now, let me recap what we have learned today. The six steps in the art of giving food are:
- Easiness
- Convenience
- Personalization
- Price
- Uniqueness
- You
Whenever you give, you plant a seed. You’re intentionally getting into the client’s heart and showing that you care. As the wise man says, “It is always more blessed to give than to receive.” I wish you all the best in giving.
Lim Ren En, RFP, is a 10-year MDRT member with two Court of the Table qualifications from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. He is second vice president of the alumni board of College of De La Salle in Thessaloniki, Greece. MetLife awarded him the Morality Prize in 2007, and he joined the Gallery of Stars in 2012.
