A small sample makes us happy! Give someone a pressie today

If you give people a small present, they will like you better. Research has for example shown that doctors who get a free meaningful gift before meeting a patient, will do a better job. Another study is presented on the Neuromarketing blog:

"What does it take to make you happy? Not much. A classic study by psychologist Norbert Schwarz found that ten cents would do the trick. He and his cohorts repeatedly placed a dime near a copy machine where they knew it would be found. When the subjects who found the dime were surveyed shortly after their discovery, their overall satisfaction with life was substantially higher than other subjects who did not find a coin.

While the original study was conducted back in 1987 when a dime bought more than it does today, the basic idea remains the same: even a tiny positive surprise can improve one’s outlook, albeit temporarily. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Schwarz noted, “It’s not the value of what you find. It’s that something positive happened to you.”

Dooley suggests that brands use the power of free samples to get more customers. Great idea! Also try compliments, surprises, smiles or random sales. Just like I wrote the yesterday, it doesn´t need to be expensive to make a difference. People don´t have to win a massive prize; they might be equally happy with a flower. Love bomb your customers.