Birthday Club Offer: 10% Off During Your Month of Birth

[kcjodih]

So I offer all my customers on my newsletter list (almost 300 names) the chance to be in my birthday club and receive 10% off during the entire month of their birthday. This offer is in every newsletter and states just send me an email with your month and day of birth (no year necessary) and you'll be a member and entitled to 10% off.

Fast forward to tonight; I receive an email from a one time customer who was a PITA during and after the show, wanting this that and everything else. She emails me in July that her birthday is this month (no date) and that she would like the discount. She has an order for me, will be out of town, and call her on such and such a day at such and such a time. Excuse me? Anyway, I email back that I will be away on vacation on that day and time but I will be home for four days before and 5 days after the day she gave me and it would still be within her birthday month. Can I call her on one of those days and if so which one and what time is best? Or we could just email back and forth between now and then (3 week time frame).

She emails back that she'll get back to me and then nothing. Now normally I would follow up with a phone call but as I mentioned she's high maintenance and I only dealt with her once and thought oh my goodness! So I leave it and don't hear from her again. July ends and now that it's almost the end of August I get an email tonight saying "We didn't connect again in July..but I am still interested in getting my birthday discount." Um hello, it's not July any more!!!!

So I emailed her back that no, we didn't connect so therefore I would be happy to honor her discount but only until the end of THIS month and again I would be out of town from Thursday the 28th at 5 pm until Monday noon on Sept 1st so if she'd like her discount she needs to send me her order with payment before I leave Thursday.

Was I unreasonable? I feel bad giving her a deadline less than 3 days away but come on now, it's way past her birthday and also past her birthday 'month' and I'm finding her being way too nervy!

What do YOU think?

 

[smspamperedchef]

Sounds like a good thing to give her a deadline and if she can't get her act together by YOUR time frame than ignore her future e-mails! HA!

 

[chefann]

Sounds like she's one of those people who just wants something for nothing. Stick to your guns, and make sure she knows that the discount is supposed to be used in the month of their birthday and you're making an exception for her just this once. She obviously didn't put a high personal priority on it back in July. What would she have done if she had a coupon that expired? Same situation here - you don't have to give it to her, but you are, to be nice. Sometimes when I offer discounts like this, I try to word them so that customers know that I'm the one covering the discount, not HO. It makes them a little more grateful for it than if they think some faceless corporation is covering it.

 

[PChefPEI]

As Sharon and Ann said, I think you did the right thing. You're not being unreasonable at all!! I agree that you should make it clear that you are making an exception for her and that she should be thankful.

And, I love your idea of the birthday club! Something I should start.....

 

[chefjeanine]

Just a suggestion. I collect peoples b-days at my shows. I don't tell them how I'll use them (because I have not started anything yet). Soon I will be sending a postcard (it's being printed right now at VISTA prints) for 10% off.

Frankly, I don't trust people to be terribly honest. . . I want to have control of this situation. So, the only people who will be in my birthday club (and I have a list of over 700 email addresses) will be those who provided me with their b-day at a show. hth

 

[pampered.chris]

Sounds like she's one of those people who just wants something for nothing. Stick to your guns, and make sure she knows that the discount is supposed to be used in the month of their birthday and you're making an exception for her just this once. She obviously didn't put a high personal priority on it back in July. What would she have done if she had a coupon that expired? Same situation here - you don't have to give it to her, but you are, to be nice.

Sometimes when I offer discounts like this, I try to word them so that customers know that I'm the one covering the discount, not HO. It makes them a little more grateful for it than if they think some faceless corporation is covering it.

Can you give an example of how you word it? Is it just that "this special is only redeemable through Chris Moshier and is not promoted by PC" or something like that?

 

[pamperedlinda]

Some people just like to be in charge. Think of it this way instead - it's more sales than you had before and you are still making commission on it she only gets the discount once so you know you don't have to deal with this until next year.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I agree with what you told her Jodi. You are being nice by giving her another chance to order with the discount you offered, which is more than you had to do! If she doesn't order and pay by your stated date, that's her problem!!

 

[chefann]

Can you give an example of how you word it? Is it just that "this special is only redeemable through Chris Moshier and is not promoted by PC" or something like that?

I say something like, "Order through me, and I'll give you 10% off your order the month of your birthday." Although what I had been doing (and got out of the habit because I had a couple months without customer b'days) is offering them a free bottle of sweet sprinkles when they contact me in their b'day month, and a 2nd bottle free with an order over $60 product value.

 

[babywings76]

I say something like, "Order through me, and I'll give you 10% off your order the month of your birthday." Although what I had been doing (and got out of the habit because I had a couple months without customer b'days) is offering them a free bottle of sweet sprinkles when they contact me in their b'day month, and a 2nd bottle free with an order over $60 product value.

Do you say this at shows? Or is this a tag line in your newsletters?

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Jodi,
Here's what I do.... I honor it anyway. I think of how I want to be treated as a customer. How do I feel when I have let a coupon expire to my favorite store? Irritated to say the least, but then I can dig thru my console whip out a coupon for bed, bath & beyond they will take any EXPIRED coupon from their store (even the $10 off a $30 purchase or one from Linens N Things) I can go in buy a Yankee candle at 20% off. BTW, they will also let you use up to 5 coupons per transaction if you purchase 5 different items. Yes, maybe she is a whole month off, maybe she wasn't the most pleasant person to work with, maybe she will order $20 or she might order $500 (yes I had a customer who was 2 months late in responding & did order that much) I could have blown her off but I figured hey, sales are sales do I "really" care when her birthday is??
when she is out there talking about PC I am the consultant she gives referrals to.just another way to look at it.

 

[chefann]

Do you say this at shows? Or is this a tag line in your newsletters?

I have a separate coupon "newsletter" I send out just to b'days for that month. But I usually forget to mention it when I get info at shows - probably because I think b'days are a waste of time, effort and energy (I don't celebrate mine - I don't want to celebrate something that means I've been stuck here for another year), so they're not high on my priority list.

 

[pcchefjane]

The birthday thing is a great idea! My DD uses it in her CTMH business and she always gets a good order from the birthday person!

I would stick to only letting her use it this month. She is very high maintenance from what you have said and if she hasn't given you an order in 2 months, she probably won't have a good one either. I would be very surprised if you get more than $10 from her!

 

[raebates]

I signed up with birthdayalarm.com. They provide a link for people to share their birth dates. (They don't have to give the year.) I invite anyone who signs up for my enewsletter to sign up for my birthday club. There's also a link on my website. The site automatically sends a first reminder one week before the person's birthday and a second reminder the day before. I then email them on their birthday offering 10% off anything they order in the next 30 days. (That's on top of any discounts they are already entitled to.) Lots of people have signed up. Several have taken advantage of the 10% off. I like this for a few reasons:1) It keeps my name in front of them.2) I don't have to keep track or remember to check anything but my email.3) Their birthday is recorded, so I can check it easily.4) It's a free service. Although, they do have e-cards you can purchase.

 

[pcchefjane]

I asked my DD about her Birthday Club she has for her Close to my Heart customers. She said she does only that person's month and if they don't order, they don't get to carry the 10% discount to another month. From her experience, someone who is high maintenance usually doesn't give very good orders or little at all...gripes about everything...wants discounts all the time for something.

 

[kaseydee]

I feel for you on the HM customer. I have one right now that I'm about to pull my hair out over, but I've learned one lesson from it - I will never have another order or hers sent to me for her to get from me. I am now having to deliver it to her instead of her coming to my business & picking it up. Plus when I called her before I headed to her house last night I called & she didn't answer her phone (again) & I left a message. Never got a call back but got an email asking if I was ok she waited on me for 45mins. I called you - oh she leaves her phone in her car sorry. OMG! This has been going on now since July. I live 30mins away from her so I can't just run over anytime. She is about 5-10mins from my store. So I understand your frustration & I would ask her (if she calls you to order) for her birthday & month so you can put it on file and send her a reminder next year. That way you'll know for future reference. I love the birthday club idea & I'm going to use it!

 

[merego]

I think you did the right thing, some people are just jack a$$ses! Don't even get me started on people today!!

People always expect you to stop the world for them, do these people not have jobs and deal with people? Is that how they treat/deal with people??? argh.....