感恩生财

    “我们没有销售任何东西，整个活动非常低调。我们只是站起来，自我介绍了两分钟，”卡莱特说。然后，她们开始派发入场奖品和“红包”。

    鲍威琳当时还邀请当地十几家商户参加了这次午餐会，他们也有意会见她的客户们；这些合作伙伴和其他商家现在都成了活动的赞助者，还在各自的商圈内充当起这家豪车租赁公司的“宣传大使”。

    答谢餐会产生了很好的效果：去年，该公司的收入增加27%。在鲍威琳看来，这主要应该归功于每年大约举办10次的客户答谢午餐活动。2009年9月份，她将租金提高了10%，并开始征收燃油附加费，但是“客户们连眼睛也没眨一下。因为我们已经建立了长期持久的业务关系，”她说。

    “当初我想出这个主意的时候是为了帮助好友海蒂，但没想到最后我自己反倒成了最大的受益者，”鲍威琳说。

    译者：任文科

    "We don't sell anything. It's very low key. We just stand up and introduce ourselves for two minutes," says Kallett. Then they give away door prizes and swag bags.

    Bouweiri came up with a dozen other local business owners who also would be interested in meeting her clients; these partners and others now sponsor the event - and serve as "ambassadors" for the limo company in their circles.

    The appreciation lunches have paid off: Last year, revenues at the company increased by 27%, mostly as a result, she says, of the client appreciation lunches, which are held about 10 times a year. Even when she raised rates 10% and added a fuel surcharge in September 2009, "customers were not batting an eyelash. We've created long-term lasting relationships," she says.

    "I came up with this idea because I was trying to help Heidi -- and I ended up helping myself," said Bouweiri.