My mom recently experienced a problem with an OXO can opener. She sent OXO an email about her experience, and, to their credit, OXO immediately responded with an apology and a full refund. My mom was very satisfied.

The story doesn’t end here, though. About a week later, a large package arrived at my parents’ home. Inside was a beautiful, very large OXO trashcan. And no note. Nothing in the box except for the trashcan. Needless to say, my mother was mystified. Was this a mistake? Some sort of additional restitution for her previous complaint? Read More -›

I received this email from Verne Harnish of Gazelles.com earlier this week. It’s a great example of creatively generating grassroots marketing for many reasons, two of which are:

1. It’s a real win-win. Anyone can send a personalized copy of Verne’s autographed book as a gift, free. In return, Verne gets credible, referral access to a whole new group of potential clients!

2. It’s inexpensive. Now, granted, Verne will have to pay for the book & postage, but I’m assuming that he’s assessed that cost versus how much it typically costs his company to acquire highly qualified leads. Read More -›