(Expert Feature) Halloween Business Advice: How To Give Your Customers Treats Not Tricks
“Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special.” – Chris Rock
Do you remember Charlie Brown special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?” Do you remember the one thing that Charlie Brown got at every house he went to on Halloween?
A rock. It was the perfect example of his life as a loser.
In reality, things weren’t usually that bad for us as kids on Halloween. None of us probably ever received a rock on Halloween.
The Unpopular Houses And Unpopular Candy
But do you remember going around on Halloween and going to one of those houses that gave out horrible treats?
You know, they gave out the kind of treats that most kids hated. Instead of getting a treat you felt tricked.
One question: how often did you go back to the houses that gave out those kind of treats?
I’m guessing not ever – unless you forgot they were the ones who gave out those horrible “treats.”
Just for fun, let me share something with you…
Do you know what 3 of the worst kinds of “treats” are that you can give out on Halloween?
According to the quick 5 minutes of “Google research” that I just did, I’d say these seem to be the 3 worst Halloween treats (at least in kids’ opinions):
1. Healthy Foods (like bananas, apples, etc.)
2. Mounds bars (chocolate and coconut = not so good)
3. Raisins
Alright, so those were the bad houses. The ones that made you feel like Charlie Brown.
What about those other houses? Those houses that gave out the best candy?
The Popular Candy And The Popular Houses
What priority did those houses who gave out the awesome treats get on your Halloween route? They were probably one of the first houses you went to! And you made sure to tell all your friends about them too.
Alright, we talked about the worst Halloween treats, what about the best?
Do you know what the top 3 best selling Halloween candies are?
1. Candy Corn (maybe not because they’re loved, but because they’re a tradition)
2. Snickers
3. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
You might be asking: What does this have to do with my business?
We Still Love Treats
Things haven’t changed that much. We’re older, but we still like treats.
Your prospects and customers like treats. If they feel your product or service is a great treat, they’ll be back regularly and tell their friends.
If they don’t feel your product or service is a treat, then they’ll put you on the “do not visit again” list.
Want one example? Starbucks. 
How did the founder of Starbucks (Howard Schultz) get it to be so popular?
He gave us all an excuse to daily (or multiple times a day) buy ourselves a treat.
But, what I want you to understand is that what I am talking about goes beyond literal sugary treats.
Apple is another example. Their products are awesome treats to their Apple fans.
They make the experience of their product a treat. They even make going into their stores and getting help from their in-store experts (aka “Geniuses”) a treat for people.
My point is that you want your business to be the equivalent of the house that gave out the best candy on Halloween.
You want to be the place your prospects feel good about doing business with, come back for more, and gladly tell their friends about. How do you do that? Here are some ways…
3 Ways To Give Treats To Your Customers
1. Content Marketing
One way to give treats to your customers is to make the content you give them entertaining, enlightening, and educational. You do that by providing them with the information they need and want in regards to your niche and doing it in a way they feel happy.
There is a very popular, national grocery store called “Trader Joe’s.“ I don’t know if you’re fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe’s near you, but my wife is in love with the place!
One thing they do that is a treat is they have something they use called “The Fearless Flyer.” What is it? It’s their answer to the typical grocery store mailer. The way they do it is such a treat that customers actually want to receive them and wait till they announce the latest issue is out. (Check out this post I wrote all about it on my site RecessionSolution.com.)
2. Extras
Another way to give treats to your customers is to give extra, unexpected things. When you do this your customers will leave happy and buzzing about it. I was out in Roseville, CA recently and went to a restaurant with my wife and kids called “Mas” (http://masroseville.com).
What were some of the unexpected treats they provide? In most chain Mexican restaurants, they give you free chips and salsa. But Mas gives you not just chips and salsa. They also give you a a dish full of a really good bean and cheese dip.
Not only that, they have a free mariachi band that moves around the restaurant performing for the guests. It gives the whole place a very cool vibe. But there’s one more thing I noticed. When you get your bill you get multiple small packs of Chicle gum for each member of your party. (That made me as happy as my kids!)
3. Amazing Experiences
Let me use “Trader Joe’s” as an example again. Why does my wife and so many people love going there? Because they make shopping with them a treat. From the environment in the store, to the way the employees are dressed, to the inexpensive and unique products – it all makes the whole experience a “treat.”
If you can find ways to do any, or all, of these things, then your customers will see your business the same way that kids see the popular house on Halloween. And you’ll have a regular stream of people knocking at your door.
Any Other Ideas?
Do you have any other ideas on ways that businesses can give their customers treats? If you do, then post them in the comments below.
Photo by Juushika Redgrave
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