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46. Hold An Open House
Other than seminars and webinars, an “open house” is the most frequent event that companies organise. Invitations go out to customers, prospects and referral sources. This brings a mixed group of business people to your offices. Part of the appeal will be for them to meet each other and network.
You may want to make your open house a charity fundraiser. This polishes your public image and opens up another area of contacts. If you host the event and invite your customers, the charity may also invite their donors and volunteers. This would give you another group of prospective customers.
TIPS for a Great Open House:
Arrange something that will be truly memorable. Here are some examples:
- A raffle for something really desirable
- Magician, caricaturist or other “performer”
- Live music
- No speeches – at least not about business!
- Have a theme, such as “Hollywood film stars”
If your office or place of business is not conductive to hosting an open house, arrange for an unusual location, such as:
- Your local garden centre – arrange for an after-hours presentation from a master gardener
- Your local golf club – provide a group lesson, lead by a golf professional. This is far less complicated than organising a golf tournament!
- A winery, wine shop or restaurant for group wine tasting
- Attendance at a sporting event with transportation to and from the venue
2 Ways to Celebrate Birthdays
- Invite everyone with their birthday in a particular month to a “birthday lunch”. This works particularly well if you have older/retired customers
- Instead of sending someone a birthday card, how about a birthday cake? Yes, it costs a little more, but consider the impact….