Let’s be honest—we live in a world with precious few surprises these days. Where surprise and delight is a dying art.
We find out the sex of babies months before they’re born, tell friends the names we’ve picked out. We Google restaurant menus before setting foot inside. We plan holidays down to the hour and download setlists before concerts. Not much is unpredictable.
That’s why I nearly fell off my chair when a business connection gifted me a book personally signed by Australia’s former PM Julia Gillard. Out of nowhere! Totally unexpected! I still get a little thrill thinking about it years later. That small gesture created an emotional connection that no generic corporate gift basket ever could.
And guess what? That’s exactly the power of Surprise & Delight marketing.
In a world obsessed with big marketing budgets, this is one of my favourite Marketing with No Money strategies. It’s a genuine way to create connections and deliver serious results for businesses of any size. The best part? You can absolutely do this regardless of your budget!
One of my favourite success stories comes from Susan Kershaw at Present Company Included. When Susan joined my Marketing With No Money program late last year, she was already successfully supplying promotional products to big corporations and brands. But what she learned during our six weeks together completely transformed how she approached client relationships.
The Surprise & Delight strategy clicked immediately with Susan, who had the ‘aha’ moment that while she helped clients create branded merchandise, her own business wasn’t practicing what they preached.
After our Masterclass, Susan got creative and developed gorgeous personalised gift boxes for her long-term customers at Christmas. No boring bottles of wine here! She crafted thoughtful packages that showcased both creativity and genuine care.
Why did Susan’s approach work so brilliantly? A few key reasons:
First, she made the gift personal – it had genuine meaning. Second, nobody saw these gifts coming—breaking that predictable ‘December corporate gift’ pattern we all know. Third, each package gave clients a fun experience during their holiday break, creating happy moments directly tied to Present Company Included.
And here’s the cleverest bit—the gifts subtly showcased exactly how well Susan’s company could personalise gift offerings from her clients to their clients. Talk about showing instead of telling!
The results of using Surprise & Delight are often immediate and measurable: stronger relationships, loads more referrals and a brand impression competitors can’t touch.
Here’s nine reasons Surprise & Delight is one of my go-to strategies:
- Builds rapport at lightning speed
When you surprise someone unexpectedly, you create an emotional connection in seconds that might otherwise take months! It’s like relationship building on steroids.
- Supercharges existing relationships
These moments show clients you value them beyond their wallet—transforming those stiff business relationships into genuine partnerships that competitors can’t easily break.
- Shows you actually give a damn
Actions speak way louder than words. When you create special moments for clients, you’re showing genuine care in ways that slick marketing talk never could.
- Creates loyalty that sticks
With competitors just a click away, customer loyalty is gold. These experiences give people emotional reasons to stick with you, even when someone else is offering something cheaper.
- Makes your business the ‘Good Feeling’ brand
Unexpected positive experiences create happy associations with your brand that colour everything else about you. It’s like having a filter that makes all your communications look better.
- Gets clients coming back for more
When customers connect you with positive emotions, they naturally keep coming back—driving reliable revenue without you spending a fortune on acquisition. Win-win.
- Turns clients into your marketing team
Nothing sparks word-of-mouth like a great surprise. Delighted customers can’t help but share their stories, extending your reach organically through their networks and social media.
- Makes you unforgettable
In markets where everyone seems to offer the same stuff, these memorable moments make you the business that springs to mind when it’s time to buy again.
- Feels amazing for you too
A fabulous side effect of surprising and delighting is you feel great for making someone’s day. Creating moments of joy for others generates genuine happiness for you and your team.
The beauty of this strategy? Anyone can do it! Try these low-cost approaches with big impact:
Personal notes: A handwritten card carries serious weight these days (especially with women). When was the last time you got something personal in the mail that wasn’t a bill?
First impressions that pop: Welcome gifts or personalised messages set the tone from day one. Try ‘happy calls’ where you personally phone new clients just to check in—they never see it coming!
Client celebration moments: Find fun ways to acknowledge your clients’ wins—it builds connections that go way beyond typical business relationships.
Unexpected upgrades: When I staggered into the Clayton Hotel in Birmingham at 6am—nine hours before check-in—I was exhausted and worried about not getting enough sleep before my conference keynote. But they recognised the needs of a solo business traveller and upgraded me to a bigger room right away at no extra charge. Yep, I’ll book there every time I’m in Birmingham now, and will give positive reviews and word of mouth recommendations. Priceless loyalty for free.
Thoughtful gestures: These don’t need to cost much—it’s the personal touch that counts. Small tokens like my Gillard book that acknowledge individual preferences and make people feel seen.
Good deeds: A business friend makes surprise donations whenever she signs a new client—creating positive ripples that extend far beyond just that one relationship.
Ready to give this strategy a go with your own clients? I’m betting you’ll end up just as delighted as they are.
And if you want to take a deeper five into Surprise & Delight, my six-week Marketing With No Money program explores these strategies and more over six transformative weeks. It’s perfect for associations and memberships which cater for small business owners.
Like Susan Kershaw, participants discover that their most powerful marketing tool isn’t a large budget—it’s the authentic connection created when businesses genuinely surprise and delight those they serve.
Want more details? Surprise me by getting in touch, and I’ll aim to delight you and your business!