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The Morrison office is located in a professional office complex. Our neighbors include CPA’s, attorneys, doctors' offices, insurance agents, etc. the usual suspects. As a result we get a fair amount of foot traffic from sales folk promoting their business. Most of them just drop off their business card or a small piece of sales collateral…and most end up in the “circular file”.

However, last month a man came by with a box of donuts taped with coupons all over. He owns an auto shop a few blocks away and was going through the neighborhood dropping off donuts and coupons. Did his “sales collateral” get dumped in the circular file? No sir. The donuts are now gone, but I still remember the name of his shop. And you can be sure that if my car ever breaks down here at the office his number is the one that I’ll be calling (I’ve even already added his number into my phone).

If you own a business, or work for a business, consider what your “box of donuts” is. Is it a follow-up phone call, an out of the blue email, or better yet, a note card? A product sample, exceptional service, something that shows that you’ll go just a little bit further? There are a lot of businesses out there and even if there isn’t another offering the exact same product or service as yours, you still need a way to separate from the rest. Next time you see a box of donuts, think about what you’re doing to distinguish your business.