Promotional desk pad calendars are a textbook example of the rule of reciprocity in action. They generally stick around and keep giving back, fulfilling the rule of reciprocity all year long.
Calendars are one of the most useful promotional gifts. For this reason, desk pad calendars end up taking a very visible position in a recipient's office -- right in the thick of the desktop action, where your business name and brand stay front and center. And that's front and center, all year long.
Promotional calendars do their best work as referral generators. For this reason it makes the most sense to give them to businesses in the best position to refer business your way.
For instance, if you're in the business of replacing damaged windshields, a natural target market for your promotional calendars would be insurance agencies. When an insurance agent has a customer ask, "How do I get my windshield fixed?" Your business name, logo, address and phone number are right in front of his nose so there's more than a passing chance you'll get a call.
The great thing about desk pad calendars is that they are not out of sight, which means your business is not out of mind and you'll benefit from the rule of reciprocity. The recipient will be constantly reminded of you and your thoughtfulness. (He doesn't have to know how little it really cost.)
Another example of a natural fit that plays into the rule of reciprocity, paying off in referrals, are title / settlement companies and Realtors. Featured on a desk pad calendar, a title and settlement company will help create year-round top of mind awareness in real estate offices. When an offer on a house is accepted, a Realtor knows who to call or whose name to give to their client.
Research bears out the effectiveness of promotional calendars and other gifts in putting the rule of reciprocity into action and triggering referrals. A Baylor University study discovered that businesses that give promotional products to their customers receive 22 percent more business referrals, compared to businesses that don't give promotional gifts.
Another study, at Southern Georgia University, revealed that customers who are given promotional gifts, such as calendars, return sooner and more often to the giver's business than others. Plus, they tend to spend more money.
So, the common desk pad calendar pays off in a much greater way than keeping us all on schedule. It can help keep you in business with more referrals and more sales.
