My business partner doesn’t like the word ‘gratis’ in Spanish. She says that if something is free, people think it’s either a trap or can’t be worth much. As a native Spanish speaker, she usually wins the argument, but since it’s Christmas, I’d like to defend the concept of the ‘free gift’ and why it still has a role to play in modern business.
Giving something back
Of course, you’re right to be sceptical. Why would someone give you something valuable for nothing? There are plenty of bad reasons, but also at least two good ones, it seems to me. The first is as a way to say thank you. Over the last two years, some very good people working for two of my company’s biggest clients stood by us when it mattered. They worked overtime to
help us continue teaching via different formats when they had a lot of other stuff demanding their attention. We don’t have the resources to give them a Christmas hamper, and I don’t think they’d be allowed to accept one even if we sent it, but those people know that we will always be grateful, and if they or their kids ever needs a quick translation or a one-to-one
session to prepare a presentation in English, they won’t need to ask me for a quote…
Giving to show off
The second reason why a company might give away a valuable product or service for free is when they are proud of what they have and want to show it off. They’re confident you’re going to like it so much that you will want to come back for more, this time with money. They know that you’ve been lied to in the past and you’re not going to believe them when they say they really think they do things better than the rest. They know that an experienced buyer in a competitive market is always going to want to try before they buy, and in our case, we’re happy to oblige.
Give us a try
Second Language has just launched a new offer through which you or your company can try two free language classes with one of our expert native teachers. The classes can be one-to-one or with groups of up to eight people, and will normally be online, but in-person options may also be possible for companies located close to Bilbao.
Click here for more info https://secondlanguage.net/oferta-navidad/
