MAY 16 ― Companies need to stop looking for free labour and start giving away (more) free stuff. In an age of floods, GST and RM2 teh tariks, consumers really could do with a break (which may itself spur more business).

It’s weird how in the online universe, free stuff is practically the norm. We get free email, free storage, free movies, free books, free apps, etc. But try to ask for one free French fry and the McD fella will look at you like you’re FBI’s Most Wanted.

Nowadays, the only free stuff are those which have practically no value (e.g. sugar and straws) or those which come after you’ve sacrificed an arm and a leg (e.g. the free RM200 handbag a house-buyer gets as a “Thank You” item for the RM500,000 lot he just bought).

And I’m not talking about samples, either. Samples are one thing. Free stuff is another.

There's a difference between saying, “Here's something I want you to try to see if you like for future purchases,” and saying, “Now that you’ve bought something (or even if you didn’t), here's a little something else I hope will benefit you.”

One appears gimmicky, another benevolent. One is an isolated impersonal event, another initiates a relationship-building process. One is a shot in the dark (at the market), another is a shot at the heart (of a client, if it’s a “reward” for having purchased something, or a potential client – if it’s an FOC with no strings or preconditions).

This is why giving a free box of candies (or headphones or toys) to customers is usually more effective in drawing clients than a person standing at the corner serving free candy bits (cue the supermarket folks offering you micro-cups of coffee). One's a sorta-unconditional invitation; the other's a feeler.

And now for the open secret: These two things are really the same thing. A sample is nothing more than a free gift; a free gift is nothing if not a way to get people to decide to pay for more of the corporation’s products.

But it’s the spirit which counts, isn’t it? It’s like kindness versus discrimination. Offering to help both Ali and Ah Kow is thoughtful. Offering to help the same two people whilst ignoring Ananda becomes racist.

Condemning Israel for mistreatment of Palestinians sounds like much-needed activism. But condemning Israel out of all proportion to all the other dubious groups in the Middle-East usually means one thing: anti-Semitism.

It’s that small additional “something” which transforms a gracious bequest or action into an insidious ploy or con.

Back to freebies.

This is why offering an upcoming book F.O.C. to selected influential readers (and requesting them to spread the word) is, by and large, a better strategy than giving everyone sample chapters. A targeted freebie is felt as personal and generous. It isn't merely a separate version of, or substitute for, the “real” thing (which is what samples are perceived to be).

Alternatively, non-fiction authors can give the masses an option to receive the first 2-3 chapters free. These chapters can outline the problem and why readers should be concerned to learn more. This builds interest and, most importantly, initiates the relationship between author and reader.

Sample chapters from all over the book, on the other hand, can feel like merely offering “bits and pieces” for readers to “try.” Back to the impersonal vs. personal divide.

Last example: If you're planning on giving a free car wash, it'd be better if the wash was an incentive to pay attention to a new suite of car care products rather than as a sample of the car wash itself.

If it's the latter, people usually say Thank You, scrutinize the wash and, unless they're really satisfied, say Goodbye. If it's the former, chances are they'll say Wow(!) Thank You, scrutinise the car wash less and be slightly more open to a respectful dialogue on how their more important car needs can be met.

And what’s the universal motto with joints like Starbucks, Coffee Bean, etc.? Isn’t it, “Coffee, Conversations and Cakes Which Cost a Bomb”? Would it be an overly “radical” marketing technique to, say, give free cakes to folks who pay north of RM10 for coffee and milk?

I must’ve been a million such places in the past 20 years. The only free stuff are music, air-conditioning and mags. I’m like wtf? How pricey could a slice of cake or a sandwich or whatever be? Why be such a hard-ass about things?

Mark me words. Soon more and more hotels will be giving free beverages in their mini-bars. Right now about 99 per cent of places only give free water, coffee and tea. Some places like Sunway Resort give a measly two soft-drink cans. And even then guests will gush. Is this an area absolutely ripe for some smart hotel to take advantage of? ‘Nuff said.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.