GREAT 132 IDEA: Send Pizza to Potential Clients

Pizza is hot, gooey, and delicious—it's also a great way to generate new business, especially if you are in the advertising or marketing business.

Here's a great, slightly crazy idea I heard from a Florida advertising guy:

Order a pizza and personally deliver it right before lunchtime to a client you are wooing. Remove one slice from the box and replace it with a message such as: “For a larger slice of your market, call us,” or “We want a piece of your business.”

A couple of other food-related marketing ideas: Send a pair of chocolate shoes or cowboy boots to a prospect with a note: “I'd love to get a foot in the door.”

A few years ago, marketing expert and author, Nancy Michaels, sent one flip-flop sandal to an executive she was trying to connect with. Her quirky gift—with a note saying she wanted to get a foot in the door—worked, and he invited her to meet him.

She also bid on a game-changing lunch with the CEO of Office Depot at a women's conference sponsored by the company. He was so impressed by what she had to say, he hired her to be their small business marketing expert.

So think of a tasty promotion and give it a try.