December 2006
Volume 8 Number 12

IB RECOMMENDS:
THE BOTTLE CADDY

Looking for a unique gift for customers this holiday season? Try a steel can copper bottle caddy (pictured here).

Perfect for a bottle of wine, olive oil oor candy, the handmade item not only looks like a piece of modern art, but it gets the client talking to freinds, family and neighbors about hwo sent it to them, which can possibly land you a referral.

IB obtained its wine caddy from Ryan Florio, a former New York City mortgage broker who returned to his native Cleveland to launch Special Client, a customer - retention management program that delivers one ofth these unusual gifts to customers after the closing of a deal.

"With mortgages, most poople are making the biggest purchases of their lives," says 32-year-old Florio. "Referrals are worht their weight in gold."

The executive-level program costs $149 per client, but covers the bottle caddy, two years of follow-up and reminder postcards, holiday and birthday cards, and a customer satisfaction survey. Thanks to the caddy, 95 percent of clients fill out and return the survey to the sender, Florio says.