10/101 Relentless Marketing Ideas: Sell Wooden Nickels
The "Free Drink" token encourages additional purchases, promotes goodwill, and the tokens carried around in pockets serve as reminders to return. Tokens turned back in are simply resold and reused. Wooden Nickels can be sourced from your local promotional products or ad specialties provider, or online at websites like www.wooden-nickel.com
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Here's another quick low-to-no cost idea for building your restaurant, bar and/or retail sales:
Sell wooden Nickels.
There was an old saying: Don’t take any wooden nickels. But nobody ever turned down a wooden nickel at the fun roadhouse-style beer and chicken wing restaurant Quaker Steak & Lube.
The Original Quaker Steak & Lube in Sharon, PA has developed a novel way to increase bar sales, increase frequency and promote friendliness among patrons. For years, patrons could buy FREE DRINK tokens for the cost of an average well drink or beer. Some patrons buy them 5 or 10 at a time, and give them out to new friends or old friends whenever they want to buy them a drink.
Sometimes when a patron wants to buy a round for the group, individual guests who have a fresh drink or do not want the drink at that moment (or visit) are given a token in lieu of the drink, which they can use on a future visit. The wooden nickel style tokens are good for beer or well drinks, or premium drinks for a slight upcharge.
The "Free Drink" token encourages additional purchases, promotes goodwill, and the tokens 
carried around in pockets serve as reminders to return. Tokens turned back in are simply resold and reused.
Wooden Nickels can be sourced from your local promotional products or ad specialties provider, or online at websites like www.wooden-nickel.com (Old Time Wooden Nickel Company - see photos) or www.wooden-nickel.net (Wooden Nickel Historical Museum) at pricing of $100-$150 for custom wooden nickels printed on two sides.
Wooden Nickels: They're cheap. Effective. Fun. & Relentless.
Relentless marketer Sean Kelly is a 20 year veteran of the franchise industry, and founder of the award-winning marketing firm IdeaFarm. In 2006, he founded the FranBest franchise network, best franchise opportunities, the top new franchises, franchise marketing, franchise public relations and small business marketing. Contact him at seankelly[at]ideafarm.net.
