The Thank You Economy in Action

I just finished reading the Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) and not a month later I see it in action. And I see it in full force. And it reminds me of the Milwaukee burger joint AJ Bombers, which was my favorite case study in the book. AJ Bombers is a small burger joint making a huge impact in their community and with their customers; through positive use of social media.

The company I saw following the principles of the Thank You Economy so promptly was a Newport Beach, CA Pilates and Fitness spot called Core Et’ Barre. You can follow them on Twitter at @CoreEtBarre and Facebook at Core Et’ Barre. They do a great job offline, and I suspect their attitude will translate online.

They don’t have a huge following at the moment, but like the Thank You Economy teaches, if you keep grinding and dropping knowledge bombs on your audience; you’ll be on your way to success.

Let’s get into the Thank You Economy details. Core Et’ Barre offers their new customers an opportunity to try their first class free. No gimmicks, no sales trickery, just a good old fashioned free-trial. Now I don’t know a whole lot about Pilates or what Core Et’ Barre is teaching, and I won’t pretend to, but from what I’m told they combine Ballet, Pilates, and Weight Resistance training. Which from what I can tell, it’s a new concept and a new take on fitness. So when entering the market with something new, one free-trial class makes sense and probably won’t have a huge impact on the bottom line.

Now here’s where the Thank You Economy comes into action. What they do right after that free class is tremendous. They send a personal hand written note to every single person that attends their first class. It’s thoughtful and genuine, and it’s from the instructor that taught you that day. This alone sets them apart from the big box gyms of the world. They’re applying the Thank You Economy principles effectively, and getting great results.

I can tell you from experience, and how I learned of this idea, that my fiance and her co-worker attended their first free class last week. And Core Et’ Barre’s strategy was successful because both girls signed up for a monthly membership. Now keep in mind Core Et’ Barre also offered a good product. Without that of course the girls wouldn’t of responded so positively to the hand written note and eventually signed up for a membership. But on another note, Core Et’ Barre got me to write this post when I saw the hand written note come in the mail thus enhancing awareness.

Cheers Core Et’ Barre, I wish you great success and I hope you continue to follow the Thank You Economy principles