Confession: I love Asian food in Mall Food Courts.  I know; I know…bourbon chicken isn’t a traditional Asian food, but man I love it!  Most people don’t, but I remember clearly the afternoon I first had a taste of Bourbon Chicken.

I had just moved to Raleigh, NC and I didn’t know a single person in town.  All of the friends that I had in Raleigh were at the beach and I was starting my first week of graduate school.  I was lonely and decided to go to the mall and grab dinner so I could get out of the house and just be around people.

I walked into the food court fully intending on getting my usual food court fare: pizza, when I passed by a young lady in her uniform and paper hat.  She had a red tray, a Styrofoam plate full of chicken, and a small cup of toothpicks.

She said, “You want some Bourbon Chicken.”  It wasn’t a question.  She told me I wanted some bourbon chicken as she held out a small piece on the end of a toothpick.

I took that small sample and the rest is history.  I can hardly even go to a mall now without  stopping to buy some bourbon chicken.  I have tried some of the other chicken flavors they serve, and they are great, too!  But their best is the bourbon chicken hands down.

It dawned on me a couple weeks ago at Lenox Mall here in Atlanta as I was having my bourbon chicken fix: They are giving away a free sample of their best product.  They aren’t giving away the lemon chicken or teriyaki chicken, they are giving a free sample of their very best product.

It’s a small taste, but it was enough to reel me in and make me a fan for life.

Businesses in the social media space need to take a lesson from the purveyors of bourbon chicken at malls across the country.  Take a small piece of your best stuff and give it away for free.  I was  introduced to a new product that day.  I had no prior experience with bourbon chicken.  Without that sample there is a good chance I would not have risked $5.99 for the whole plate.

The cost is minimal, but the end result is a customer for life.  The temptation is to give away information or products that aren’t the cream of the crop.  That thinking is backward.  Give them a taste of the best, the very best you have to offer.  Usually your very best is something that the consumer has little or no experience with.

That small sample could mean the difference between a growing customer relationship and a quick glance.  If you need proof, just look at my waistline.