We appreciate you enough to give you a discount!

July 18, 2012 12:17 PM

Work Filter: My boss and I want to find a way to let our clients know we have provided to them a discount on our account covering letter to them without sounding like "a douche bag" or slimy. What wording do you use on your letters to convey this?

We want to have a sentence we can use to show appreciation to our clients for their business. We currently use "Please note that we have reduced your account by $$$ as a discount to you" - but we both think it makes you look like like a jerk.

Any suggestions?

posted by Danithegirl to work & money (11 answers total)

We've waived the fee on x as a show of appreciation for your business.

And then waive some small administrative fee on the itemized bill.
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:20 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Replace "discount" with "courtesy" and explain why they are receiving the courtesy. Have they been a customer for a particular period of time? Did they do you a favor? Were they extremely patient while you worked out some kinks?

Or is this just a percentage of your fee that you can afford not to charge this one time but doesn't have any basis other than it makes you feel good?

If it's the latter, I'd say don't discount. Because people believe you when you tell them what you think you're worth. It will be hard to recover from offering the discount. They'll tell their friends, who will also expect the discount.

If you can always afford to charge less, just charge less.
posted by bilabial at 12:21 PM on July 18, 2012 [3 favorites]

"We've discounted X by Y as a courtesy" or ..."as a gesture of appreciation."
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:21 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

One way I've seen this done is to mention it offhandedly. "Applying a 10% discount to our usual rates, the total amount due this month is ___."
posted by eugenen at 12:21 PM on July 18, 2012

Discount sounds cheap even when not used in that context.

"To thank you for your business, this bill includes a one-time reduction of 10%."
posted by inturnaround at 12:59 PM on July 18, 2012 [5 favorites]

If it's someone you either already work with repeatedly or would like to see as a returning client, I like phrasing along the lines of, "This rate reflects a X% reduction as a gesture of good faith for our continued partnership."
posted by superfluousm at 1:11 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

[please answer the question being asked, thanks.]
posted by jessamyn at 1:18 PM on July 18, 2012

If it's a permanent, recurring discount, I would phrase it along the lines of "We are pleased to offer you our new, lower rate of X as a gesture of appreciation for your continued business"

If it's a one-time thing, there needs to be a reason other than "appreciation" - otherwise they will expect those rates to continue. Perhaps wait until the client reaches a milestone, say 2 years, 5 years, etc. with your company, then phrase it as "to celebrate your Nth anniversary with us, we would like to extend a one-time reduction to celebrate your continued business"
posted by trivia genius at 1:20 PM on July 18, 2012 [2 favorites]

One of the vendors I use for work has a "My Rewards" program. The more we order, the higher the percentage discount we get. We "earn" points/discounts. It resets every calendar year.

Maybe you could word/structure a discount program that way?
posted by mon-ma-tron at 1:26 PM on July 18, 2012

I've been on the opposite end of this. In a verbal context, I often hear the rep say something like, "we were able to give you our Corporate* Rate, which brings the fee down to $X."

I've also heard the "courtesy", "gesture" or "appreciation" thing before.


*"Corporate" can be replaced with some other term as needed. When I'm booking a block of hotel rooms, it tends to be that. When I'm ordering an item in bulk and mention offhand that it's for a local film production, the discount is sometimes called an "Media" rate or a "Production" rate. I'm sure you guys can come up with a word that reflects the nature of your business.
posted by Sara C. at 3:19 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

On legal bills I've seen "goodwill deduction." In waiving interest, I include the amount that would have been charged, in italics, and note: "waived."
posted by Pomo at 12:51 PM on July 19, 2012