Get Your Free Air Online!
April 14, 2010
Remember the good old days when the back tire on your car was low on air and you (or your dad as in my case) would drive to the closest service center to top it up? Those days are almost over. I wasn’t keeping track of how long ago I first noticed service centres replacing the free air pumps with those you now feed multiple quarters, a dollar coin and sometimes, even Twooooonies, but there certainly aren’t many left.
Let’s be honest, free air is now the hidden gem of the fuel service industry. I challenge you to find one for as low as .25 anymore. On my drive home from my office in Halifax to my house out in the sticks (~45km) I checked at least 6 stations before giving up. They wanted a $1 coin, which got me thinking, “What happened to the air, man?”
On reflection, its safe to say that the ‘free’ air began disappearing right around the same time the free window cleaning and the attendant who checked your oil while he filled your tank, became an endangered species as well. There are 2 service centres near my house which still offer free air, I know because I have been on this search before and usually end up at one of them. And in both cases, they are older stations, and one is of a local Atlantic flavour. Why do these small, obviously “small fry” service centres still offer SERVICE? Because they like to!
Search practically any service or product online, and you will find your free air in the form of blogs , tutorials, podcasts, and case studies to name a few. With a small stretch the imagination and effort, you’ll easily find snail mail samples of physical products, and of course downloads, which have many flavours, free fonts, software trials… the list goes on…
When all is said and done, I’m not suggesting giving something (your time and/or services) away for free, but providing a small courtesy, that is always needed, much overlooked, and keeps them coming back for more. In most cases, providing a ‘virtual free air’ service, has little overhead cost and effort while conveying a sense of community and integrity.
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