One of our favorite icebreakers is called Thumball. It's basically a plush mini soccer ball with interesting questions on each panel. Someone tosses it to you, and you answer which ever question is under your thumb. You might tell a little bit about your hometown, or your ideal car; that sort of thing.

A group came in for a pair of our 1-hour sparklers. Just before we began, they asked if we would be using the Thumball, because the last time they were here they absolutely loved it. So, our Chief Imagination Officer Mark told them it wasn't planned, but that they could have it to keep. The reaction was somewhere between free ice cream and a snow day.

Why this is one of our favorite sparks:
While we're big proponents of sparks that require no money and don't involve just giving people things, this was too good to pass up. The Tumbball retails for about 12 bucks. We're not sure what the dollars to excitement exchange rate is these days, but we're willing to bet we got a good deal. Great service starts with being willing to reach out and provide your customers with an unexpected experience.