Having
a referral program for your business is just a good idea. It doesn’t
cost you very much up front, and the benefits can be long-lasting. Ask
any client—they
love getting discounts, and a referral discount is simply a nice way to
say thank you for those who share the news about your service.
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| These takeaways are business card-sized |
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| Back of Referral Appreciation takeaway |
I
offer $20 off my facial to the person who referred someone in for a
facial. You can obviously set any price you want to for your discount.
Twenty dollars is significant and doable with how I have structured my pricing. I don’t want to give $5 or $10; that just doesn’t seem like enough when a client has just brought me a new client who, granted, may come in once and that’s it. But it also may be a new client who will become a life-long patron.
When a new client calls me, I always (always) ask how they found out about me. If it wasn’t
the Internet or from a promotion somewhere, they were usually referred
in by an existing client. When I book their appointment, I always remember to note who referred them. When
the new client has come in for her facial, I send a referral postcard to the
person who gave this new client my name. This not only gives them a
discount, but also lets the person know that their friend actually did
come in and get a treatment.
FYI: I send the postcard out by at least the day after the referred client has come in. I actually address the postcard, fill it out, and stamp it right after the referred client leaves. I’ll then drop the PC in the mailbox on my way out for the day. I don’t want to forget to send this all-important thank you.
FYI: I send the postcard out by at least the day after the referred client has come in. I actually address the postcard, fill it out, and stamp it right after the referred client leaves. I’ll then drop the PC in the mailbox on my way out for the day. I don’t want to forget to send this all-important thank you.
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| Referral Appreciation postcard front |
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| Referral Appreciation postcard back |
I don’t put an expiration date on the appreciation postcard. I don’t
want this thank you gift to force a client to come in; it really is a
no strings attached thank you. Usually the person who referred you is a
regular client anyway, so they’ll be in shortly to redeem the discount soon enough.
Here are a few more PCs I had printed up over the years for referral appreciation.
There’s that darn “Integrative Skincare” again. Read Next appointment cards (see link below) if you don’t know why I’m mentioning that!
This PC was from my Chicago salon. I didn’t take full advantage as far as putting more important business information on the front, such as my phone number and/or website. My phone number is one the back, but I think it belongs on the front (perhaps both sides).
Here are a few more examples of Referral Appreciation takeaways I’ve had printed in the past. All of these are business card size vs. what I sent to the referring client, which are regular postcard-size.
Above, on the back of the discount takeaway I didn’t
have the ability on vistaprint (where I make many of my printed take aways) at that time to make the print any
bigger than it is, which is unfortunate. However, I did include my phone
number and website address. It’s
always important to include as much as you can in terms of your
business information, making it easy for any client to get in touch with
you.
As you can read on my blog post First-Time Client Information Packets, this Referral Appreciation Discount takeaway card is an important part of my first-time client take home package.
Something to note: If your client misplaces or for some reason can’t find your regular business card, if they have kept this referral takeaway, it too has your phone number (and perhaps your web and/or email address) so they can easily reach you.
Also see:
Here are a few more PCs I had printed up over the years for referral appreciation.
This PC was from my Chicago salon. I didn’t take full advantage as far as putting more important business information on the front, such as my phone number and/or website. My phone number is one the back, but I think it belongs on the front (perhaps both sides).
Something to note: If your client misplaces or for some reason can’t find your regular business card, if they have kept this referral takeaway, it too has your phone number (and perhaps your web and/or email address) so they can easily reach you.
Also see:
