Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

[arcticpuppet.]

Do you offer the same referral reward in the event of a new client coming in on a gift certficate (that was purchased by a current client) as you do with regular referrals?Do you offer different rewards based off of how often the referred client comes in?Do you have any other referral reward policies?Thanks!

 

[taylorlautnerlover]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

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[WilliamAspeplyHili]

Macalla,Thanks for the reply.  I just recently did a survey of all my clients and they all showed interest in a reward program, so I am going off of that.  I already offer one, but I want to revamp it a bit. The clients are going to (already do) refer clients to me anyway, but this way they get a little something out of it.

 

[Came Twice]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

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[Random Chick]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

I would think if the gift certificate already covers the cost of the session they want I wouldn't be offering any discounts, however maybe an incentive to rebook? Say $10 off your next session if you rebook today?I give my existing clients a $10 off "thank you" for the referral and their friend a $10 off "welcome to the practice" with their booking. The regular client gets his/her discount after the friend's first appointment, so even if the referral is circulating for awhile before a booking it makes it easier to keep track of and leaves little room for abuse of the system.

 

[Sushi McPenguin]

I do have a referral program but I do not offer it when a gift card is involved.  I really like  the idea of the incentive to rebook though.  

 

[Brandi M]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

What is the "reward" you are currently offering?

 Right now I offer money off a massage (like a coupon) but I would like to change that to offering additional time instead.  I like only offering the rewards for clients that come in directly off the referral and not from a gift certificate.  That is how it is set up now, but just wondered if anyone else did it this way too.  terab, good to hear you do the same thing.

I give my existing clients a $10 off "thank you" for the referral and their friend a $10 off "welcome to the practice" with their booking. The regular client gets his/her discount after the friend's first appointment, so even if the referral is circulating for awhile before a booking it makes it easier to keep track of and leaves little room for abuse of the system.

Dragonflies,Do you print up something to give them or do you just keep track of it on your own?I was thinking of offering additional minutes to the current client and a small amount off for the new client.  I am planning a Meet and Greet to increase my business a month or so after I finish my 2 weeks at the DC and I want to start my new referral rewards then.Thanks for the replies!

 

[Chauncey Q. Buttercup]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

Dragonflies,

Do you print up something to give them or do you just keep track of it on your own?

I was thinking of offering additional minutes to the current client and a small amount off for the new client.  I am planning a Meet and Greet to increase my business a month or so after I finish my 2 weeks at the DC and I want to start my new referral rewards then.

Thanks for the replies!

I just set up a little business-card-sized template that has a To and From lines, with the note "Give this card to a friend for $10 off their next appointment, and get $10 of your next visit!" Then it has my contact information on the bottom.

I also keep track of it in the client files - I have a running 1/4 page ledger sheet and with each visit I note the payment amount, payment method, any balance due (this is rare), and if there were any discounts or anything. Under the "notes" portion I write "referred John Doe, recv'd $10 disc."

It also helps me to keep track of my rewards program (buy 5 get the 6th free).

The ledger sheets are the refill sheets for this binder.

I get mine at Staples. It's 8-1/2" by 5-1/2"

 

[Preggers]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

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[_smiles n cries_]

Referral rewards and Gift Certificates

That all sounds nice. Here's my take on it though. I think that a good approach is to start your business with the same system in place as you would have when you are really successful. Here's why, eventually I'm sure that you will bo so booked up that people will have to book you weeks in advance. If you have spent years with a "rewards" system in place you will have to eventually phase it out or continue doing "freebies" when you won't really have the time to do them. This can cause some alientation among your base and some resentments on your part for still giving away your time for free.
I can see how it could be a valuable tool for starting a practice, It's just that what happens when you get really busy?

You bring up a very good and different point.  I will have to think about this.  I agree with you.  I am not a big fan of freebies and I don't really want to offer anything that will decrease my current income by much (coupons, large $ discounts, ect.)

Any suggestions on a reward plan what would work while taking this into consideration?

 

[kaye r]

Masthera:

Ok, reviving an old thread here, but in answer to your question, how about putting a time period on the reward plan? You could offer it for a predetermined period of time, (i.e. for the month of May or whenever your business is slow) and then stop. That way you aren't locked into an endless cycle of giving freebies/deep discounts.

 

[buzymom72]

Thanks Gessika.

I ended up decided not to do any referral rewards for a bit. No one seems to care if they get something or not and they still refer, so it has worked out fine not doing anything.
They get a great deal anyway if they join the maintenance plan.