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Referral Rewards
What have you found as a good "reward" for a client that generates referrals?
I have a fairly new practice that's been gaining some traction over the last couple of months. Today I had a client come in as a direct referral (like my client actually drove her friend over here for a massage, then got one herself).
I want to give her a "thank you" for bringing in a new client, but don't know what a good extent is to go to: Is a free-massage certificate too much? Is a $5-off coupon too little? I was wondering what others have done - what says "thanks" without feeling like I'm giving away the ranch. Maybe you've done something totally different - not in the way of services or discounts.
Thanks in advance.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on
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I give a $20 discount to the person who did the referring, when the person they refer books and completes a 60-min (or more) massage. It's worked really well for me!
Glad your business is gaining some traction! That is great!
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Permalink Reply by John Cluck on
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Thanks for the reply Therese. That's about the amount of discount I was thinking of - not so much that I'll feel like I'm working for free if they give a lot of referrals, but still enough to let them know how much sending in a new client is appreciated...
I'm pretty pleased for the traffic I've been seeing so far - in addition to being a male therapist! It's a pretty big jump to going into my own business - especially coming from an engineering background; but getting into massage has been the most personally fulfilling thing I've done. The people I deal with - clients and other MT's - are the most awesome people...
Therese Schwartz said:I give a $20 discount to the person who did the referring, when the person they refer books and completes a 60-min (or more) massage. It's worked really well for me!
Glad your business is gaining some traction! That is great!
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Glad to help!
What I've found with my business is that if I can solve problems for people, I'm as busy as I want to be. I'm not one to just give massages that feel good; I want to actually figure out what's going on and find a way to truly make things better.
Actually, coming from an engineering background will give you a really awesome perspective on the human body! You will have the touch of the MT with the intellectual understanding of how things fit together and move. Sounds great to me!
I've met some truly spectacular people in the last few years since I started doing massage and other modalities. This is a good field to be in!
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Permalink Reply by Pete L Blanco II on
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When I first started, I did something similar - basically a $ off discount for each referral. What I find works even better (and makes more of an impact with the referring client) is a nicely worded, HANDWRITTEN thank you note with a small gift inside. (I buy movie tickets, car wash vouchers, etc in bulk at a discount.)
I found that this was viewed more as a "gift" than discounts were and because the client didn't know in advance what, if anything, was inside the card, there was also a small element of surprise. (I rotate these so one time it might be movie tix but the next time car wash or something else.) Be creative and work with other local businesses to see what types of bulk discounts you can get on certificates to give to your clients and make sure those businesses know what you're using them for as these do serve to expose your clients to their business - you just might create cross-promotional opportunities or receive some business from them in return.
Also, keep in mind that discounts aren't something that you can deduct on your taxes, but movie tix etc. that you're giving to clients as "referral rewards" are deductible as marketing/advertising.
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Permalink Reply by Natalie Wilmes on
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Thank you Pete for this advice. I have a referral program where my client gets $10 off a massage but I am not getting many referrals. I hear people say that they tell people but the referred client doesnt give a name. Maybe just giving a thank you and a small gift will spark some more referrals?
Pete L Blanco II said:When I first started, I did something similar - basically a $ off discount for each referral. What I find works even better (and makes more of an impact with the referring client) is a nicely worded, HANDWRITTEN thank you note with a small gift inside. (I buy movie tickets, car wash vouchers, etc in bulk at a discount.)
I found that this was viewed more as a "gift" than discounts were and because the client didn't know in advance what, if anything, was inside the card, there was also a small element of surprise. (I rotate these so one time it might be movie tix but the next time car wash or something else.) Be creative and work with other local businesses to see what types of bulk discounts you can get on certificates to give to your clients and make sure those businesses know what you're using them for as these do serve to expose your clients to their business - you just might create cross-promotional opportunities or receive some business from them in return.
Also, keep in mind that discounts aren't something that you can deduct on your taxes, but movie tix etc. that you're giving to clients as "referral rewards" are deductible as marketing/advertising.
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The referred client doesn't tell you who referred them? I make sure to ask all new clients where they got my information. After all, it's hard to thank someone for their referrals when you don't know who's referring to you.
In addition to showing genuine appreciation for new client referrals, it's also important to ASK for them. Clients who love and appreciate your work WANT to help you build your business - after all the more clients you have, the more stable your business will be and the longer you'll be around to take care of your clients. If you don't ask your clients for referrals, many will think you're "busy enough" and/or not taking on new clients and may not think to refer their friends/family to you.
In addition to asking verbally, I find it very effective to have this on your business cards and other marketing media, client communications, emails, newsletters, etc. Never be afraid to ask.
Natalie Wilmes said:Thank you Pete for this advice. I have a referral program where my client gets $10 off a massage but I am not getting many referrals. I hear people say that they tell people but the referred client doesnt give a name. Maybe just giving a thank you and a small gift will spark some more referrals?
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I have given my clients referral cards and also have a spot on my intake forms asking where they were referred from. Usually people say they were referred from the chiropractic office I rent my space from or an advertisement or facebook. Any other ideas on how to get my clients to refer?
Pete L Blanco II said:The referred client doesn't tell you who referred them? I make sure to ask all new clients where they got my information. After all, it's hard to thank someone for their referrals when you don't know who's referring to y
In addition to showing genuine appreciation for new client referrals, it's also important to ASK for them. Clients who love and appreciate your work WANT to help you build your business - after all the more clients you have, the more stable your business will be and the longer you'll be around to take care of your clients. If you don't ask your clients for referrals, many will think you're "busy enough" and/or not taking on new clients and may not think to refer their friends/family to you.
In addition to asking verbally, I find it very effective to have this on your business cards and other marketing media, client communications, emails, newsletters, etc. Never be afraid to ask.
Natalie Wilmes said:Thank you Pete for this advice. I have a referral program where my client gets $10 off a massage but I am not getting many referrals. I hear people say that they tell people but the referred client doesnt give a name. Maybe just giving a thank you and a small gift will spark some more referrals?
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Thanks for the additional feedback, Pete.
I like the idea of giving a little something else - not massage-related. I'll have to ask around to see what people would use and who provides it around my area. I know there's a holistic-centered health food store near me that does services that I don't provide like ear-candling, acupuncture and foot ion cleanse. Even if the client doesn't go that "far out" for alternative healing they can still get vitamins or a smoothie...
Therese - I agree with giving a massage that "does something". There's nothing that seems to drag on forever than a "foo-foo" massage.
I do find a nice melding of engineering with kinesiology - I even said almost the same thing on a Facebook post by "Art and Science of Kinesiology" about the patella increasing the moment-arm of the quadrecep muscles... Fun stuff!
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It's great that the chiropractor is giving you referrals! And it's great that your advertising and Facebook page is working for you as well!
It takes time to create the rapport with your client that fosters referrals. The best way IMO to garner client referrals is
- Be the best MT you can. Do the best work you can do. Be dependable. Consistently WOW your client. Those are the things that help build your client/therapist relationship and gain your client's trust.
- ASK for referrals. Once you have that relationship with your client, ask. Ask again. Asking for referrals plants the seed but you have to allow time for that seed to grow. I mentioned having it on your business cards and in your newsletters and emails so that with repetition the message solidifies. If you only ever ask once, clients can forget, but if the message is consistent, it becomes something they will think about more often and act on more often. Use good judgement, you want to ask frequently enough so your message comes across but not so frequently that it becomes annoying.
- Keep in mind, client's don't owe you referrals so they should never be expected nor should they be taken for granted. And always show gratitude for them.
Natalie Wilmes said:I have given my clients referral cards and also have a spot on my intake forms asking where they were referred from. Usually people say they were referred from the chiropractic office I rent my space from or an advertisement or facebook. Any other ideas on how to get my clients to refer?
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John, it sounds like you think about the human body in ways that are quite unique!
I didn't start getting a large number of referrals until I was able to be the problem solver I mentioned earlier. It took a couple of years of experience and continuing ed. My hairdresser, with whom I trade, told people about me all the time. Last spring (2011) she was getting ready to fly to Europe on vacation and her neck hurt so much she wasn't sure she could tolerate the flight. I worked on her, and the pain went away. When she told people about that, it started a nice stream of folks coming to me from the salon! And they've referred people who have referred people...
So maybe it takes some time, but all you need is one person to start talking!
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Permalink Reply by Stacey Breslin on
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I am in the process of making up a combined frequent client/referral punch card.. For each massage the client gets and for each new client they refer, they will get a "punch" and after the 5th one their 6th appt will be 1/2 off. It's a good incentive to get people to come more often and to refer more people!
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Permalink Reply by SANDRA MICHELLE on
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We run a dvd website and would like to offer our customers a reward for referring new customers to our site.
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