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Hi. I’m an owner of a carpet cleaning company. About 80% of my new business comes from referrals, so I’m looking for new ways to expand on that. Here’s what I’m doing so far:
Monthly Newsletter
I send out our “Healthy Home Newsletter†every month to keep my name in front of my clients. This is responsible for 94% of my business. It also serves to remind them to refer new clients to me.
Referral Rewards Program
After every job, I walkthrough the cleaning with the client to make sure that they are thrilled with my service. 99% of the time, they are, so I tell them about my Referral Rewards Program, and give them 10% of the size of the referral lead. I also leave a couple of my business cards with them, which also has a coupon for new clients on the back.
I’ve used different rewards in the past, such as movie tickets, a gift certificate to fine restaurants, a nice looking vase, and others that I don’t remember. The reward seems to make little difference. Just being recognized for the referral seems to be enough for them. I do this with a thank you letter and listing all my referrals for the month in the newsletter.
We used to use testimonial forms, get the names of a few friends/neighbors, and send letter to them. This was entirely ineffective.
While I still get a couple referrals per month, I’d like to expand on using this method. I’d say there are a couple problems for me to overcome here. First, I think I’ve tapped out my existing client base. Quite often, I hear, “Oh, well I’ve already told everyone I know about you.â€
The other problem is that I’m in a bad industry. The market trend is leaning away from homes with carpets, and installing wood floors instead. Also, due to the rise in gas prices, people have less disposable income, on which my business is usually dependent. People can put off cleaning their carpets, unlike fixing a broken car. Still, it’s better than having a real job, and I’m doing okay, financially.
What do you think? I also read the book “Get More Referrals Now†and I’m doing everything it says. Is there anything else I can do?
Thanks for your help.
Monthly Newsletter
I send out our “Healthy Home Newsletter†every month to keep my name in front of my clients. This is responsible for 94% of my business. It also serves to remind them to refer new clients to me.
Referral Rewards Program
After every job, I walkthrough the cleaning with the client to make sure that they are thrilled with my service. 99% of the time, they are, so I tell them about my Referral Rewards Program, and give them 10% of the size of the referral lead. I also leave a couple of my business cards with them, which also has a coupon for new clients on the back.
I’ve used different rewards in the past, such as movie tickets, a gift certificate to fine restaurants, a nice looking vase, and others that I don’t remember. The reward seems to make little difference. Just being recognized for the referral seems to be enough for them. I do this with a thank you letter and listing all my referrals for the month in the newsletter.
We used to use testimonial forms, get the names of a few friends/neighbors, and send letter to them. This was entirely ineffective.
While I still get a couple referrals per month, I’d like to expand on using this method. I’d say there are a couple problems for me to overcome here. First, I think I’ve tapped out my existing client base. Quite often, I hear, “Oh, well I’ve already told everyone I know about you.â€
The other problem is that I’m in a bad industry. The market trend is leaning away from homes with carpets, and installing wood floors instead. Also, due to the rise in gas prices, people have less disposable income, on which my business is usually dependent. People can put off cleaning their carpets, unlike fixing a broken car. Still, it’s better than having a real job, and I’m doing okay, financially.
What do you think? I also read the book “Get More Referrals Now†and I’m doing everything it says. Is there anything else I can do?
Thanks for your help.
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