[FRESHER]

I have this marketing idea, that I would like some feedback on.  If your well established then this probably won't be for you however if your not, this may work.

Say your customer pays £10 per month WFP for there property to get windows cleaned. (keeping the numbers at a nice round level)

For every recommendation your customer gives you they get 25p off there monthly clean every month the new customer remains a customer.

So if your customer recommends 6 people who become your customer, they now only pay £8.50 per month, however you know have 6 new customers that are all trying to find you new customers.

It is a sort "pyramid scheme" in the way that it operates, however no one is ever paying over the odds or left with some useless product in the end.

You would obviously set a discount that you are comfortable with and limit each customer with a maximum amount of customers they can recommend.  You could also remove the promotion at any time or reduce the discount.

Good points -  hopefully quick growth, not every customer will be discounted, customers will be far more likely to recommend you to friends and family and people in the street

Bad points - reduced rates for some customers, admin work (although there could be some ways to make it easier)

Any thoughts on this?

[Ian101]

easier and far far less complicated to give em a free clean per recommendation ... done it in the past works well and will be doing it again ...... good customers tend to know other good customers

someone will be along to say along lines of you may give a £25 clean away for a £10 clean ... think long term 

[Smudger]

We give a half price clean for every customer they rec'd - no limit. Works well for us.

[Jay Le Huray]

do you really wanna mess around with 50p and 25ps
all my jobs are rounded off to pounds no pennies involved

[Tom-01]

In theory a good idea, in practice a bad idea - in my opinion. Unless Sean 'everyone else is talking rubbish' K pipes up and proves otherwise.

The time you spend on all the admin side of things and forever reducing prices you would be better off getting higher priced new work. Plus people don't really take up incentives like that to be honest. Remember we are thinking about our jobs a lot - because its our business and income. If you explained that to the customer they would probably just say 'oh ok thanks' and not give it another thought. Saving a fraction on their window cleaning cost is so far down on their list of priorities.

Someone I know used to give his customers a £25 M&S voucher for a recommendation who lasted at least 3 cleans, thats a better way to do it. But it didn't make all his customers rush out and recommend him - they just don't think about window cleaning.

Having said that don't let one person put you off it - if you reckon it will work go for it and prove me wrong!

[Mike55]

Agree with all the advice here - in a nutshell you're probably over thinking the strategy.

As Tom-01 says, your customers do not think about window cleaning in the same light as you do so much easier to go for a straightforward money off discount for each new customer.

I don't know about you guys but I have found that offering a referral discount did very little to affect recommendations - do a good job and your customers will be happy to recommend you anyway 

£25 M&S voucher per referral....sod that 

[Mick Kent]

I dont give them anything apart from a thanks with recomendations.

[Plankton]

Free clean after the new custy has paid three cleans. Custy passed me to her daughter who hasn't paid three cleans so she is getting he-haw. I have now stopped her daughters as they don't answer and thinking of stopping hers as well for the inconvenience.
 

[FRESHER]

Thanks for all the comments, Perhaps I am over thinking it?  Will give it more thought.  Although I think people are always looking to save a bit of money where they can.  Some may go for it in a big way, some won't bother in it in the slightest.

[8weekly]

Perhaps I am over thinking it? 

Yes you are. Canvass/leaflets/sign written van. The rest is fluff.

[capn sparkle]

+1 Do a better job than your competition! Simples...

[SeanK]

+1 Do a better job than your competition! Simples...

Spot on, most customers will recommend you to family, friends and neighbours if they like your work they
don't need an incentive.

[8weekly]

+1 Do a better job than your competition! Simples...

Spot on, most customers will recommend you to family, friends and neighbours if they like your work they
don't need an incentive.

You don't need to do a better job than the competition. Just keep looking for new customers with leaflets and / or canvassing.

[Johnny B]

+1 Do a better job than your competition! Simples...

Spot on, most customers will recommend you to family, friends and neighbours if they like your work they
don't need an incentive.

Yup, that's what I find. When we start up, we can only recommend ourselves, but as we build up a good reputation, satisfied customers do it for us.

John

[Mike #1]

25p you would be lucky to buy a mix up of sweets for that 

[Stoots]

1. a quid or two is no incentive for a customer to go out of the way to recommend you.
2. It would be easier to canvass rather than f*** about

[Scrimble]

no free cleans, no stupid marketing gimmicks

just the 3 c's canvass clean cull are all that is needed

[kempy]

25p wow .

Best is like someone already said . If someone gets you a customer then knock them 50% off .
Awesome

[FRESHER]

Thanks for all the replies, Ill take all the comments on board, to confirm, that's 25p x 12 months so£3.00 a year every year the scheme is in place, £15 a year on 5 recommends each year. But accept the fact nobody says it would work.  Could easily try a larger discount like 50p as 25p just an example. I'm trying to look to see if there are any alternate methods than the traditional method to grow quickly, it wouldn't have to be a permanent fiscount. Nothing ventured nothing gained I my opinion.

[dazmond]

ive never offered any discount or incentive at all in 22 years of window cleaning.they either want a window cleaning service  or not.

you need to canvass,canvass and canvass some more,drop leaflets and upsell your services if you need the work(offer f/s/g cleaning and conny roofs,solar panels etc as well as window cleaning)

once you get a few customers.always do a good job and be reliable.over the years you will get a lot of recommendations by word of mouth,people seeing you working when your out and about and seeing your van if its signwritten.

no quick fixes im afraid to building a solid core of reliable window cleaning customers IMO.it takes a few years.