Are you a service business wondering how to get more leads for the upcoming year? Here is a great method to bring value to your existing clients and bring in new clients for yourself.
The stocking stuffer referral method; How to get more leads
I call it the “Stocking Stuffer Referral Method.” It’s perfect for any company that offers services, especially if they are repeating services like lawn care, water delivery or even massage therapy.
This is how it works.
For this article I am going to use an example of a massage therapist. Let’s say that a 1 hour massage is normally priced at $150.
You are going to offer gift cards for a 1 hour massage for only $90 to your existing clients. However, your clients can’t use the gift card on themselves, they can only give it to others as a gift.
In order to enforce this rule, you will ask for the email address of the recipient of the gift card. And you will state that this is so you can send email reminders to them about their gift card to ensure that they use it.
So why do I call it the stocking stuffer referral method? Because a gift card or gift certificate is a perfect gift to put into a Christmas stocking.
Why is this such a good idea?
- Your Client Looks Good: You enable your existing client to look good because they are giving a gift of $150, yet they only have to spend $90 and the recipient of the gift card will never know.
- Free is Always Good: The recipient of the gift card gets a 1 hour massage as a gift.
- You Grow your Email List: You have acquired the email address of the recipient and can send them useful content in the form of newsletters or blogs to build trust that you are an expert in your field.
- You Acquire a New Customer: You get to acquire a new customer for only $60 ($150-90). Which is a good customer acquisition cost for this example. You will have to determine how to construct your offer to make sense for your business.
Win-Win-Win.
You are encouraging your existing clients to refer their friends and family to you. Referrals are the best way to get more leads and the stocking stuffer referral method helps drive this faster. If you’re wondering how to get more leads for 2024, consider this method, or something similar to it!
Ideas for Implementation
Ideas are great. Implementation ideas are better.
The best implementation strategy will depend on how your business operates, how you process purchases and how you interact with your clients. However, here are a few simple methods that you can use.
Be very clear
Regardless of your implementation strategy make sure the following things are very clear.
- What the offer is, and what the offer isn’t. Make sure the service included in the gift card is clearly stated. Use terms and conditions to define what is not included.
- How your client can purchase this offer.
- How the recipient of the gift card can redeem the offer.
Physical certificates or cards
If your business has a storefront, or you have regular interactions with your clients, a simple way to implement this strategy is with physical cards. Your clients can purchase them directly from you and you can use your normal methods of payment processing.
If you use this method, I would suggest creating a nice card template that clearly states the service that will be provided to them. It is a good idea to include the retail value of this service.
Additionally, include a spot where the gift giver can put in their own name, and a spot to place the name of the recipient, and their email address. Have the gift giver fill in this information prior to payment, and log this information yourself. Tell your client that you want to keep records of the gift cards and send email reminders to make sure the recipient doesn’t forget about their awesome gift.
Example text for a gift card:
From: __________________
To: _____________________
Treat yourself to a blissful experience with a free 1-hour massage, a $150 value!
Present this card, or your email address (________________________) at the time of service or when booking your appointment.
You can use free tools like Canva to design great looking gift cards and gift certificates.
Use a Google Form
A simple digital implementation option is to use an online form. Google forms are very simple to use and logs all of the form entries into a google sheet.
If you don’t have a CRM (Client Relationship Management) platform, or other form tools, Google Forms is a great option.
Simply create a form. Clearly state what the form is for, and the offer they are purchasing.
Include at least the following inputs:
- Your email address (This would be the gift givers email address).
- Your full name (This would be the gift givers full name).
- Name of Recipient
- Email address of recipient
- Mention in a text box that you collect this information to ensure authenticity of the gift card, and to remind the recipient if they have not redeemed their gift in 3 months.
Include some text to describe how the process will work once they submit their information.
This will depend on your internal process for handling gift cards. You should develop a process for charging your customer, and then delivering them a physical or digital gift card which they can give to the recipient.
Be sure to check in on your form responses and process them in a timely manner.
There are more advanced ways to trigger automations from the forms.
Client Relationship Manager (CRM)
If you are using a client relationship manager, you might be able to implement this strategy using built in features.
Some CRM tools have forms, surveys and even payment processes built into them. In that case, you can build a form similar to the Google Form to collect the information and potentially create automations.
Combining this strategy with an online payment system like PayPal or Stripe can really simplify the process. If you already have an ecommerce store with something like Shopify, you might be able to create a digital product that acts as the gift card, or some platforms have coupons and gift cards built into the system.
In general, using a marketing CRM can help you get more leads. These tools allow you to create newsletters, email drip campaigns, and marketing automations.
Terms and Conditions
Like everything else in business, it is smart to include a detailed terms and conditions section. Using the 1 hour massage example, you might want to include the following:
- Valid for one 1-hour massage session. Appointment required, subject to availability.
- Not redeemable for cash. Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions.
- Expires [insert expiration date, if applicable]. (Check local regulations if this is allowed)
Market this to your clients
Once you have the implementation all figured out, let your existing clients know that you can help them complete their Christmas shopping. Offers like this create great stocking stuffers and your clients will find genuine value in learning about it.
If you have your clients email addresses, send out a newsletters! If you aren’t collecting your clients email addresses … you should start! Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing.
If you have your clients phone numbers, send out an information text notifying them of the offer and how they can access it.
Create a social media post, create a Google Business Profile post, put something on your website, create a big sign if you have a storefront, mention it to all of your clients when you see them. Your clients can’t purchase this offer if they don’t know about it.
Additional notes
This strategy works best for single unit offers, where the gift card will be used in its entirety in one shot. Unless you have a system already in place for issuing and tracking gift cards, you don’t want to be keeping track of gift card balances in a spreadsheet.
If you have never done any sort of gift card or gift certificate before, you might want to talk to your bookkeeper or accountant to determine the best way to log this on the books. Gift cards typically create a liability until the card is redeemed.
There are regulations around gift card expiration. Some jurisdictions have restrictions on expiration dates, while others may allow them under certain conditions. It’s best to check local laws and regulations regarding gift card expiration dates if you want to put an expiration date on them.
The stocking stuffer referral is a great example of how to get more leads for the new year. The implementation methods described are DIY-friendly. However if you would like some help with your lead generation strategies or other digital marketing items, be sure to reach out to us at Marketing4 and we’ll be happy to help!
