Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/build-your-enrollment-using-a-referral-rewards-program/5020722/
We all know that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising. So why do so many early childhood programs lack a customer referral program that consistently brings in new prospects and clients? Maybe we figure that if people love us the referrals will come naturally, without us having to ask for them. Sometimes that’s the case, but if you don’t have a system in place that’s specifically designed to produce referrals consistently over time, you’re missing a key tool in your enrollment-building arsenal.Have you ever heard of the “Rule of 52”? It’s based on a discovery by Joe Girard, the author of How to Sell Anything to Anybody. In marketing to consumers, his contention is that each customer has the potential to refer 52 other customers, on average, to any business. Even if we cut Joe’s number in half, ask yourself, “Is my child care program receiving (an average of) 26 referrals per customer?” Probably not! So you can see that there’s enormous potential in using just this one strategy to build your enrollment.
This might be the case, but there’s one problem. Unless you reward existing customers for their hard-earned referrals, they’re unlikely to help you get many ...