Unless you are at full capacity, there’s always room for growth. We have discussed testimonials and demo days as ways to attract new clients. Another effective strategy is a good referral program. This program can be designed very creatively, but the ultimate goal is to bring new people onboard while building loyalty with the existing clients.
The most traditional strategy is to offer your existing clients a discount or reward for any new person they bring, and a discount for the new person who was brought. It’s a good strategy, but a more creative one will yield much better results.
For instance, you can turn ” Thank you ” cards into referral cards. As Pat Rigsby explained so well on Fitness Referral Strategies, after a meaningful moment during a client’s time with you , perhaps after they’ve met a goal or finished a 12 week program , hand them 3 ( a number that works for you) gift cards and tell them: Here are 3 gift cards that you can give to friends, co-workers or family members that would like to enjoy the same results that you have or would want to try this program. It entitles them to get $x off of our (name of program/lessons) as a gift from you. And as a way of saying thank you for being such a great client and to congratulate you on your progress, I want to give you $X off of your next program as well.
This will be a fantastic way not only to keep your existing clients happy, but to attract new ones. You can make it as creative as you want, but of course, you want to limit what you offer and when you offer it so you don’t give away too much money. In sluggish times, go ahead, try a referral program and see how it works for you.