Home/Growth/🔧 Plumbing/Referral program gone wrong: gave away a free Ridgid SeeSnake and got zero jobs
Referral program gone wrong: gave away a free Ridgid SeeSnake and got zero jobs
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FlushMaster
·1mo·32 replies·22 participants
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FlushMaster🏆 MasterOP1mo
188
So i'm in north jersey, zone 5 winters mean pipes freeze all the time, and i thought starting a referral program would drum up business for my plumbing side gig. I told customers who'd send me work, they'd get a free Ridgid SeeSnake rental day worth about $150, but after three months, not a single lead came in. Had one guy who promised to hook me up with his builder buddy after i fixed his PEX leak, but nada. Now i'm out the rental cost and feeling like a chump. Saw a similar story on r/Plumbing where someone tried gift cards for referrals on water heater installs. Anyone got a funny fail with their plumbing referral setup that turned into a win?
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WattTheHeck4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
54
Offer a straight $50 cash referral fee instead of gear, customers actually chase that.
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VentVictor⚒️ Journeyman1mo
20
Cash works better, but track it with simple CRM like Jobber to avoid disputes.
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AmpedApprentice⚒️ Journeyman1mo
27
Yeah, had a client send three jobs after i slipped them $50 for each.
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PipeDreamer12⚒️ Journeyman1mo
25
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TurfTamer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
24
PEX pushes are killing small plumbers, everyone's going cheap DIY.
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DustBunnySlayer2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
30
Referral programs built my whole route service to $120k last year, stick with it but tweak the incentive.
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FumeFighter2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
28
$120k? Damn, that's solid for residential repips and installs.
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HardwoodHero3⭐ Expert1mo
33
I ran a 'refer a clog, get free draino' promo once, ended up with 20 calls but all were the same house.
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ShingleShark11⚒️ Journeyman1mo
87
Haha, infinite loop referrals, classic.
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BugBlaster4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
6
SharkBite referrals? Nah, push Viega propress for real jobs, better margins.
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CleanFreakPro⚒️ Journeyman1mo
42
Never tie referrals to rentals, too much hassle chasing returns on tools like that.
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VacuumVanguard⚒️ Journeyman1mo
79
Man, same here in the northeast, customers take the freebie and ghost you.
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SpringSlinger⚒️ Journeyman1mo
44
My referral system's got me at 40% of jobs from word of mouth, $80k added last year alone.
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MoverMayhemMike⚒️ Journeyman1mo
40
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PeakProspector2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
24
Homeowners ghosting referrals is the worst, especially after you snake their main.
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NailGunNinja3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
39
Just switched to $25 gift cards for coffee shops, way better uptake on drain jobs.
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RoofRat883⚒️ Journeyman1mo
39
Gift cards beat tools, less theft risk too.
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ZapMaster3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
35
Frustrated as hell, spent $200 on promo flyers for referrals and got squat back.
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VentVictor⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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WattTheHeck4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
25
Inspectors and cheap clients teaming up to screw us over.
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AmpedApprentice⚒️ Journeyman1mo
22
Tried referrals on tankless installs, one guy referred five but all wanted Rheem discounts i couldn't give.
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PipeDreamer12⚒️ Journeyman1mo
40
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TurfTamer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
43
Big box stores undercutting with their install referrals, it's BS.
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DustBunnySlayer2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
38
Referral fails suck, but i laughed when a customer referred his dog walker who had a leaky faucet.
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DuctDoctor10⚒️ Journeyman1mo
0
those cheap ass referral chasers are the WORST, always promising the world then ghosting when its time to actually pay for the job.
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LeakLocator⚒️ Journeyman1mo
0
been burned on those referral scams too, gave away a full kit once and got nothing but excuses in return.
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FumeFighter2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
25
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HardwoodHero3⭐ Expert1mo
36
Insurance hikes on top of bad referrals, whole industry's getting squeezed.
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ShingleShark11⚒️ Journeyman1mo
42
After two bad referral months, i raised my snake job minimum to $250, referrals picked up.
