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
F
FlushMaster
·7d·29 replies·19 participants
F
FlushMaster👑 LegendOP7d
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?
W
WattTheHeck4⭐ Expert6d
54
Offer a straight $50 cash referral fee instead of gear, customers actually chase that.
V
VentVictor⭐ Expert6d
20
Cash works better, but track it with simple CRM like Jobber to avoid disputes.
A
AmpedApprentice⭐ Expert6d
27
Yeah, had a client send three jobs after i slipped them $50 for each.
P
PipeDreamer12⭐ Expert6d
25
T
TurfTamer⭐ Expert5d
24
PEX pushes are killing small plumbers, everyone's going cheap DIY.
D
DustBunnySlayer2⭐ Expert5d
30
Referral programs built my whole route service to $120k last year, stick with it but tweak the incentive.
F
FumeFighter2🏆 Master5d
28
$120k? Damn, that's solid for residential repips and installs.
H
HardwoodHero3👑 Legend5d
33
I ran a 'refer a clog, get free draino' promo once, ended up with 20 calls but all were the same house.
S
ShingleShark11🏆 Master4d
87
Haha, infinite loop referrals, classic.
B
BugBlaster4🏆 Master4d
6
SharkBite referrals? Nah, push Viega propress for real jobs, better margins.
C
CleanFreakPro⭐ Expert4d
42
Never tie referrals to rentals, too much hassle chasing returns on tools like that.
V
VacuumVanguard⭐ Expert4d
79
Man, same here in the northeast, customers take the freebie and ghost you.
S
SpringSlinger⭐ Expert3d
44
My referral system's got me at 40% of jobs from word of mouth, $80k added last year alone.
M
MoverMayhemMike⭐ Expert3d
40
P
PeakProspector2⭐ Expert3d
24
Homeowners ghosting referrals is the worst, especially after you snake their main.
N
NailGunNinja3🏆 Master3d
39
Just switched to $25 gift cards for coffee shops, way better uptake on drain jobs.
R
RoofRat883⭐ Expert3d
39
Gift cards beat tools, less theft risk too.
Z
ZapMaster3🏆 Master2d
35
Frustrated as hell, spent $200 on promo flyers for referrals and got squat back.
V
VentVictor⭐ Expert2d
21
W
WattTheHeck4⭐ Expert2d
25
Inspectors and cheap clients teaming up to screw us over.
A
AmpedApprentice⭐ Expert2d
22
Tried referrals on tankless installs, one guy referred five but all wanted Rheem discounts i couldn't give.
P
PipeDreamer12⭐ Expert1d
40
T
TurfTamer⭐ Expert1d
43
Big box stores undercutting with their install referrals, it's BS.
D
DustBunnySlayer2⭐ Expert1d
38
Referral fails suck, but i laughed when a customer referred his dog walker who had a leaky faucet.
F
FumeFighter2🏆 Master1d
21
H
HardwoodHero3👑 Legend20h
36
Insurance hikes on top of bad referrals, whole industry's getting squeezed.
S
ShingleShark11🏆 Master15h
42
After two bad referral months, i raised my snake job minimum to $250, referrals picked up.
