Hello and happy Friday, y’all! Spring has arrived here in Northwest Arkansas this week, and I have been loving being outside in the sun working on my flower beds and planning a few other gardening projects. This year so far has not been without hardship, but one of the things I am so proud of myself for is sticking to my New Year’s resolution of renewing my personal (and business) sustainability effort. One of the things I have been getting into is composting, and I am looking forward to using the compost in the family garden that my husband Keith and I have with his parents. I truly believe that even the little things like finding a use for our compostable food scraps can make a big difference.
But that’s a topic for another time.
Today’s blog post will be short and sweet, but it is on a topic that I feel deserves more than just a sentence on my website. Because while, yes, referral credits are great for me as a small business owner, they are also really great for you, my clients!
How does your referral program work?
My referral program is extremely simple:
Step 1 – you tell your friends, family, or even your enemies that they should book a session with me
Step 2 – they book a session with me
Step 3 – you get a 15% credit towards your next session
It really is as simple as that.
Wait, you really give me a credit for telling people about you?
Well, they do have to actually book a session with me, but YES! As soon as they have paid their deposit, thereby securing their session date and time, you will receive your referral credit of 15% which you will be able to use on a future session. My standard one hour sessions are currently priced at $200 (*subject to change*), so that would be a $30 credit.
Currently my referral credit does not apply if you are booking me for a wedding or elopement (*subject to change*).
How can I be sure to get my credit?
On my inquiry form there is a space for clients to enter the name of who referred them to me. Just be sure to tell the people that you refer to enter your name on that line, and it wouldn’t hurt for them to also mention you when I hop on the complimentary consultation phone call with them.
I would also like to remind you that this business is a one woman show, and although I try my best, mistakes are inevitable. So if somehow you did not receive your proper referral credit, I will refund you the amount of the credit you should have gotten.
Is there a limit on how many referrals I can send you?
Absolutely not! The more, the better! There is, however, a limit on how many referral credits you can apply to a single session. Each referral is worth a 15% credit, but you can only use referral credits for up to 50% of your total session price.
For example, if you book a standard session for $200 and you have three referral credits, you would receive a 45% credit, making your total balance $110. But if you have four referral credits, you can choose between using all four credits towards this session and receiving the 50% credit, making your total balance $100 – by choosing that option you would be losing about 10% of credit – or you could choose to only use three credits (for a total balance of $110) and save your fourth credit for your next session so that you are able to use the full 15% credit. There is no time limit on referral credits, so this is a great option if you get family photos done every year!
Do I have to be a past client to refer someone to you?
No! If you are a diehard fan of my work, even if you have not yet booked a session with me, you can start accumulating referral credits now in preparation for a future session. Although, I would be a little confused if inquiring clients were using the name of someone I had never heard of as their referral, so it might be a good idea to reach out to me via email to let me know who you are haha.
What if I am a monthly subscription client?
The referral credit works just the same if you are part of my monthly subscription program for business branding sessions. If you want to use it towards your regular subscription session, we can do that. Or if you want to upgrade your subscription session to a standard session for the next month, I can apply the credit towards that session. Or if you want to schedule a personal session that is separate from your small business (e.g. a family or couples session), I can apply your credit towards that.
In conclusion …
I hope that this post has answered any questions that come up for you about my referral credit program. If not, please feel free to ask me about it! I love talking about how my business can solve problems for you, and since this program saves you money, it’s a total no brainer in my opinion.
Until next week, friend.
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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