Referral Program

I haven't had any time this week to work on my squirrel, or something new. But I hope to get something done over the weekend to post either on Sunday night or Monday. I'm posting tonight just to run a thought by you.

I'm thinking about starting a "Referral Program" to promote myself. I got the idea from Alyson Stanfield on ArtBizCoach.com, and I think it sounds like a great idea. I would let my close friends and family know that if they refer a client to me for a portrait commission, they would earn a certain percentage of what I make as a commission for each referral. They would be motivated to let people know about me and give people my website address. Especially in this economy, where so many people are looking to make an extra buck.

In fact...the sales woman that I bought my car from 8 years ago had the same strategy going. She told me that if I referred a customer to her, and they bought a new car from her, she would send me a check for $50. Trust me, I tried, but I couldn't find anybody who was in the market for a car at the time.

Of course there would have to be some type of "rules" set in place. For instance, you only get paid for your referral when the client completes the transaction. I think this would be a good promotional tool. What are your thoughts?