attracting business or sounding desperate?

[paddy11]

Being the cynic I have become, I'm always susp. about 'offers' from companies...you know bogofs.... buy a bottle of wine and get a gift card free etc... I know these offers can be advantageous if used properly, and for the larger co's it may work, but what about a small company....might it sound a bit desperate/ last resort?..... I run a small animal boarding estab, (14 years) and whilst things are v v good at the mo... need to think of future, so am considering 'loyalty' type card where if pet has been here for equiv of 4 weeks over 1 year...get a weekend free etc .. would that appear that I am getting into trouble/ desp for business ( which, at the mo I'm not)...how do you lot feel about this? Would obv work out the logistics, but don't want to appear cheapy and desp which is not the case . TIA, THE PADSTER

[Zacs-Master]

I don't think it sounds desperate at all. The kennels we take our pooch to do a 10% reduction on your next booking if you introduce a new customer.

[buildersmate]

I agree. Getting new customer is reckoned to be 10x more difficult than retaining existing ones, so the above idea is excellent.
It is becoming more of the part of accepted culture that customer ask for a little extra or discount in some way shape or form is common-place, and without the seller sounding desparate.
The free weekend idea of your sounds great because my guess is that your fixed costs (apart from pet food) are fairly fixed, so filling spare capacity is what it is all about to enhance NPBT. Offering a 'free' weekend seems unlikely to lose you part of revenue that you would existed anyway for customers who book their pet in for a week at a time - it is likely to persuade them to take a weekend away without any (apparent) cost incurred for the pet.

[buildersmate]

sorry - delete the first 'fixed' - a bit of a tortology.

[paddy11]

thank you both so much....will instigate offers in new year...both brilliant answers. paddy