As much as I hate how high gas prices are this summer, I love when I can pull into a gas station, swipe my customer loyalty card and save $0.40 per gallon. All this simply for shopping at their grocery store from time to time. When I fill up my 13-gallon tank, that’s over $5 that I can save for lunch or one of those extra-fancy coffees. About a month ago, I even won free lunch for a week from a different gas station, all because I swiped my customer loyalty card when I filled up. That’s a pretty good deal I must say!
Blood donor loyalty programs work the same way.
Donors get special perks just for being members. The more they donate, the more perks they are able to receive. By using this information in your phone calls, you can educate donors on the many benefits they can receive just for donating blood!
Here are a few specific ways to do this successfully:
- Know the program. Product knowledge is crucial. If you know the program’s ins and outs, you can better explain it to the donor. How do they sign up? How do the donor loyalty points work, and what can they be used for? Aside from points, are there additional perks, such as wellness checks?
- Stay up-to-date with promotions and bonus points. Who doesn’t love bonus points? If there is a new promotion for the donor to take advantage of, tell them about it! If they can earn bonus points for scheduling and keeping their appointment, tell them! If they get a free t-shirt for donating this weekend, tell them!
- Educate every donor you speak with.Every time I buy groceries, the cashier tells me my current fuel discount and how much I need to spend to save even more. Every time you talk to a donor, you should do the same. Tell them how many points they have and what they can get with those points. More importantly, tell them how many points they will get with their next donation and what those points will earn them.
- Customize the conversation. It’s impossible to share every program detail with every donor, but by understanding their interests and needs, you can talk about what is important and relevant to them. If you’re speaking to a high school donor, perhaps they’ll be interested in music gift cards. If you’re speaking to someone a bit older, maybe the advanced wellness checks are more important. If they say they aren’t interested in points or recognition, educate them on how they can donate their points to local charities.
Donor loyalty programs are constantly changing. There are always new promotions, new ways to earn points and new ways to redeem them. The key is to know as much as possible and educate as often as possible. If you can help a donor earn a t-shirt or gift card, or even win tickets to their favorite band’s concert, they will certainly appreciate it!