Referrals & word of mouth sales

[lyamen.savy]

I’m excited to announce that the Blabber beta is now live!

• Your salespeople receive warm introductions over group text or email to everyone saved in your customer's phone contact list.
• Create unlimited referral offers, A/B test which offer generates the most referrals, sales, highest gross, shortest sales cycle, etc.
• Integrates with every CRM in automotive
• Integrates with every DMS
• Automatically track referrals that convert to sales
• Process up to 15,000 payments to referrers with 1 invoice

Curious — any dealers here currently have a formal referral program at their store? What’s been your biggest obstacle to increasing sales from referrals?

 

[levin233]

We’ve tried a basic referral program at our store, but keeping track of everything manually was a pain. Biggest challenge has been getting customers to actually remember to refer people.

 

[lyamen.savy]

We’ve tried a basic referral program at our store, but keeping track of everything manually was a pain. Biggest challenge has been getting customers to actually remember to refer people.

Hi Levin,

Blabber.tech solves both of those problems!

Getting customers to refer:

• Your store-branded referral mobile app allows customers to sync their phone contact list and, with a single tap, send texts and emails introducing people in their phone contacts to a salesperson.
• The app allows referrers to see referral offers, track the status of referrals, and their earnings.
• The app has push notifications reminding people to keep referring and notifying them when they got paid.
• The app has gamification features that make referring as addictive as scrolling through social media.

Manual tracking:

• CRM integration: Referrals are received through SMS and email, and all information is automatically captured in your CRM via our CRM integration.
• DMS Integration: We can automatically track which referrals convert to sales, calculate referral commissions, and notify individuals when they earn a commission and when they receive payment.
• PayPal integration: You can process up to 15,000 referral payments with a single invoice
• AutoPay: This feature allows you to process payments automatically, or you can turn it off and process payments manually.

Email me if you would like to see it in action (lyamen@blabber.tech).

 

[Ryan Everson]

Hi Levin,

Blabber.tech solves both of those problems!

Getting customers to refer:

• Your store-branded referral mobile app allows customers to sync their phone contact list and, with a single tap, send texts and emails introducing people in their phone contacts to a salesperson.
• The app allows referrers to see referral offers, track the status of referrals, and their earnings.
• The app has push notifications reminding people to keep referring and notifying them when they got paid.
• The app has gamification features that make referring as addictive as scrolling through social media.

Manual tracking:

• CRM integration: Referrals are received through SMS and email, and all information is automatically captured in your CRM via our CRM integration.
• DMS Integration: We can automatically track which referrals convert to sales, calculate referral commissions, and notify individuals when they earn a commission and when they receive payment.
• PayPal integration: You can process up to 15,000 referral payments with a single invoice
• AutoPay: This feature allows you to process payments automatically, or you can turn it off and process payments manually.

Email me if you would like to see it in action (lyamen@blabber.tech).

Love the platform and concept, but the per-referral/lead billing model is tough to digest.

Some of our stores use the "Stuker" referral method - handing customers a birddog referral form at delivery. It's not uncommon for customers to fill out all 8 referral spots. If we were to switch from Stuker's paper forms to Blabber, we'd be charged $56 per customer (or $168 after your intro pricing ends), even if none of those referral leads actually convert into a sale.

I think dealers would be much more open to a pay-for-performance model - only paying for referrals that actually result in a sale. Since your platform already handles referral rewards and has access to sales data, it feels like an easy pivot that dealers would embrace.

 

[lyamen.savy]

Love the platform and concept, but the per-referral/lead billing model is tough to digest.

Some of our stores use the "Stuker" referral method - handing customers a birddog referral form at delivery. It's not uncommon for customers to fill out all 8 referral spots. If we were to switch from Stuker's paper forms to Blabber, we'd be charged $56 per customer (or $168 after your intro pricing ends), even if none of those referral leads actually convert into a sale.

I think dealers would be much more open to a pay-for-performance model - only paying for referrals that actually result in a sale. Since your platform already handles referral rewards and has access to sales data, it feels like an easy pivot that dealers would embrace.

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback — I completely understand how the $7 per referral lead pricing may seem high compared to handing someone a paper form at delivery.

But Blabber isn’t just a digital version of a piece of paper — it solves the real friction that keeps most dealership referral programs from producing consistent, scalable results.

With traditional paper forms:

1. Customers list names of people they know — but no one adds them to the CRM
2. Referrals don’t expect to hear from the dealership, so outreach feels cold — and salespeople often don’t follow up
3. Referrers lose motivation when they never hear back, don’t know the status, and don’t get paid
4. Tracking and payouts are manual, time-consuming, and often require extra headcount — and we all know how expensive good talent is

Blabber replaces that with:

1. Customers send warm, personal introduction messages by text or email — introducing their salesperson directly to everyone they know
2. Referrals are automatically tracked from intro to sale via CRM and DMS integrations
3. Referrers stay engaged with real-time status updates in their mobile app
4. Payments are automated — no spreadsheets or manual check cutting

Regarding the idea of a pay-on-sale model: that’s not a fit for a software company because there are too many factors outside our control — like the quality and availability of the inventory a store carries, whether they have in-demand models on the lot, or whether they’re offering well-priced, low-mileage vehicles, the finance options available, the salespeople's experience and training, etc.

We’re a software company — so the part we focus on (and constantly optimize) is how to get people referring and keep them referring over time.

Also, companies that offer true pay-on-sale models usually charge 30–40% of the revenue or gross profit — not $2–$7 per lead — because they have to absorb all the risk.

Lastly, our pricing model $2–$7 per warm introduction, it's still far more cost-effective than paying for impressions or clicks through traditional media — and you’re getting real, personal introductions, not cold traffic. Referral leads trust a dealership more than someone who clicked on a Facebook ad.

Happy to talk through volume pricing or hybrid options if that helps your stores ease in.

Appreciate the feedback!

Best,

Lyamen