Referral Program — Optional (Vendor-Built)¶
The call center has the autonomy to build a referral program if they see ROI. Airwai is not requiring it, but will underwrite the credit costs if the program is set up well.
This file is a scaffold the call center can use as a starting point, not a mandate.
Why a referral program might be worth building¶
- AEC and accessibility professionals are tightly networked; one happy customer probably knows 5 prospects
- Word-of-mouth is the lowest-CAC channel that exists for B2B software
- A modest credit ($50–$100) is meaningful at a $29/month price point
- Field engineers respond well to peer recommendation because the work is technical and the recommender has credibility
Why it might NOT be worth it (yet)¶
- Operational overhead: tracking referrals, paying credits, handling disputes
- Risk of cannibalizing direct sales if the discount is too generous
- Requires a base of paying customers (probably 100+) before there's enough referrer pool to make economic sense
- Better to validate one channel before adding another
Recommendation: wait until ~100 paying users before launching. Set up the mechanic now, dormant; activate when the base supports it.
Suggested mechanic (call center can modify)¶
Structure¶
| Component | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Reward to referrer | $50 service credit on their next billing cycle |
| Reward to referred | First month of Pro free (already standard for new sign-ups, so it lines up) |
| Eligibility (referrer) | Active paying customer for at least 30 days |
| Eligibility (referred) | New customer; not currently a paying user or trial user |
| Activation | Promo code shared by referrer; tracked via unique URL |
| Cap | Referrer can earn up to $250 in credit per quarter |
Math¶
- $50 credit = ~17% of one annual Pro subscription
- If referral converts to annual prepay ($288), Airwai's gross revenue is $288, referrer gets $50, net $238 to Airwai
- Net is still well above the 70% margin floor
Customer journey¶
- Referrer receives a unique referral link in their account dashboard (or via the call center email)
- Referrer shares the link with a peer
- Peer clicks link → arrives at sign-up flow → activates a Pro trial
- If the peer converts to Pro within 60 days of sign-up:
- Referrer's account gets a $50 credit
- Peer's first month of Pro is free
- Tracking: HubSpot + Stripe coupon code system
Promotion channels for the program¶
- Email to active customers: "Help us grow — earn $50 per peer who converts"
- In-product banner (Airwai-built, on Airwai's roadmap)
- Caller outreach during quarterly customer check-ins
What the call center owns¶
If the call center chooses to build this: - Designing the mechanic - Tracking and paying out credits - Recruiting referrers actively - Handling disputes - Reporting (referral attribution in weekly KPI dashboard)
What Airwai owns¶
- Underwriting the $50 credit cost
- Issuing the credit in Stripe / billing
- Auditing for fraud or abuse
- Approving any structural changes to the program
Anti-fraud rules¶
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Same person cannot be both referrer and referred (no self-referrals) | Obvious |
| Referrer's account must be 30+ days old and paid | Prevents new-account abuse |
| Referred must not have been a trial user in the last 12 months | Prevents existing-pipeline cannibalization |
| Refunded referrals = clawed-back credits | Standard |
| Mass-distribution of referral links on public coupon sites = program ban | Protects channel economics |
Alternative reward structures the call center can choose¶
Different verticals respond to different incentives. Some options:
| Variant | Reward to referrer | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cash credit ($50) | Service credit | Most personas |
| Cash payout ($25 PayPal) | Direct cash | When customers don't see ongoing value in credits |
| Premium feature unlock | Bonus feature (priority support, extended archive triage) | Power users |
| Donation match | $50 to a customer-selected charity | Engineering / consulting firms where individual cash feels awkward |
| Conference attendance credit | $200 credit toward a conference of choice | Persona-specific (TRB, AAAE, etc.) |
The call center picks the structure that works.
If you decide NOT to build a referral program¶
That is a fine outcome. Some sales engagements never build one because: - Volume is high enough through paid + outbound that referrals are noise - The customer base is too small to support it economically - Operational overhead doesn't pencil
If you don't build it, focus the energy on the affiliate program (the call-center-built version, see affiliate-program.md) — which generally has higher-leverage economics when influencers are involved.