Referrals pay big dividends for Amsted Construction and have the potential to pay big dividends for the people who provide them. Whenever the Stittsville, Ontario-based company receives a referral or testimonial from a client, it sends the person a preprinted thank-you card and encloses a lottery ticket. Company president Steve Barkhouse writes the words, “thanks a million,” on each card and signs it.

Clients tend to call up the company as soon as they open the envelopes. “They feel like millionaires when they receive the lottery tickets,” says Barkhouse. “Even though the monthly drawing hasn’t occurred yet, they’re already mentally spending the money.”

Barkhouse enjoys chatting with the appreciative clients and finds that they talk up the “thanks a million” program quite a bit to their friends and associates. “This client signed a contract and referred us to someone else,” says the remodeler. “That potential client also referred us to someone else. When we asked that person how he’d heard about us, he said he’d heard about the ‘thanks a million thing’ from his friends.”

The company mails about three to five thank-you cards and lottery tickets each week, ensuring a steady supply of referrals. That’s a great payoff from a $2 lottery ticket.